Ornament will honor St. Mark's church

The Havre/Hill County Historic Preservation Commission’s third Havre historical building Christmas ornament is on sale now.

This year’s ornament is dedicated to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on 3rd Avenue.

The Historic Preservation Commission will sell the ornaments at the Havre Chamber of Commerce and at Festival Days in September. There are only 125 ornaments in this limited edition, and each one is numbered.

Each ornament will sell for $20 and proceeds will go to the Historic Preservation Commission’s fund to preserve the historical buildings of Havre.

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church began construction in 1908 after members of the congregation of the Rev. Leonard J. Christler bought the plot of land on which the church stands now. Christler’s sermons at Chestnut Hall, the upstairs portion of the present Woolworth store building on 3rd Street between 1st and 2nd avenues, were said to be largely popular.

Christler was nicknamed the “Golden-tongued Orator,” and was a major player in building the church for many years, until his death in 1922.

In 1908, the sod at the lot was turned over for the first time. In 1909, a basement was built and in 1915, the church’s first sermon was held in it.

St. Mark’s Church was designed by the Kalispell architect Marion B. Riffo, who chose the gray granite pseudo-English Gothic style. Riffo also designed Havre’s Carnegie Library on 4th Avenue. Architect and contractor Frank Bossuot, of Havre, was Riffo’s representative on the project.The Kahn Brothers of Helena donated the stone, which was hauled to Havre by the Great Northern Railway. The transport of the stone was free of charge, courtesy of the railway’s president, James Hill.

The last stone of the church was laid in the tower in 1918. Construction of the church was slow due to lack of funds and Father Christler often solicited the people of Havre in its streets for donations of work and money to complete the church.

Many people from Havre, regardless of denomination, offered their services in building the church. On “Heave-over Sundays,” laborers aided in adding another layer of stone to the walls, without charge.

This ornament is the committee’s third in the series. The first commemorated the post office and the second the courthouse. The committee still has Hill County Courthouse ornaments for sale.

Those at the church to witness the unveiling of the first ornament were Betty Grant, secretary general of the church, Diana Smith, the organist of the church and Ginny Heberly, the treasurer.

Becki Miller, historic preservation officer, and Debbie Vandeberg, a member of the preservation committee, presented the ornament.