Halloween, 2021
Some early history of the First Congregational Church
courtesy of Richard Carmack
The Congregational Church in St. Johns is quite a building that only cost $25,000 when built. I had posted this a few years ago and John C. Fitch II’s photo reminded me of it. This is a long read.
I extracted the following text about the First Congregational Church from a book I have. I’m amazed at the costs and can’t imagine what all that stained glass would be today. When this was built the total for glass was $1,000.
Past and Present of Clinton County
by Judge S. B. Daboll; The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.; Chicago, IL 1906
The last church edifice to be erected was the First Congregational Church at St. Johns. The Congregational organization dates back to April I, 186o, at a meeting held at the home of James Ransom. Eight persons were present at this gathering, and after an organization was perfected, a call was extended to Rev. William Esler, of Eagle.
At first, this society held its meetings in an old school-house; later in Plumstead’s Hall.
The village company tendered a site to the society, which began at once the raising of funds for the building of a church home. The Congregational Building Society contributed five hundred dollars towards the enterprise, and the remainder was raised by subscriptions. The building contract in 1863 was awarded to W. W. Brainard, and two years later the church building was dedicated free from debt.
On October 13, 1899, the corner stone of the present splendid edifice was laid. Less than two years after this ceremony, the new building was formally dedicated. The structure is of stone and the trimmings of red pressed brick. The style of architecture is simple Gothic. The tower, which is a characteristic feature of the building stands one hundred nine feet. The interior of the church is richly finished in oak and southern pine, the auditorium floor being an inclined semi-circle. The seating capacity of the auditorium is upwards of five ·hundred and the adjoining parlors, which can be connected with the auditorium, have a seating capacity of at least two hundred.
The history of this church is indicative of the remarkable changes which have taken place in Clinton county. When services were held in old Clinton Hall in 1862, the room was so low that a person could reach the ceiling. The meetings were repeatedly disturbed by cows running loose on the commons. The cost of their first church building was three thousand two hundred dollars, and great effort and sacrifice were necessary on the part of its small membership in order that the necessary funds were provided. The approximate cost of the present building is twenty-five thousand dollars. The Congregational society is at present in charge of the Rev. James Hyslop, who came to St. Johns directly from Charlevoix, Michigan.
The building, as it now stands, completed, has an auditorium that will seat about five hundred persons. Immediately back of the pulpit platform is the choir-loft, which is of ample space to accommodate the pipe-organ and fifty singers; ·while to the right and left respectively, are the pastor’s study and a room for the use of the choir. At the rear of the auditorium and separated from it by a rolling partition, are the apartments for the Sunday school. These consist of a main room twenty by thirty feet in size, and six class rooms, two of which are designated for ladies’ parlors, extending in a large semi-circle around the entire east end of the building. These apartments will accommodate upwards of two hundred persons.
A prominent feature of these rooms is the large semi-circular skylight in the center, with colored ceiling lights underneath. Immediately above the main Sunday-school room is a room of the same size for the primary department.
The large leaded glass windows in the north and south sides of the auditorium are another prominent feature of the building. They contain no memorial lights, but are an harmonious blending of emblematic and floral designs. In the center of the north window is a large cross, emblematic of Faith; and in the corresponding space in the south window, an anchor, emblematic of Hope. On either side of the center are floral designs in calla lilies and torches.
The interior is finished in oak and southern pine. The auditorium floor is an inclined semi-circle and the pews are of the same form, made of oak. The pulpit, built and presented to the church by H. W. Morris, of St. Johns, is of selected quarter-sawed oak, and is a most beautiful example of the Ionic order of architecture.
The basement contains a social or dining room of the same size as the auditorium, kitchen and pantry fully equipped with cooking utensils, dishes, etc., ladies’ and gentlemen’s wardrobes, furnace, fuel rooms, etc. The building is warmed throughout by hot air and has two ventilating shafts. The artificial lighting is by electricity; there being nearly two hundred lamps installed in the building.
The exterior walls are of selected native boulders of the most beautiful composition, revealing, when broken, an history of deepest interest. The style of work is what is termed rough or broken ashlar. From grade to floor line, it is laid in regular courses; and from the floor line up, the work is in irregular courses, sometimes termed hit and miss. The trimmings are of red pressed-brick, Ohio and Ionia sandstone.
