Little Brown Church in the Vale

(Nashua, Iowa )

Little Brown Church in the Vale & Sam

Iowa holds some historical treasures, like the Little Brown Church. Couples come from all over the world just to be married in this quaint little church tucked away in Nashua, Iowa.

We like to sometimes stop by and take another peek at this brown church, immortalized by a song, as we venture to grandma's home in Echo, Minnesota.

Here, Sam, stands in front of the "Church in the Wildwood". Funny, isn't it, how a song can make a place famous? Without Dr. William S. Pitt's song, this small chuch may have been demolished years ago and replaced with a fancy new place or remodeled beyond repair.

I have happy memories of singing this song in the lovely Rock Valle Lutheran country church near Echo, Minnesota, as a youngster.

I love how a song has preserved this lovely small, brown church in the vale and made it famous.

Moral of story? Want to preserve something, someplace, someone? Write a song.



The Church in the Wildwood

by Dr. William S. Pitts

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.

Chorus

Oh, come, come, come, come,

Come to the church in the wildwood,
Oh, come to the church in the vale;
No spot is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vale.

Second Stanza

Oh, come to the church in the vale,
To the trees where the wild flowers bloom;
Where the parting hymn will be chanted,
We will weep by the side of the tomb.

Third Stanza

How sweet on a clear Sabbath morning,
To list to the clear ringing bell;
Its tones so sweetly are calling,
Oh come to the church in the vale.

Fourth Stanza

From the church in the valley by the wildwood,
When day fades away into night,
I would fain from this spot of my childhood
Wing my way to the mansions of light.

Read the history of the song here.

View more of our family photos here.