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The
United
States
will
hold
its
national
observance
of
Father's
Day
on
Sunday,
June
15,
2008,
marking
the
Centennial
of
it's
creation.
Most
will
likely
have
no
knowledge
of
the
origin
of
this
special
day
or
how
it
came
to
be
observed.
Some
may
remember
that
President
Richard
M.
Nixon
signed
a
congressional
resolution
in
1972
that
established
a
national
Father's
Day
to
be
observed
annually
on
the
third
Sunday
in
June.
And
there
may
be
those
who
assume
that
Father's
Day
was
put
on
the
calendar
to
supplement
Mother's
Day,
which
is
established
annually
as
the
second
Sunday
in
May.
The
majority
will
have
no
knowledge
of
the
fact
that
the
first
Father's
Day
observance
was
held
on
July
5,
1908,
at
Fairmont,
West
Virginia
through
the
efforts
of
Mrs.
Grace
Golden
Clayton.
The seeds of a Father’s Day Service
were planted a half year before, on
December 6, 1907, when a horrible mine
explosion at Monongah, West Virginia,
killed more than 360 men, 210 of whom
were fathers. 250 widows and more than
1,000 children were left grieving.
Thoughts of these lonely persons touched
Grace Clayton deeply. The Fairmont Times
of September 23, 1979 shares this quote
by her from Glenn Lough, Marion County
Historian. “It was partly the
explosion that got me to thinking how
important and loved most fathers are.
All those lonely children and those
heart-broken wives and mothers, made
orphans and widows in a matter of a
few minutes. Oh, how sad and frightening
to have no father, no husband, to turn
to at such an awful time.’ ”
She suggested to her pastor, Reverend
Robert Thomas Webb at Williams Memorial
Methodist Episcopal Church, South, that
it would be wonderful if fathers were
given a special day to be honored and
remembered.
So, she suggested the Sunday closest
to her father’s birthday, which
would be July 5, 1908. Her father had
been Reverend Fletcher Golden, a Methodist
minister, who had died in 1890, and
she still missed his fatherly guidance.
Additional reasons may have been that,
like Dr. Webb, she had lost two children
in early childhood and could feel the
loss those families felt in Monongah.
Additionally, she may have been in the
Sunday School where Hood Smith was the
teacher. Hood Smith had worked with
all the families of the victims in providing
immediate settlement of claims.
Mother's Day may have had a small influence,
which had originated some twenty miles
away at Webster, West Virginia (near
Grafton). The event was set for July
5, 1908. One would have thought that
it would be a very dynamic program and
forever remembered in the annals of
Fairmont history. But, such was not
the case. That was for two reasons:
First, the largest gathering in Fairmont
history occurred on July 4, 1908 when
over 12,000 people attended a parade
and festivities in the city. Highlights
included a tightrope walker who rolled
on a ten foot ball from the Court House
to the top of what is now WestBanco.
The first appearance of a hot air balloon
drew much favorable comments and the
newspaper story on Monday highlighted
this event. The second major reason
was the death of Miss Lucy Ethel Billingslea,
the 21 year old adopted daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Morgan Billingslea of Locust
Avenue. “whose critical illness
was mentioned from time to time passed
away Saturday night, July 4 at 10:40
o’clock.” (Fairmont Times,
Monday, July 6, 1908) When people arrived
at the church on Sunday July 5th, there
must have been a great blend of joy
over the 4th and then sadness over the
death of this special lady, whose family
was deeply committed to the church,
just ten hours earlier.
Thus no one felt the desire to follow
through to convince the City of Fairmont
or the State of West Virginia to issue
a proclamation establishing an annual
Father's Day - an unfortunate omission,
since other persons and other locations
ultimately received credit for the founding
of Father's Day. Over the next several
years, a number of persons in different
states made an effort to found a Father's
Day with a national observance. Finally
such a bill was signed into law in 1972
by President Nixon.
But one church member who attended,
remembered, and wrote about that service
was Ward Downs. Having heard there was
a movement in the United States Congress
to establish a Father’s Day, he
wrote on August 10, 1962 to then United
States House of Representative Arch
Moore the following letter.
"It has recently come to my attention
of a movement establishing a Father’s
Day by an act of Congress to be observed
the same as Mother’s Day. It was
my privilege to have attended the first
Father’s Day Service July 5, 1908
at the Williams Memorial M.E. Church,
South, now the Central United Methodist
Church, Fairmont, WV. The sermon was
preached by Dr. R.T. Webb at the request
of Mrs. Charles Clayton, a member of
that congregation, and daughter of a
Methodist minister.
I recall the occasion very distinctly
as the pulpit was decorated by having
ripened sheaves of wheat placed about
it. Many favorable comments by the individuals
and the press were made concerning the
service at that time.
Any assistance you can give this movement
will be very much appreciated by me
and all the Methodists in this part
of the country.”
Thus, Fairmont, West Virginia does not
claim to have popularized Father's Day
in 1908 or even to have established
it as a national holiday. Mrs. Dodd
of Spokane, Washington in 1910 is given
most of the credit for this day. Harry
Meek in Chicago and others also lay
claim to the day.
But history will show that Fairmont
held the first Father's Day Service
in America on July 5, 1908 at Williams
Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church,
South; now known as Central United Methodist
Church. And for that the history of
this event is etched into our rich heritage
as a faith community, as a city, county,
and country
The original church building was torn
down when a new church was constructed
in 1922 at the southeast corner of Third
Street and Fairmont Avenue and named
Billingslea Memorial Methodist Episcopal
Church, South. The church is now called
Central United Methodist Church and
Father's Day is celebrated there each
year. Highway signs were erected at
city entrances proclaiming 'Welcome
to Fairmont - the Friendly City - Home
of the First Father's Day Service, July
5, 1908". A plaque was placed on
an outside church wall in 1984, and
in 1985 a historical marker was erected
in front of the church by the West Virginia
Department of Archives and History.
In
2003
an
original
Father’s
Day
Play
was
presented.
In
2004
Central
United
Methodist
received
the
church
of
the
year
award,
partially
for
its
involvement
with
Father’s
Day,
and
in
2005
a
wall
hanging
quilt
to
commemorate
Father’s
Day
was
made
by
the
Piece
Makers,
a
group
of
quilters
from
the
church.
In
2002-2004
Reverend
D.
D.
Meighen,
the
current
minister,
has
presented
the
story
of
Grace
Clayton,
Doctor
R.
Thomas
Webb,
and
the
Reverend
Fletcher
Golden.
Reverend D. D. Meighen
June 15, 2005
With assistance from Tom Koon,
Former president of the Marion County
Historical Society
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