The corner-stone is of Medina sandstone from Holly, New York. It was laid with appropriate ceremonies, October 13, 1899, in the northeast corner of the tower. Within it are many articles of interest: A copy of the Holy Bible, a brief history of the church, copies of the village papers, lists of officers and members of the church and Sunday-school and Christian Endeavor societies, members of the building committee, coin bearing date of the year 1899, a catalogue of Olivet College, and various other articles. Its north face bears the corporate name of the church, the year founded and the year 1899. On the east face is the beautiful motto, purely Congregational in its spirit, “One is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren.”
The style of the architecture is Gothic in its earliest and simple form. The tower is the feature of the building. It is nineteen feet square at its base and gradually diminishes in size to the top of the spire, one hundred and nine feet above the grade.
The work was commenced in August, 1899, by F. Banhagel & Son, contractors, and the walls carried up a few feet above the main floor that year; but Mr. Banhagel dying the winter following, the contract was voided, and in the” spring the work was resumed by the building committee, who intrusted its supervision to an executive committee of three, consisting of P. E. Walsworth, A. S. Fildew and Albert ]. Baldwin.
The cost of the building, complete, is about as follows:
Mason work $9,000
Carpenter work 9,000
Heating 700
Lighting 600
Seating 900
Structural iron work 800
Glass 1,000
Plumbing, painting and incidentals 1,000
Building lots 2,000
Total $25,000
Don’t miss Doctors, Druggists, and Dentists at the Museum
The Clinton County Historical Museum will be showcasing the medical exhibit of many items and pictures from yesteryear through Sunday, November 21.
The new displays of the Victorian side porch and Mid-Century kitchen are also open.
After Nov 21 the Museum will be closed until May, 2022.
Check it out at 106 Maple, St. Johns, MI, the West of the courthouse square on Sundays 1 to 4 and Wednesdays 2 to 6.
The web site is pgsmuseum.com or email pgsmuseum@gmail.com. Phone 989.224.2894 or 989.292.9096 for Clinton County artifacts or monetary donation and more information.
Remember When – 2nd Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner in 2011
Committee to meet October 2, donations sought
Following the success of last year’s community Thanksgiving dinner, St. Johns area churches and community organizations are once again offering dinner, free of charge, to members of the community. Everyone is welcome!
Two seatings will be offered at noon and 3:00 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, across from the Post Office in St. Johns. To register please call 989-224-2636.
Volunteers are needed to prepare, serve and clean up on November 23rd and 24th. Volunteers should contact Mike Garcia.
The committee will be meeting at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 2 at the First Congregational Church. Anyone interested in serving on the committee is asked to attend.
Monetary donations may be sent to First Congregational Church, 100 E. Maple, St. Johns, MI 48879, checks payable to First Congregational Church with “Community Thanksgiving Dinner” in memo line.
Maralyn’s Pet Corner – How to Get Rid of Worms in Dogs
Why do veterinarians always want a stool sample at annual visits? Well, the stool sample is used to screen your dog for intestinal parasites—or worms—in their poop.
Many pet parents that come into the office think that their dog couldn’t possibly get worms for one reason or another. But every dog is at risk for worms, no matter where they live or how much time they spend outside.
You might also think that your dog doesn’t have worms because you haven’t seen any.
A fecal exam is needed because the majority of worms will not be visible to the human eye—except for tapeworms, in some instances. The vet will perform a special test or examine the sample under a microscope to check for worms.
This article will tell you everything you need to know about the most common parasitic worms in dogs, and how to treat and prevent them.
How Do Dogs Get Worms?
These are a few different ways a dog can get worms. These will be explained further within the sections for each type of worm.
Eating Infected Stool
Worms are usually transmitted through a fecal-oral route. That means that your pet comes into contact with microscopic parasitic eggs that are present in fecal material (poop) and accidentally ingests the eggs.
