Claquato Church

Claquato Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Claquato Church
Location	125 Water Street, Chehalis, Washington
Coordinates	46°38′33″N 123°1′18″W / 46.64250°N 123.02167°W / 46.64250; -123.02167
Area	less than one acre
Built	1858
Restored	1953
Restored by	American Legion
NRHP reference No.	73001882[1]
Added to NRHP	April 24, 1973

Claquato Church is a historic Methodist church located off Washington State Route 6 in Claquato, Washington. It is the oldest standing church building in the state of Washington.^[2][3]

The founder of Claquato, Lewis Davis, first began Presbyterian services in his log cabin home after he built the dwelling in 1853. Construction for a dedicated church commenced in 1857 as a Presbyterian house of worship. As Davis understood the Methodist congregation to be a much larger contingent of the area's population, the chapel was allowed to be consecrated the following year under the Methodist church with a promise that the chapel was to be open to all denominations.^[4][5] The building was used as a schoolhouse, known locally as the "Claquato Academy", until a new school was built in 1874.^[6] When the county seat moved from Claquato to Chehalis in 1874, the church began to lose its congregants though services continued into the 1930s.^[4] For a brief time between 1880 and 1882, the church was used again for Presbyterian services.^[4]

A small renovation project, for repairs and the need for a new floor, was completed in 1929.^[6] The Salvation Army began services that same year.^[7] The building held occasional religious services into the late 1930s. The site was vacant until the Lewis County commissioner's boards authorized a restoration project which was completed in 1953.^[4][8]

The 1953 renovation, overseen by a local American Legion chapter, made no changes to the building but did include restoring the original woodwork, repairing the belfry, hanging new mid-19th century style wallpaper, and refinishing the exterior.^[8] In 2006, the crown of thorns on the steeple was restored and the Lewis County Historical Society installed a commemorative plaque, a "Meeker marker", in honor of early non-Native pioneer, Ezra Meeker.^[9]

The Claquato Church is owned by the Lewis County Parks commission since 1952 for use as a public facility however faith services are no longer held.^[4] The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.^[10] The church held a 100-year anniversary in 1958 and a 150th anniversary in 2008.^[4][11]

The church was built using the first lumber milled by the new sawmill in the town. It features a louvered belfry and crown steeple modeled after mid-nineteenth century New England meeting houses, topped by a crown of thorns.^[12] The building is 600 square feet, measuring 20 ft × 30 ft (6.1 m × 9.1 m);^[12] the sanctuary, which seats 70 people, is listed at 20 ft × 23 ft (6.1 m × 7.0 m) in dimension.^[4]

The grounds contain a cemetery which is home to the Pioneer Fir, a Douglas fir that was used as a waypoint in the early days of pioneer travel. A memorial plaque dedicated in 1937 marks the history of the tree and the first non-Native settlers in the area.^[13]

Wood planks initially used to build the church are visible in the vestibule and the belfry, as of 2021, contains the original 1857 bronze bell that was manufactured in Boston, Massachusetts.^[14][8] The pews, donated by residents of Boistfort, and the pulpit, built using wood from the original organ, were hand crafted.^[15]

• List of the oldest churches in the United States
• List of the oldest buildings in Washington (state)
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lewis County, Washington

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