| Additional Information: | This church was originally part of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The church stands on land donated by Bosman Clifton in memory of his daughter. Limestone came from a quarry just west of church while other materials came from Galena.
2021: Old Rock Church stands on the west side of Rock Church Road 0.3 miles north of County Road E. It is set near the north end of a narrow tract of land that contains the Rock Church Cemetery. The small gabled stone building is the oldest church in Grant County and was previously inventoried in 1976. An historical marker near the building notes: "The Rock Church, originally part of the Methodist Episcopal Church, stands on land donated by a pioneer settler, Bosman Clifton, in memory of his daughter. | Construction began in 1851 and men and women alike worked long and hard for several years to complete it. They drew limestone for the walls from a quarry just west of here and hauled other materials 40 miles from Galena, Illinois by oxen and wagon. | More than a small stone church on a windblown hillside, Rock Church is a true symbol of the pioneering spirit and religious heritage of its builders." The original deed from Bosman and Sarah Clifton to the Methodist Episcopal Church was dated January 29, 1852 (RCMS). Local timber was used for the floor and windows. The building was heated by a coal-burning stove that was replaced with an "an antique wood-burning parlour stove" in 2019. Water and electricity were never connected to the building. Although it has not been used for regular weekly services since 1944, the building has been continually maintained. In 1985-86 the church was refurbished, and exterior improvements included tuck-pointing and new doors. Inside, "the ceiling and walls were plastered and painted, the floor was sanded and sealed, and new pews were added." In 2018, "the Southern Conference United Methodist Church transferred the ownership of the Rock Church" to the "newly formed Rock Church Memorial Society, Inc. (RCMS)" nonprofit organization (RCMS).
As of 2021, the church is in good condition. The front façade consists of two doorways. The entry surrounds have been altered, transoms covered over, and the doors are replacements. The overhead stone plaques that are set over each entrance were installed in 1951 to commemorate its centennial anniversary; they read "1851-1951" and "Rock Church Methodist.” Three windows are set on each side wall. The one-over-one sash windows are modern replacements, but the original openings and stone sill and lintels have been retained. A small brick chimney is set near the front of the building; it is likely a replacement stack. A gabled two-stall garage is set behind the church and is used for storage of groundskeeping and maintenance supplies. Several broken headstones were observed lying along the east wall of the garage, their materials and styles indicated most were historic in age.
Most of the cemetery stands to the south of the church. Mary Matilda Clifton was among, if not the first person interred there following her death in 1845. Her grave marker was not located during this survey, but those of her parents Bose and Sarah Clifton are set just west of the modern garage. The cemetery remains active, and burials have continued through 2021. There is no clear distinction between original/historic area of the cemetery and areas of expansion. In 2011 the Rock Church Cemetery was vandalized and "more than 100 headstones and grave markers" were "toppled, damaged and destroyed" (Jones 2011). "The oldest headstones suffered the worst damage because they were made not of granite but of softer and weathered stone. Some broke into pieces as they fell. One tall monument dated 1873 lay in pieces on the ground with its ornate top lying separately. One headstone was previously crowned with a large ball weighing about 400 pounds. The ball rolled downhill and came to rest about 100 yards away in a farmer's field." At the time, it was "generally agreed by those who survey the cemetery that some of the headstones are ruined beyond repair. Returning the cemetery to its previous state, or as nearly as possible, will take quite some time. "Some of the older ones will be too damaged to fix," cemetery caretaker Pat Riley said. "Some were the same that had been targeted before and we tried to put them back together as best we could"" (Jones 2011). |
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