Passed to Puppies From the Mother Dog
Puppies can get worms from their mother. This can happen a few different ways:
– Through the placenta before puppies are born
– Through a mother’s milk when puppies are nursing
– Eating Raw Meat or Prey Animals
Some tapeworms and flukes can be transmitted when a dog eats raw meat.
These types of worms form cysts in the muscle tissue of animals. When they are consumed, they become active and multiply.
Eating External Parasites
Some worms are transmitted through another host.
For example, tapeworms are transmitted via fleas. The parasite lives inside the flea, so when a dog accidently eats fleas, they become infected with the parasite.
Through Skin Contact
Dogs can get hookworms by coming into contact with stool that has the larvae in it. The hookworms can burrow through the skin and infect the dog.
4 Types of Worms in Dogs
The most common types of parasitic worms in dogs include hookworms, roundworms, whipworms, and tapeworms.
Hookworms
Hookworms are more common in dogs than in cats. They fasten to the wall of the small intestine and suck blood, and they are a serious threat to dogs.
These parasitic worms can be deadly for puppies if they lose too much blood.
What Do Hookworms Look Like?
Hookworms are very small, thin worms with hook-like mouthparts that they use to attach to the intestinal wall. They shed eggs that are then passed through the feces, but these eggs are so tiny that you can’t see them in your dog’s poop.
How Do Dogs Get Hookworms?
Adult dogs get hookworms from contact with the larvae in stool-contaminated soil (the larvae can burrow through the skin) or from ingesting larvae from the environment or in a prey animal’s tissues.
Nursing puppies can also get hookworms. The larvae in their mother’s body can migrate to the mammary glands and be passed on through the milk.
Are Hookworms Dangerous to Dogs?
A severe hookworm infestation can kill puppies, often due to severe anemia from the loss of blood caused by the hookworms’ feeding. When they move to a new feeding site, they leave behind small, bleeding ulcers.
What Are the Signs of Hookworms in Dogs?
While many adult dogs won’t have any clinical signs, they still are responsible for spreading eggs in the environment.
If symptoms do develop, they may include:
– Poor stamina
– Dark and tarry stools
– Bloody diarrhea
– Weight loss
– Anemia
– Progressive weakness
How to Get Rid of Hookworms
Diagnosis of hookworms is made by examining the feces under a microscope. Once diagnosed, your veterinarian will provide a dewormer to kill the hookworms.
Roundworms
A large percentage of puppies are born with microscopically small roundworm, or ascarid, larvae in their tissues. Adult dogs can also get roundworms, although you typically won’t see any signs.
What Do Roundworms Look Like?
Roundworms may be seen in vomit or stool, particularly after worming. They are light in color and look like spaghetti. Roundworms can be up to several inches long.
How Do Dogs Get Roundworms?
There are a few different ways a dog or puppy can get roundworms.
– From Their Mother
– The larvae are introduced to the developing puppy right in the mother’s uterus—via migration through the placenta.
– Less commonly, roundworm larvae can be transferred to the nursing puppy from the mother’s milk.
When the puppies who were infected in utero are born, the larvae make their way to the intestinal tract, where they grow into adults that are around 5 inches in length.
From Their Environment
Female roundworms can produce up to 85,000 eggs in just one day. These eggs are protected by a hard shell, which enables them to exist in soil for years. The eggs that adult roundworms pass in the stool can reinfest the animal or other dogs when eaten.
After ingestion, the microscopic larvae come out of the eggs and migrate to the animal’s lungs, where they are coughed up, swallowed, and grow up to be adults in the small intestine.
From Wild Animals
Dogs can also contract roundworms by eating prey animals that have larvae in their tissues.
Are Roundworms Dangerous to Dogs?
If not treated in time, a severe infestation can cause death by intestinal blockage or other means.
What Are the Signs of Roundworms in Dogs?
Clinical signs of roundworms aren’t usually seen in adult dogs. Puppies with roundworms often have a pot-bellied appearance and poor growth. You may also see diarrhea or roundworms in a dog’s poop or vomit, especially after deworming.
How to Get Rid of Roundworms
Monthly dewormers are used to kill roundworms in dogs.
Worming dogs while they are pregnant and nursing can help reduce the numbers of roundworms in their offspring, but since almost all wormers work only on the adult parasites in the intestinal tract and not on dormant larvae in tissues, some transmission is still likely to occur to the puppies.
