The Church in the Wildwood
Encyclopedia
"The Church in the Wildwood" is a song that was written by Dr. William S. Pitts in 1857 following a coach ride that stopped in Bradford, Iowa
. It is a song about a church in a valley near the town, though the church was not actually built until several years later. In the years since, the church has become known simply as "The Little Brown Church".
, the stage stopped at Bradford and allowed Pitts time to wander the area and enjoy the woodlands. Pitts found particular beauty in a wooded valley formed by the Cedar River. While viewing the spot, Pitts envisioned a church building there and could not seem to ease the vision from his mind. Returning to his home in Wisconsin, he wrote "The Church in the Wildwood" for his own sake, eventually saying of its completion, "only then was I at peace with myself."
By 1862 Pitts was married, and he and his wife moved to Fredericksburg to be near her elderly parents. He was surprised upon his return to the area to find a church being erected where he had imagined it five years before. The building was even being painted brown, because that was the least expensive color of paint to be found. During the winter of 1863-64 he taught a singing class at Bradford Academy. Pitts had his class sing the song at the dedication of the new church in 1864. This was the first time the song was sung by anyone apart from Pitts himself.
. To pay his enrollment fees, he sold the rights to the song to a music publisher for $25. He completed medical school, graduating in 1868, but the song was again forgotten.
Nearing the twentieth century, small Bradford was in great decline. The village had been bypassed by a new railroad through Nashua, Iowa
, two miles west, and the flour mill moved to New Hampton, Iowa
to be on a bigger river. The town was once the county seat, but population was in steady decline, and the church had grown neglected. In 1888, the church was closed.
Among those who found and loved the song at this time was the Weatherwax Quartet. This group of traveling singers traveled throughout Canada
and the United States
in the 1920s and 30s and used as their trademark song "The Church in the Wildwood". They would quite easily talk about the little church during their travels.
As the song grew in popularity, coupled with the development of the U.S. Highway system in the mid-1920s, many visitors came to the newly-reopened little church. Since, the church has become a popular tourist spot, and remains so today. It attracts thousands of visitors every year to see or be married in the little brown church in the vale.
Bradford, Iowa
Bradford is an unincorporated community in Franklin County, Iowa, United States....
. It is a song about a church in a valley near the town, though the church was not actually built until several years later. In the years since, the church has become known simply as "The Little Brown Church".
Origins of the song
During a stagecoach ride to visit his fiancée in Fredericksburg, IowaFredericksburg, Iowa
Fredericksburg is a city in Chickasaw County, Iowa, United States. The population was 984 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Fredericksburg is located at ....
, the stage stopped at Bradford and allowed Pitts time to wander the area and enjoy the woodlands. Pitts found particular beauty in a wooded valley formed by the Cedar River. While viewing the spot, Pitts envisioned a church building there and could not seem to ease the vision from his mind. Returning to his home in Wisconsin, he wrote "The Church in the Wildwood" for his own sake, eventually saying of its completion, "only then was I at peace with myself."
By 1862 Pitts was married, and he and his wife moved to Fredericksburg to be near her elderly parents. He was surprised upon his return to the area to find a church being erected where he had imagined it five years before. The building was even being painted brown, because that was the least expensive color of paint to be found. During the winter of 1863-64 he taught a singing class at Bradford Academy. Pitts had his class sing the song at the dedication of the new church in 1864. This was the first time the song was sung by anyone apart from Pitts himself.
Forgetting of the song
In 1865, Pitts moved to Chicago, Illinois, to enroll in Rush Medical CollegeRush Medical College
Rush Medical College is the medical school of Rush University, a private university in Chicago, Illinois. Rush Medical College was one of the first medical colleges in the state of Illinois and was chartered in 1837, two days before the city of Chicago was chartered, and opened with 22 students on...
. To pay his enrollment fees, he sold the rights to the song to a music publisher for $25. He completed medical school, graduating in 1868, but the song was again forgotten.
Nearing the twentieth century, small Bradford was in great decline. The village had been bypassed by a new railroad through Nashua, Iowa
Nashua, Iowa
Nashua is a city in Chickasaw and Floyd counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 1,663 an increase of 45, or 2.8%, from 1,618 reported at the 2000 census...
, two miles west, and the flour mill moved to New Hampton, Iowa
New Hampton, Iowa
New Hampton is a city in Chickasaw County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,692 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Chickasaw County.-Geography:New Hampton is located at ....
to be on a bigger river. The town was once the county seat, but population was in steady decline, and the church had grown neglected. In 1888, the church was closed.
Popularity of the song
Shortly into the new century, the Society For The Preservation of The Little Brown Church was founded, and by 1914, services were again held in the building. Shortly afterward, the small congregation experienced a revival that attracted new attention to it and to its song.Among those who found and loved the song at this time was the Weatherwax Quartet. This group of traveling singers traveled throughout Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 1920s and 30s and used as their trademark song "The Church in the Wildwood". They would quite easily talk about the little church during their travels.
As the song grew in popularity, coupled with the development of the U.S. Highway system in the mid-1920s, many visitors came to the newly-reopened little church. Since, the church has become a popular tourist spot, and remains so today. It attracts thousands of visitors every year to see or be married in the little brown church in the vale.
External links
- Official site of The Little Brown Church
- Website of the City of Nashua, Iowa historic places page
- Short biography of William Pitts on the Des Moines Register
- Encyclopædia Britannica article on the song