This series of rough and ready hand-made post cards shows the creation of a church building in a day, probably by the members of the congregation. These were virtually the last postcards, purchased in 2002, bought by the BGC Museum staff.

We know the date exactly of these images, May 4, 1911. The place and other particulars is much more uncertain. The church might have been in Red Lodge, Montana, as a note on the back of the first postcard suggests. On the other hand, the last postcard identifies the pastor as E. M. Romine and most of his pastorates seem to have been in Iowa and Missouri.

[Later note: Thanks to sharp-eyed reader of the Bulletin Board, Bob Dresser, we now know much more. Bob, who had been to Red Lodge, was able to identify the site as in that town, helped by the Rocky Mountains in the background of some of the pictures/ He was also able to locate a couple of contemporary articles describing the event. Click here to read one of these articles.]

The pictures tell in a vivid and direct way the story of everyone making their contribution to the raising of the Tabernacle - the men by hammering and sawing, the woman by cooking and feeding, and the children by gawking and getting under foot.

Any further information on this story would be welcomed by the BGC Archives staff.

Red Lodge, Mt.
[The back of the above postcard, upside down. The identification of Red Lodge was on the postcard when it was purchased, as was the notation "MT-13, 75R" The notation "2000.0337A" was added by the BGC Museum staff. The back of all of the other postcards are blank, except for the same postcard form as is on the back of this one.]

tents in which dinner and
supper was [sic] served.