Giving a monthly dewormer to the puppies after they finish weaning at 6-8 weeks of age will prevent them from getting parasites for the rest of their lives.
Whipworms
This parasite is more often seen in dogs than cats. They live in the cecum, which is attached to the first section of the dog’s large intestine.
What Do Whipworms Look Like?
Adult whipworms, although seldom seen in the stool, look like tiny pieces of thread, with one end enlarged.
How Do Dogs Get Whipworms?
Dogs with whipworms shed eggs in their stool. These eggs are incredibly hardy and can survive for years, still capable of infecting dogs when they are eaten.
What Are the Signs of Whipworms in Dogs?
Many dogs with whipworms develop few symptoms, but they could include weight loss, dehydration, anemia, a pot-bellied appearance, and diarrhea that may contain blood or mucus.
Infestations can be difficult to identify, since whipworms shed eggs intermittently. An examination of even several stool samples may not reveal the presence of whipworms.
How To Treat Whipworms
Because whipworm infestations can be hard to diagnose, veterinarians may prescribe a whipworm medication based upon clinical signs only.
Tapeworms
Tapeworms are flat, segmented worms that can live in a dog’s intestines. They need a flea to carry them in order to infect a dog (when a dog ingests the flea).
Tapeworms tend to cause very mild disease in dogs, but in severe infections cause malabsorption of nutrients and diarrhea similar to that of a roundworm infection.
What Do Tapeworms Look Like?
Tapeworms can reach up to two feet in length within the intestines.
Each tapeworm consists of many segments, though they only release the last ones in the chain as they are passed out of the dog’s body. These segments, or proglottids, can be seen in a dog’s stool or stuck in a pet’s fur.
If you were to see an entire tapeworm, you would notice that they have a small head at one end with many tiny brick-like, repeating segments.
Many tapeworm cases are diagnosed simply by seeing these tiny segments attached to the pet’s fur around the anus or under the tail. They even move around a bit shortly after they are passed and before they dry up, and they look like little grains of rice or confetti. It is also these segments of the tapeworm that contain the eggs.
How Do Dogs Get Tapeworms?
Once dogs shed tapeworm eggs, flea larvae eat them. Dogs get tapeworms by eating infected fleas and by eating wildlife or rodents that are infested with tapeworms or fleas.
Are Tapeworms Dangerous to Dogs?
Most pets do not become sick as a result of a tapeworm infestation, but they can develop irritation around the anus.
What Are the Signs of Tapeworms in Dogs?
There aren’t many noticeable signs of tapeworms in dogs.
You may notice your dog scooting or licking or biting their tail area. Check under the tail to see if you can see the rice-like tapeworm segments stuck in the fur or near the anus.
How to Get Rid of Tapeworms
Tapeworms cannot be killed by many common over-the-counter wormers. It is essential to use one that is labeled specifically for tapeworms.
How to Tell If Your Dog Has Worms
The best way to find out if your dog has worms is to have your vet perform a fecal exam.
Here are some tips for how you can to tell if your dog has worms.
Signs of Worms in Dogs
Pets often don’t have any symptoms with mild or new worm infestations, but as things get worse, worms may cause:
– Diarrhea, perhaps with blood
– Worm or worm segments visible in the stool or on the dog’s hind end
– Weight loss
– Dry hair
– General poor appearance
– A bloated belly
– Vomiting, perhaps with worms in the vomit
Some worms can remain dormant in the pet’s body and become problematic at a later time. For example, dormant hookworms can reinfest a dog’s intestinal tract after worming or become active in the later stages of pregnancy and infect soon-to-be-born puppies and kittens.
It’s rare to see entire tapeworms, but they shed body segments that contain their eggs. Segments of tapeworms will look like a piece of rice in your dog’s poop or around the anus.
Hookworms and whipworms are seldom seen in a dog’s stool, which is precisely why a stool sample is required.
To reveal the presence of roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms, a veterinarian needs to use a microscope to look for their tiny eggs in a specially prepared sample of feces.
