This week on History’s Attic we are going to talk about a Depression love story with ties to the Historic Fort Randall Chapel. We will start with just a short history of the chapel itself. Fort Randall Chapel was built in 1875 and served as both a church and a meeting hall. It was not a military structure and was built by volunteers with donated funds and local materials with the hope of reducing alcoholism while providing some social and spiritual influence. The Fort itself was abandoned in 1892. The church remained in pretty good condition until 1896 when it was struck by lightning and a cyclone that tore off a portion of the churches roof. The church began to deteriorate after that point. That’s were our story starts, and at this point I suspect that’s when the pilfering of the church began.

The interior of the church and its pews were made of local grown Black Walnut hand cut and finished by the church’s carpenters. It must have been a beautiful sight to see the dark wood tone against the white chalk walls polished to a shimmering tone. But after the roof come off, I suspect the pews and any furniture was moved to the west wing were it was sold or just taken. I know there is a church in Fairfax that has some pews and maybe there alter constructed of the walnut wood. And evidently a cabinet builder got a hold of some of this wood too. In the middle nineties I attended a sale at the south end of main street in Bonesteel were there was furniture that was constructed of the chapel’s wood. I was able to get the lady having the sale by the furniture and snap her picture and ask her how it happened to be on the sale.

I am sorry but I do not remember her name maybe some of the readers will recognize her but for stories sake we will call her Eva. She told me she was married in 1929 or in that time period she said times were tough and they had little money. Eva and her husband were in Nebraska and went into a little shop looking for used furniture to start their household. She spotted this furniture corner cabinet, chair, desk, and several other pieces and fell in love with them. But she knew the price was more than there newly started household could afford. So, they left with no furniture and went home, but she said she still dreamed of that lovely furniture and how it would look in her little home. Eva must have worked in Bonesteel because one day she come home and there the furniture was. Her husband went back and bought it and brought it home for his new bride. And you could still tell she loved the furniture as she rubbed her aged hands over it. But it had to be sold as she was moving and there was no place to put it. I really tried to buy it on the sale but an antique dealer from Dallas had more money than I did at the time, so the furniture slipped away. But I really did think it was a touching story of one man’s love for his wife. Next week on History’s Attic we are going to talk about the first Oil well in Gregory County.

Author Richard Papousek, originally published in the Burke Gazette on April 5, 2023