MUSCATINE, Iowa–The public is invited to attend an open house at the Old Stone Church hosted by the Friends of the Old Stone Church on Saturday, July 9 between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00p.m. The Old Stone Church is located at 3507 180th Street, Muscatine, which is one and one-half miles north of Wild Cat Den State Park.
Muscatine’s Old Stone Church is a fully restored historic church built by the County’s early settlers. In 1867, a group of pioneers of German heritage needed a place of worship for their German Methodist Episcopal congregation. Their faith was such that they hand quarried the sandstone near Pine Creek one-half mile to the west and built the church themselves.
After the congregation abandoned the church in 1910, it slowly deteriorated and had many uses. These included being used as a machine shop and later for storing oats and hay. Eventually, the building was abandoned entirely. In 2006, the Friends of the Old Stone Church was formed to restore the church. After several years of work, the church was ready. The first event to be held in the restored church was a Christmas Service in 2010, one hundred years after the last use.
Today, the Old Stone Church is available to families and groups for a variety of uses. The church is owned by the Friends of the Old Stone Church, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that is part of the Muscatine County Heritage Association.
To make a donation or to obtain information on using the church for an event such as a wedding, contact Mr. John Scott, President, phone 563-299-8205, e-mail: [email protected].
