The Nortonville Seventh Day Baptist Church was not always known as such and has not always been sitting where it is now. The original church was called the "Pardee Seventh Day Baptist Church" and was located a few miles from where it now stands in Nortonville. The original church and the parsonage were moved to their present locations between 1900 and 1901. The move was very slow and gentle and pulled along by horses and a lot of manpower. The move was done so gently though, that the wife of Rev Hills actually lived in the parsonage during transit cooking meals and doing other household duties along the way.

The story of this church starts back in 1857 when 5 Seventh Day Baptist families came by wagon train from Farmington, Illinois to make a new home in a new land. The 5 families were: Dennis and Lyman Saunders and families; Anna Buten and Children, Charles and Alma; David Stillman and family and the Samuel Petty family. They finally settled outside of Atchison about 1/4 mile off of present Hwy. 59 and 3 miles northeast of Nortonville on what is now the Melvin Nolting Farm. This is the site where the first known Sabbath services were held in the state of Kansas. (Note* A historical marker was dedicated on this spot on June 28^th, 1952.)

Later that year another family settled from Farmington. Joshua Wheeler and family. They purchased land and started a farm at the West End of the settlement on what was known as"Seventh Day Lane".

On August 14^th, 1863 by mutual consent the "Pardee, Seventh Day Baptist Church" was formed by 14 people. Sabbath services were held in the home of Dennis Saunders until 1865 when the "Lane School" was built. This is where the children from the settlement went for their education. Rev. A.A.F. Randolph was pastor there from 1863-1868 not including the months that he had spent at the settlement in 1861 and 1862.

The actual Pardee Seventh Day Baptist Church Building was built in 1882-83 and was dedicated in the Spring of 1883. The Rev. A.E. Main preached the dedication sermon. The total cost of the building was $2,000.00. The Rev. A.J. White was the new pastor in 1883. The church was located two miles north of Nortonville, at the Southeast corner of the Stillman farm. (Now owned by Anna Kleopper) In 1884 the church voted to build a parsonage and the name of the Church was changed to the Nortonville Seventh Day Baptist Church. Nortonville had become a town in 1873 Joshua Wheeler had procured the charter for the name change. The Reverend’s wife, Sarah White was the first pastors wife to live in the parsonage.

In 1900-1901 the church and parsonage was moved to its present location as described above. The first Sabbath service held in the church after the move was the second Sabbath in March 1901. Dedication services were not held until March 19^th 1902. Rev. G.W. Hills was the pastor during this time in the church’s history.

From that time until the present the Nortonville, Seventh Day Baptist Church has had several renovations made, including the Steps and ramp outside, and the steeple. But for the most part only the names and faces have changed over the years. Many Pastors have preached the Word of God in this old church, many families have come and gone. The sanctuary of the church is still intact with its beautiful woodwork trim and the wooden floors and ceiling, and the message from the pulpit still remains the same for us all; For without Jesus in our hearts eternal life is not possible.

Our thanks to Kathryn Kenyon Nieman, who compiled and wrote the Church’s History in 1986 for the facts and stories used for this web page.

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This Page Created and Maintained by, Sam Hunsaker
Last revised: March 27, 1999.