Fecal Exam From Veterinarian
Early diagnosis for the presence and type of intestinal parasite is vital for your pet’s health and to prevent environmental contamination.
To do this, your veterinarian will usually mix a stool sample (only about a teaspoonful is needed) with a special solution and then use centrifuge to bring the eggs to the top of the liquid.
This top layer is then transferred to a glass slide and examined under the microscope.
Many veterinarians include the stool check as part of routine health examinations.
(Note: Tapeworm eggs do NOT generally show up in stool samples. Tell your veterinarian if you spot these rice-like segments in the stool or caught in the fur under the tail.)
Can Humans Get Worms From Dogs?
Yes, some worms found in dogs are potential health hazards for humans.
You can get hookworms if you come into contact with infected soil, such as walking with bare feet. If hookworm larvae penetrate the skin, they can cause “cutaneous larval migrans,” an itchy skin disease. Occasionally, hookworm larvae can migrate into deeper tissues and cause more serious health problems.
You can get roundworms from your dog if you accidentally touch fecal material from your dog and then your mouth. Children are at most serious risk, especially if they play in an environment where dog or cat feces may be present, such as in a sandbox.
Roundworm eggs, if ingested, are even more dangerous than hookworms. Once in the body, the larvae can migrate almost anywhere, including the liver, lungs, eyes, and brain.
In order to get tapeworms, you would need to ingest an infected flea, which is not likely.
Humans cannot be infected by the same whipworm species that infects dogs, but there is another type of whipworm that can infect humans.
Please take the worming advice of your veterinarian seriously and adhere to strict sanitation principles whenever pets and children are in close contact.
To learn more about how pet parasites can affect people, look at the Centers for Disease Control website at www.cdc.gov.
How to Get Rid of Worms in Dogs
There is one tried-and-true way to get rid of worms in dogs: dewormer medication.
The type of dewormer will depend on the type of worm present. Not all worms respond to the same treatment, and no single wormer works against all kinds of parasites.
Some nonprescription wormers are quite ineffective at removing worms from the dog or cat. Your veterinarian can recommend the best kinds of wormers available for the particular type of parasite your pet has.
What Are the Side Effects of Deworming?
In my experience, most dogs don’t exhibit any side effects from deworming.
However, if side effects do occur, the most common symptoms include:
– Lethargy
– Vomiting
– Diarrhea
– Neurologic changes
They tend to be mild and resolve without any veterinary attention.
The only exceptions are dogs that have a multi-drug resistance gene mutation, or MDR1 gene, which can increase the likelihood of adverse reactions and hypersensitivity to deworming medications.
Please consult with your local veterinarian if you want to get your dog tested for this gene mutation.
Are There Home Remedies for Worms in Dogs?
Generally speaking, prescription dewormers will be safer and/or more effective than many over-the-counter worm medications.
There are no home remedies to treat or prevent parasitic worms. Please consult with your local veterinarian for best choice of dewormer based on where you live and your pet’s lifestyle.
How to Prevent a Dog From Getting Worms
Using a monthly, commercially-available dewormer can protect against heartworms and intestinal parasites indefinitely.
Most parasites have a life cycle of three to four weeks, so you can prevent and treat most parasites if you give the medication monthly.
Giving a monthly dewormer to your pregnant dog will prevent transmission to her offspring. Then the puppies can start on a dewormer after they finish weaning.
Here are some other ways you can help your dog avoid contracting worms.
Clean Up After Your Pet
Pets can become reinfested with worms immediately after they are dewormed, so prevention is very important. Remove feces from your yard promptly.
Avoid the Dog Parks
Pets that spend a lot of time where other pets congregate, like the dog park, can be exposed to worm eggs or larvae there.
Use Flea and Tick Prevention
Flea control is important for preventing tapeworms. Some preventive medications for heartworms also help control certain types of intestinal worms.
Don’t Let Your Dog Chase Wildlife
Dogs that hunt rodents and other prey animals are also at high risk for worms.
Get Annual Fecal Exams at Your Vet
Have your dog’s feces checked at least annually (more frequently for puppies).
Depending on your dog’s particular situation, your veterinarian may recommend regular deworming treatments instead of or in addition to fecal examinations.