Cold Friday Church aka New Bethel Church

The earliest mention that can be found of Cold Friday Campground was at a meeting of the United Brethren in Christ Conference held on December 4, 1847. At that meeting John Cole, George Kurtz and John Brown were appointed trustees of the property known of as the Cold Friday Campground. According to descendents of John Gotthard Crecelius, the first Cold Friday Church or Campground was located on the 160 acres he purchased in 1822. This property comprised the SE portion of section 13 in Scott Township. The Kesner Cemetery is located on this parcel. It would seem that a cemetery would more likely than not be located near a church. John Crecelius died of small pox on a cold, snowy day in 1835 so cold and snowy that his coffin had to be taken by sled up to the cemetery. Only his children were there to bury him, neighbors and friends were too afraid of catching small pox. The old Cold Friday Campground may or may not have been once located in section 13 on the Crecelius property . In any case, two other area churches were also referred to as Cold Friday Church at later points in time. This included the log Union church (organized in 1866?) located across the road from Greenbriar Cemetery and the frame Cold Friday Church (built in 1891) located across the road from Cold Friday Cemetery. To make matters even more confusing, the 1891 Cold Friday frame church was literally picked up and moved a few yards to the west of its original 1891 site at some point in time. There are still a few of the foundation stones in place today. Ola Kintner had often heard that Cold Friday Church was built from the funds of a flat boater who had died while on the river. According to this story, his co-workers had taken his share of the profits and had donated them to build the church in his honor. Slight variations of this story have been told by a number of people over the years leading one to be inclined to believe there is some truth in it. According to History of the Indiana Conference of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ by Rev. Adam B. Condo (1926), the original Cold Friday Church was organized by Rev. A. Bennett in 1866: In 1866, the Rev. A. Bennett effected the organization of a class near Little Blue River, about a mile or more north of the Ohio River (This is in error, Little Blue River is located in Crawford County). They had a log church house, which they used until 1891, when they relocated to the present site, where they erected a frame house that is now in use. Rev. W.A. Richardson was the pastor at the time they relocated and erected the new building. The Bottle Family had a part in the relocation and building of the new house. The church is still in operation, although they are almost isolated by the hills, from other church communities. There are quite a good many people in the community, and they could not get to any other church, without great inconvenience, hence they greatly need the church, and the conference should do its utmost to care for them. The new church was relocated just across the road from where the present day Cold Friday Cemetery is located. Most of the information on the new frame church built in 1891 was obtained from the writings of Belva Gibson, the daughter of Thomas and Cordelia Gibson, residents of the Cold Friday area. According to her records, Willis and Walter Sibert built the frame church. The lumber

for the church was sawed and stacked on the church site to season. Sometimes Laura Brandenburg would go with Rebecca (Kendle) Bottles and build a fire around the lumber so that the smoke would help season the lumber. Some think that the church only cost about $400.00 and that Aunt Becky Bottles gave $100.00 of that. Others gave money or gave their labor towards the new church building. I was told by my parents that Rebecca Bottles gave the big Bible to the new church. I remember of my Grandmother, Eliza Ann Gibson making wine in August to have for communion at New Bethel Church. My mother baked the light bread which was sliced, crust removed and cut into little cubes. The wine was extra good. Belva Gibson goes on to write: When my parents kept the church keys, this meant to have a fire in the stove in cold weather before the members began to arrive, to put the lights out and lock up after services at night. The biggest job was to keep the church clean, especially in bad weather. So much clay (mud) was tracked in. To make the job easier, two or three went in an afternoon to sweep and dust. With the windows and three doors open the sweeping was begun with the pulpit, which had carpet on it. One person took the side the women sat on, the second person the middle section. A space was swept and then the long benches were moved and swept some more until the opposite end was reached with two doors in that end. Had begun at the end with the one door on left side of pulpit. This was where the organ was located and the choir, ladies side. Next came the moving of the benches back into place, by this time the dust had settled, which got pretty thick at the end of the sweeping. The non-church members, boys that sat in the back near the two doors would chew tobacco and spit in the corners, and maybe threw the tobacco on the floor in a corner too. The congregation was patient with them, for they out-grew this showing off and in time maybe one or two became preachers. These non-members would sing out a little after the religious people, some times say Amen after a member had said it. They would chase in and out of those two doors during church service. On going home with crowds walking in several directions some one was sure to shoot off a pistol. In bad weather, on reaching the church, we that cared and knew what a job it was to sweep the church, cleaned our shoes. Oftentimes after doing the days work, we walked to Potato Run Church at night to big meetings as it was called then. We had to open gates and climb over rail fences. Sometimes a group walked to New Amsterdam to church. This trip we had Big Indian Creek to cross. The creek was crossed at Ben Woodards farm that lived on the west side of the creek, in his homemade boat. Sometimes this creek had been up, with backwater of the Ohio river had gone down leaving the banks very muddy, but somehow all got across. Left eh boat on east side and walked on to New Amsterdam. The young men maybe made more than one trip to get all across. The boat was there on our return trip from New Amsterdam to cross to get home again. Generally these times big meetings were going on and some of several families lived on our way to the creek. A very peaceful trip. This one Sunday after church, I remember the preacher came home with us for dinner, Mother got busy with the dinner, things had been gotten ready early generally the cake and pies had been baked the day before. Dad had to talk to the preacher and anyone else who was along in the living room. Dad trying to keep the

baby from crying, which he couldnt do a thing or neither could I. I suppose the baby was hungry too. Julia Kintner Smith wrote down some information about the church in 1960 that was presented to the Harrison County Historical Society. She reported that the name was changed from Cold Friday to New Bethel U.B. Church at some point in time. Regular worship services and Sunday school was held there for several years. There were also many all day meetings with basket dinners attended by large crowds. Once a year there would be revival meetings. She reported that sometimes these revival meetings would last for weeks, with some people coming from Kentucky to attend. Some of the preachers who preached at Cold Friday ( some at Potato Run as well) included: Rev. Freeling, Rev. Garrison, Rev. Peteres, Rev. Arnold, Rev. Hemmelheber, Rev Morgan, Sister Minton, Williiam Todd, Myrtle Todd, Rev. Hussing, Rev. Henry Zenor, Rev. Patterson, Rev. Catt, and Rev. Amza Smith. As the State continued to buy up ground during the 1930s, the number of people in the neighborhood dropped with a corresponding drop in the size of the congregation of Cold Friday Church. Belva Gibson writes that in 1939 the church was not used except for one funeral. The church was later sold and torn down by the Wes Lowe family in March of 1957. The lumber was used to build a home for Georgia and Wes Lowe in Corydon, which is still standing today. Some of the Sunday school records from the New Bethel or Cold Friday Church are in the Harrison County Librarys Gene logical building in Corydon.