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Church in the Wildwood/Little Brown Church in the Vale
Public Domain Old-Time, Bluegrass Gospel by William Pitts 1857; Arranged James Rowe 1911
ARTIST: Carter Family 1932
SHEET MUSIC: http://books.google.com/books?id=42bL-Ot-8gUC&pg=PA44&dq=Little+Brown+Church+in+the+Vale+Rowe-+1911&cd=1#v=onepage&q=Little%20Brown%20Church%20in%20the%20Vale%20Rowe-%201911&f=false
CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Gospel;
DATE: Pitts 1857; Rowe 1911
RECORDING INFO: The Church in the Wildwood [Me III-E102] - Pitts, William S.
At - Little Brown Church in the Vale
Johnson, Charles (ed) / One Hundred & One Famous Hymns, Hallberg, Bk (1982), p173 (Little Brown Church in the Vale)
Bushnell's Basin Delegation. Time in Our Lives, Bushnell's Basin BBD-7901, LP (1979), trk# A.06 (Little Brown Church in the Vale)
Carter Family. Carter Family in Texas. Vol. 7, Old Homestead OHCS 139, LP (1984), trk# 19b
Carter, June. Wildwood Flower, Dualtone 80302, CD (2003), trk# 9a
Herren, Ruth Burton. Solomon, Jack & Olivia (eds.) / Sweet Bunch of Daisies, Colonial Press, Bk (1991), p108 [1975ca] (Little Brown Church in the Vale)
Holland, Carmen. All Time Favorite Sacred Songs on the Autoharp, Sound Productions, LP (197?), trk# B.04
Leigh, Bonnie. Down in the Shady Grove, Maywind K56-03, CD (1998), trk# 4
Maddox, Rose. Beautiful Bouquet, Arhoolie 5030, LP (1983), trk# 3
Maxson, Charles; and Karen Skidmore. From the Heartland of West Virginia. The Hammered & Plucked Dul, Peaceable 4, LP (1975), trk# 6
Sinclair, Cloise and Harley. American Hammer Dulcimer, Troubadour TR-6, LP (1978), trk# 5
Thompson, Linda Lowe. Dulcimer Players News, DPN, Ser, 18/1, p13(1992)
OTHER NAMES: "Little Brown Church in the Vale"
SOURCES: Mudcat; Cyberhymnal; Wiki
NOTES: "Church in the Wildwood" is a hymn written by William P. Pitts in 1856 that was first titled "The Little Brown Church in the Vale." In 1911 James Rowe retitled the song "Church in the Wildwood" and slightly changed some of the lyrics. The Carter Family version is based on Rowe's version.
CHURCH IN THE WILDWOOD- Carter Family 1932
Guitar intro
There's a church in the valley by the wildwood
No lovelier place in the dale
No spot is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vale
[bass] Oh, come, come, come, come
[all] Come to the church in the wildwood
Oh, come to the church in the dale
No spot is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vale
[INSTRUMENTAL BREAK]
How sweet on a clear sabbath morning
To listen to the clear ringing bells
It's gongs so sweetly are calling
Oh, come to the church in the vale
[bass] Oh, come, come, come, come
[all] Come to the church in the wildwood
Oh, come to the church in the dale
No spot is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vale
There, close by the side of the loved one
'Neath the tree where the wildflowers bloom
She sleeps, sweet love sleeps 'neath the willow
Disturb not her rest in the tomb.
[bass] Oh, come, come, come, come
[all] Come to the church in the wildwood
Oh, come to the church in the dale
No spot is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vale
[bass] Oh, come, come, come, come
[all] Come to the church in the wildwood
Oh, come to the church in the dale
No spot is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vale
The Church in the Wildwood- From Wikipedia, "The Church in the Wildwood" is a song that was written by Dr. William S. Pitts in 1857 following a coach ride that stopped in Bradford, Iowa. It is a song about a church built in a valley near the town, though the church was not actually built until seven years later. In the years since, the church has become known simply as "The Little Brown Church".
Origins of the song
During a stagecoach ride to visit his fiancée in Fredericksburg, Iowa, the stage stopped at Bradford and allowed Pitts time to wander the area and enjoy the woodlands. Pitts found particular beauty in a wooded valley formed by the Cedar River. While viewing the spot, Pitts envisioned a church building there and could not seem to ease the vision from his mind. Returning home, he wrote "The Church in the Wildwood" for his own sake, eventually saying of its completion, "only then was I at peace with myself."
In 1862, Pitts Moved to Bradford to teach music at Bradford Academy. He was stunned upon his return to find a church being erected on the very spot he had imagined seven years before. The building was even being painted brown, because that was the least expensive color of paint to be found. Pitts found his song and had his class sing it at the dedication of the new church. This was the first time the song was sung by anyone apart from Pitts himself.
