The Little Brown Church

“There's a church in the valley by the Wildwood No lovelier spot in the dale,
No place is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vale.”

These are the words of a favorite hymn of mine, “The Little Brown Church in the  Wildwood,” which we sang often at our family’s Congregational church in Illinois.

The history of that song is quite amazing. Back in the 1850s, before the “Little Brown Church” in Iowa was even built, William Pitts, a young music teacher, happened to be traveling from Wisconsin to Bradford, a small town in Iowa, on his way to visit his fiancee, Ann.

While waiting for his stagecoach horses to be replaced, he happened to notice an attractive empty lot there in the town in a wooded valley formed by the Cedar River. He liked the area very much and somehow got to thinking what a nice place it would be for a church.

He was so moved by the thought that when he got back to Wisconsin, he composed the words and music for a song which he called “The Church in the Wildwood.”

By 1862, even though it was during the Civil War, the Congregationalists in Bradford had found the money and labor to build a church, and for the location they happened to choose the very spot Pitts had liked so well. They even had the church painted brown, though Pitts’ song was hidden away in his home and unknown to anyone but him.

Pitts eventually married Ann during the Civil War, and they settled in Iowa, to live closer to her family. When Pitts was hired to teach a chorus at the nearby Bradford Academy, he was amazed to see a new “little brown church” in the very spot he had liked so well. He immediately dug out the song he had hidden away and taught it to the children in Bradford. Soon after, they were asked to sing it for the dedication of the church.

Sadly, the church was closed by 1888 because the town had become much smaller. By 1914, however, it was reopened, and the song had become quite famous by that time. In fact,  the “Weatherwax Quartet” from Canada had made it their theme song.

Since that time the church has become extremely popular not only as a place for services but as a historical monument and also as a favorite spot for weddings.

By 2009, there had been 73,000 marriages held there, and each year more than 40,000 people go there to worship, to attend weddings or just to see the famous building.

Fittingly, it is still painted brown and is known by all as “The Little Brown Church in the Vale.”

In recent years the Iowa State Historical Society has taken a special interest in the church and has not only helped make a new foundation but also added air conditioning to the building.

Next time you sing--or at least hear--”The Little Brown Church in the Vale,” I hope you will think of the famous little church in Iowa. Perhaps it will make you want to go see the church. Or, better still, how about encouraging your family or your friends to schedule their weddings there?

And, finally, while organizing the ceremonies, how about asking this columnist to bring her violin and play “The Little Brown Church” for the occasion?:)