The excerpts on the Church history have been taken from and quoted from the book THE TARBELLS OF YANKTON, a Family and a Community, 1891-1932, compiled letters and commentaries by Egbert Oliver, a descendent of the Tarbell family.
Three Tarbell families settled on adjoining farms. All were on raw stump and timberland. This Milton creek watershed settlement was sometimes called Yankee town. These Maine families petitioned the government to give them a Post Office with the name Maineville.
Twelve of the settlers met on August 12, 1893, to organize the First Baptist Church of Maineville. The newly organized church elected Charles Tarbell First Deacon. A Sunday School had previously been meeting in the schoolhouse, where the new church held it’s infrequent services and regular prayer meetings.
The schoolhouse in this settlement seems to have been built in 1887. The Oregon Mist in February of that year mentions a money raising entertainment to clear the schoolhouse of debt. The school district was officially recognized by the Columbia County Court on June20, 1891.
The United States Post Office did not approve of Maineville as a name. Instead it approved a Post Office at Yankton (shortening Yanktown) on August 15, 1894. The school district became the Yankton district to conform with the Post Office. The Church continued the name Maineville for ten years.
The First Baptist Church of Mainevile, without a building, held Sunday School, Prayer Meetings, an occasional preaching, and revival services at the school.
During the first decade the Oregon Baptist Convention had given recognition and missionary support by sending preachers for some regular and special services. The treasurer’s report of the annual Baptist convention on October 15, 1900 listed Mainville for a gift of $5.00, $13.00 contributed in 1902, and in 1903 a $3.00 contribution is listed for Yankton. However, the report also lists Mainville Church as having a property value of $600.00. Mainville not Yankton is in the list of churches. By 1904 the Baptist convention lists the name as Yankton. Mrs. Emma Tarbell is indicated as clerk. The Church was now Yankton Baptist Church.
On July 29, 1902, a meeting of the twelve original members decided to erect a church building without going into debt. Lawrence Tarbell donated from his farm the land on the crest of the hill. Charles Tarbell, Lawrence and Frank Brown were the building committee. They raised the funds for building material, did the work, and finished the church building free of debt. Charles was mainly responsible for the funding and actual construction.
In the Home Mission Monthly, XXVI, April 1904, pages 137-138, is an article written about Charles Tarbell by Secretary Riley titled “Father Tarbell’s Church” The Baptist Annals of Oregon (1897-1910) reprinted the article under the heading “Maineville Baptist church”. Here is the essential body of the article.
“Some years ago a man by the name of Charles Tarbell moved with his wife and children from Maine to “Yankton” as he called his new settlement, some thirty miles north of Portland, Oregon. Himself and wife devout Baptists, brought their children up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord”. This man, his wife, their son, and his wife, with some help from the community paid for the meeting house in which Yankton church now worships. Almost the entire work was done by this man, now more than 70 years of age. He first put in over $100.00 in cash, and then needing more in order that there might be a house of worship in that community, sold his only horse and means of travel for $50.00 to put into more material which with his own hands worked into the building. The new organ was also his gift. The bell, the song books, the pulpit Bible, and other necessities were the gifts of this devoted family.
“Thus Father Tarbell and his family and church solved the building problem. The building itself was not an end in itself, only a means to an end, the salvation of their kindred and neighbors…
“A short time after the dedication several backsliders were reclaimed. The whole church was quickened and eleven young men spent an hour together with God in prayer for those around them…”
The building of the church was completely in character for Charles Tarbell. He was sixty-two years old when he left Maine for the Oregon country. Behind him was a solid life of achievement. He donated land for a church on Presque Isle. He sent money for building a chapel in Russia. Charles and his family were builders; builders of chicken houses, barns, houses, families, a church, and character. As the family settled into the Milton creek Valley they wanted a Baptist Church: they built a church. Such a project took money and labor. They gave their money and their labor to the work they loved, the work they wanted to do. They were working with and for God and mankind.
The name of Yankton Baptist Church was changed to Yankton Community Fellowship in 2005, and remains a member of the Conservative Baptist Northwest Association of Churches. The name was changed to more accurately represent the family atmosphere and Mission of Yankton Church.