Forgetting of the song
In 1865, Pitts moved to Chicago, Illinois, to enroll in Rush Medical College. To pay his enrollment fees, he sold the rights to the song to a music publisher for $25. He completed medical school, graduating in 1868, but the song was again forgotten.
Nearing the twentieth century, small Bradford was in great decline. The village had been bypassed by a new railroad through Nashua, Iowa, two miles west, and the flour mill moved to New Hampton, Iowa to be on a bigger river. The town was once the county seat, but population was in steady decline, and the church had grown neglected. In 1888, the church was closed.
Popularity of the song
Shortly into the new century, the Society For The Preservation of The Little Brown Church was founded, and by 1914, services were again held in the building. Shortly afterward, the small congregation experienced a revival that attracted new attention to it and to its song.
Among those who found and loved the song at this time was the Weatherwax Quartet. This group of traveling singers traveled throughout Canada and the United States in the 1920s and 30s and used as their trademark song "The Church in the Wildwood". They would quite easily talk about the little church during their travels.
As the song grew in popularity, coupled with the development of the U.S. Highway system in the mid-1920s, many visitors came to the newly-reopened little church. Since, the church has become a popular tourist spot, and remains so today. It attracts thousands of visitors every year to see or be married in the little brown church in the vale.
From Cyberhymnal Pitts: One bright afternoon of a day in June 1857, I first set foot in old Bradford, Iowa, coming by stage from McGregor. My home was in Wisconsin. The spot where the “Little Brown Church” now stands was a setting of rare beauty. There was no church there but the spot was there waiting for it. When back in my home I wrote the song ‘The Little Brown Church in the Vale.’ I put the manuscript away. In the spring of 1862 I returned to Iowa and settled at Fredericksburg…
In the years of 1859 and 1860 the good people of Bradford were determined to build a church…By the early winter of 1864 the building was ready for dedication. While I was holding the singing school, near its close in the spring, the class went one evening to the church. It was not then seated, but rude seats were improvised. My manuscript of the song I had brought with me from Wisconsin. It had never been sung before by anyone but myself. I sang it there. Soon afterwards I took the manuscript to Chicago [Illinois], where it was published by H. M. Higgins. It won a speedy recognition locally and with the years won its way into the hearts of the people of the world.
Soon after its publication the church at Bradford, which had been painted brown (for want of money to buy better paint, some say), became known as “The Little Brown Church in the Vale.” My hope is that it will stand for a thousand years and call the old man and his descendants to worship.
This song was popularized by by the worldwide evangelism campaign of Arthur Chapman and Charles Alexander in 1893, and by the Weatherwax Quartet, beginning around 1910. To this day, numerous couples still marry in the church each year (over 70,000 since record keeping started in 1918), and the church holds an annual wedding reunion.
The Little Brown Church in the Vale- William Pitts 1857
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.
Refrain: Come to the church in the wildwood,
Oh, come to the church in the dale,
No spot is so dear to my childhood,
As the little brown church in the vale.
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.
Refrain
There, close by the church in the valley,
Lies one that I loved so well;
She sleeps, sweetly sleeps, ’neath the willow,
Disturb not her rest in the vale.
Refrain
There, close by the side of that loved one,
To trees where the wild flowers bloom,
When the farewell hymn shall be chanted
I shall rest by her side in the tomb.
Refrain
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.
Refrain
Church in the Wildwood- Text James Rowe 1911(Pitts); Music William S. Pitts
There's a church in the valley by the wildwood
'Tis the loveliest place in the dale;
Not a spot is so dear to my childhood,
As the little brown church in the vale.
Oh, come, come, come...
Come to the church by the wildwood,
Oh, come to the church in the dale;
No spot is so dear to my childhood,
As the little brown church in the vale.
Oh, how sweet, on a bright Sunday morning,
Just to list to the clear-ringing bell;
For its voice is so tenderly calling:
Oh, come to the church in the dell.
Oh, come, come, come...
Come to the church by the wildwood,
Oh, come to the church in the dale;
No spot is so dear to my childhood,
As the little brown church in the vale.
Brothers, now for the Savior let us rally,
Let us serve Him who never will fail;
"Gainst the foes of the truth let us sally
From the little brown church in the dale.
Oh, come, come, come...
Come to the church by the wildwood,
Oh, come to the church in the dale;
No spot is so dear to my childhood,
As the little brown church in the vale.
Far too long we have wandered after pleasures
And ignored the sweet plea of the Lord;
Let us strive for heavenly treasures-
Let us work for the blessed reward.
Oh, come, come, come...
Come to the church by the wildwood,
Oh, come to the church in the dale;
No spot is so dear to my childhood,
As the little brown church in the vale.
Let us offer ourselves anew to Jesus,
And the message of life gladly tell;
Let us cling to the Savior who frees us,
Let us love this bright spot in the dell.
Oh, come, come, come...
Come to the church by the wildwood,
Oh, come to the church in the dale;
No spot is so dear to my childhood,
As the little brown church in the vale.
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