Rev. A. B. Kendig of Dubuque conducting the ceremony.

The first minister was Rev. George Garrison, who also administered to the needs of Methodists at Eldorado. Subsequent pastors shared their ministry with congregations in Frankville, Castalia, Calmar, Fort Atkinson and Burr Oak.

In the spring of 1892, remodeling and decorating of the building's interior was undertaken. A furnace was installed, replacing the two wood burning stoves. This writer, along with other youthful members, took his turn as janitor in the early 1930s. On cold winter Sunday mornings, it was necessary to build the fire by early morning light. Even then, the furnace draft had to be left open, and the fire-box heated to a red glow, for the temperature to be bearable by the 10:00 A.M. Sunday School. The salary for janitorial duties was 50¢ a week, declining to 25¢ in the summer months when a fire was not required.

When researching the old issues of the Ossian Bee, we were amazed at the dedication of the members of both the Methodist and Universalist Ladies Aid Societies. The ladies rotated as hostesses in their own homes, when holding fund raising socials, on an almost weekly basis during the last quarter of the 19th century. Receipts from these events were very low by the standards of today; the usual charge was 25¢ or less, and a gross of $6 to $8 was considered very good. To illustrate, here is the menu of a Thanksgiving Day dinner served at the residence of Mrs. M. J. Carter: turkey, chicken, cranberry sauce, potatoes, baked beans, salad, pickles, celery, jelly, cake, fried cake, cheese, and coffee or tea. All for 25¢. Livery was furnished to transport guests to socials held at the Nicholson farm, probably by the host.

Editor Garter, in a facetious moment, ran the following item: "Hugging socials are becoming very popular to pay off church debts. Admission fees are listed: girls, under 16, 35¢; girls, 16 to 20, 75¢; schoolmams, 49¢; widows, according to shape and looks, 10¢ to $3; old- maids, 3 for 25¢; married women, whose husbands are absent, free. (Editors are admitted without charge.)"

Over the years, this little brick church was the scene of many weddings, baptisms and funerals. The last funeral service conducted was for Mrs. Alonzo Harvey, a faithful member of many years.

The community can be proud of the young men and women who matured under the guidance of ministers and Sunday School teachers in this church. Perhaps the most famous of these was Bishop Edwin F. Lee. We include the following account of his life:

Edwin Lee was the son of Andrew and Carrie Anderson Lee, both emigrants from Norway. Carrie was the sister of R. W. Anderson, the long-time Ossian merchant. Andrew Lee was a contractor and carpenter in this community. He constructed many comes that are still standing today.

Edwin attended Sunday School at the Methodist church in Ossian. He graduated from the local public school in 1900. His wife was Edna Dorman, sister of "Doc" Torman, the longtime president of Upper Iowa University.

Captain Lee was named Senior Chaplain of Base Section 7 of the American expeditionary force early in 1918. He was later appointed director of all Protestant chaplains in the A.E.F. He received decorations from the governments of Great Britan, France and Jugoslavia.

After WWI, he served the Methodist Church as missionary, Pastor and District Superintendent in Batavia, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Singapore advancing to the office of Bishop during this service. The Bishop and Mrs. Lee were trapped in Singapore when that city was under attack by the Japanese in 1941. They escaped with the invading army only seventeen miles away. Before leaving, he broadcast a message of hope to the people, assuring them of America's ultimate victory.

The Rev. O. Sandbach of Decorah, in an address delivered at a banquet honoring liwin Lee in 1932, stated that the Bishop would meet with John R. Mott, chairman of -he World's Missionary Council, and when these two notables confer, it will be a conference between two former Sunday School boys of the little Ossian Methodist Church. (We have been unable to confirm that Dr. Mott, the Nobel Peace Prize recipient, ever attended Sunday School at Ossian. However, since the Mott family