The Sweet Home Church

When the writer’s family moved to his present home in 1905, the surrounding country was much more thickly populated than it is now. Nearly every 160 acres, now owned by the National Forest and by Dierks Lumber and Coal Co., had at least one if not more families living on it. Many lived on the area taken over by the Lake Ouachita too.

Christian services were a vital part of their lives. It was a very common practice for people to walk three miles regularly to attend Church and Sunday School services when the weather was at all favorable.

Services in this community were held in a school house. It was poorly suited for that use. It could not be at all adequately heated in cold weather. Light for night services was provided by two or three small kerosene lamps or by lanterns.

My father, W. I. Hovell, organized the people in the surrounding area into a band determined to build a local church. An uncle, Mr. J.E. Singleton, from Avon, Ill. was spending the winter at our home. He drew the plans and superintended the church’s construction. The work was done by the men of the community. A frame building 60 feet long and 30 feet wide was decided to construct. My parents donated the ground. The sills were hewed from available timber. One is a 12 in. by 12 in. extending the full length of one side. Shingles for the roof were split by S.J. McCullar and David Music. Of all who helped to build the church, only Ed Benson and the writer are alive today.

The Church was dedicated May 17, 1908. The dedication sermon was preached by Dr. G.E. Cunningham, a Little Rock minister. The text was Luke 7:5 “For He so loved our people, He built them a synagogue.” He said it could be aptly paraphrased “For they so loved their people, they built for them a church”

Just previous to the dedication, Leroy E. Hovell Sr. and Kathleen Jackson were married in the Church. Later, Dr. J.R. Woods was pastor of the church for many years. He later moved to Mena, Ark.

Most of the homesteads were later sold to the Caddo River Limber Co. and the owners moved away. The writer moved to Norman, Ark. Services were not held at the church for several years. The writer moved back in this area in 1929. While in Norman, he formed a warm friendship with Dr. John Barr and persuaded him to preach and organize a church here. It was organized and has been operating since then.

After Dr. Barr’s retirement and death, Rev. David Harrison, Rev. George Wingard, and Mr. John Becton have served as pastors. Services and Sunday school are held every Sunday.

We, the residents of this area, take prid [sic] in our church as we believe Christian services are a necessary part of one’s life, and that every one, especially children, should have ready access to them.

This church is a vital part of the writer’s religious life. I was married there and have served as an Elder, Sunday School teacher, secretary and superintendent many years. Funeral services for both my parents, my brother and two brother-in-laws were held there. I assisted in the ordination of my father as an elder, and my older son Curtis as a deacon the same night. I have also assisted in baptisms of grandchildren and great grandchildren. Dr. John T. Barr served five generations of my family as a pastor ther. [sic]

Leroy E. Hovell

1965

Copied from a hand written paper found in the Dick Whittington files which are now at the Heritage House Museum, Mt. Ida. Posted 26 June 2001.

Karen Hamilton wrote: I'm looking for some people interested in preserving the aesthetic views of rural churches in Montgomery County. Four years ago we purchased the Clyde Hughbanks place which included the Sweethome Church. Sadly it has started showing it's 100 yr. old age. We are seeking help in returning it to the peak of it's beauty. Tourist who stopped at Sweethome for kodak moments were numerous the first few years but that number is growing smaller. I have been researching and looking for stories about the church and surprisingly found no photo's on the web. I'm also looking for party's interested in the four unmarked graves that are listed in the cemetery records. We also hope to restore some original, unique features on the inside so I need some facts to support my speculations. Thank you greatly for your help. Karen Hamilton Posted 12 March 2005

The old Sweet Home Church, today stands alone, used for the occasional funeral. Located about a mile north of the Whittington Cemetery on Hwy 27. About four miles out of Mount Ida, Montgomery Co. AR.

Montgomery County News
Effort started to restore historic church
February 3, 2005 - No reporter cited

A Mount Ida couple is seeking to put the Sweethome Community church on the National Historic Register in an attempt to preserve the structure and heritage the church brings to that community and Montgomery County. The church (opens in a new window) was constructed in 1907 and dedicated on May 17, 1908 in a service led by Dr. G.E. Cunningham. The building is owned by Jody and Karen Hamilton of Mount Ida and is currently used for storage. The original church design was by J.E. Singleton, an architect from Avon, Illinois. At one time it had a front porch and a steeple with a cross on top, stated Karen Hamilton. The community known as Sweethome was formed in the southwest part of Montgomery County in 1850 in an area partially taken over by the South Fork Branch of Lake Ouachita in 1952. For five years prior to the closing of the floodgates, farms, residences and gravesites were moved. Not all were moved and were lost to the lake's waters eventual and normal levels. In the early 1900s, Christian services were a vital part of people's lives. In the community known as Sweethome, services were conducted in a poorly constructed schoolhouse. In 1907, W.I. Hovell organized the construction of Sweethome Church on land which he donated. Fortunately, the land was out of reach of the expanding Lake Ouachita and was not lost. The construction of the church was done by local men and women under the direction of the architect J.E. Singleton. Among those named in the Montgomery County Heritage books are Ed Benson and Leroy E. Hovell, Sr. The frame building is 60 feet long and 30 feet wide. The timbers are hand hewn to 12 by 12 and extend the full length of the building. The original shingles for the building were split by S.J. McCullar and David Music. The cross on the original structure was made by John Linebarger of Dallas, Texas.

In the Montgomery County: Our Heritage books, several people are listed as having been pastors at Sweethome. The first was Dr. G.E. Cunningham, who preached the dedication service. Others are: Dr. John T. Barr, Rev. David Harrison, Rev. George Wingard and John Becton.

The building has been an important part of the lives of Sweethome residents as well as countywide. In addition to Sunday services, there have been numerous weddings, baptisms and funerals. Land behind the church was designated as a cemetery which contains the four unmarked graves of Edith Mauldin, Harriel Vandeveer McCleary, Mother Woods and Bobby C. Wright. The earliest recorded burial was in 1914 and the latest in 1984.

In January of 1977, the church became inactive. Clyde Hughbanks inherited the property. According to the last will and testament of Hughbanks, once services ceased the donated grounds would revert back into the original parcel of land surrounding it. It is the desire of the Hamilton's of rehabilitate the structure to its original beauty for the community and the many tourists who stop and admire the Sweethome Church.

Montgomery Co. ARGenWeb Project