Frederick Thompson Horton

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F.T. Horton was an open brethren train dispatcher for Sante Fe railway that lived in Arkansas City, Kansas with an assembly generally meeting in his home. He built on a bluff two miles north of Arkansas City the text "Christ died for the ungodly." It was 476 feet long, 18 feet high and can be read from two miles away. Towards the end of his life, the Railway auxiliary permanently set the stone in concrete at an expense of $250.

Frederick Thompson Horton was born July 11, 1860 in Galesburg, Illinois to Silas Horton (b. 1827 N.Y.) & Clara Jane Thompson (b. 1837 N.J.). He was saved in 1882 at meetings held by John Smith and Charles W. Ross. He lived in Arkansas City, Kansas 1889-1938.

Parents

  • Silas Horton (b. 1827 N.Y.), son of Phoebe Horton (b. 1805 N.Y.); may have enlisted Civil War 1861-1863;
  • Clara Jane Thompson Horton (b. 1837 N.J.)

Siblings

  • Elwood T. Horton (b. 1855 IL - d. 1942 Brooklyn, N.Y.)
  • Clarissa O. Horton (b. 1858 IL), high school teacher 1910 @ Galesburg, IL;
  • William Byram Horton (1862-1936 Galesburg, IL); 1887 @ Chicago, IL m. Verna D. Cater (b. 1865)
    • undertaker
  • Bessie Horton (b. 1870 Galesburg, IL)

Marriage

On May 14, 1884, he married Rose Belle Storm (b. 1860 Walnut, IL - d. 1949). She was the daughter of John Miller Storm (b. 1820 Cooperstown, N.Y. - d. 1907 Arkansas City, KS) & Ruth Elizabeth Parkhurst Storm (b. 1822 NYC, N.Y. - d. 1851 Bureau, IL). The wedding took place at John M. Storm's home in Nevada, Iowa, and officiated by W.D. Payne.

By the time of their wedding, Fred was still living in Galesburg, and working as a train dispatcher for the St. Joseph, Missouri railroad. In 1889, he accepted a position as Assistant to the Chief Dispatcher of the Oklahoma Division of the Santa Fe railway, hence the occasion for his relocation.

By 1898, according to a local phone book from that era, he was living at 324 N. A Street in Arkansas City, then at 415 N. B Street, where he lived the remainder of his life, where he was recorded in 1904 as having had an open Brethren assembly at 118 N. Summit, with services on Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m. By that year, he was a train dispatcher for the Santa Fe Railway. See Arkansas City Gospel Hall, KS. The assembly ceased to be listed in the phone book by 1906.

Children

  • Ruth Horton Wolfe (1891-1978) m. Clark Earle "C.E." Wolfe (1888-1960)
    • Rose Ann Wolfe Cavanaugh (b. 1928 Winfield, KS - d. 2016 Edmond, OK) m. James V. Cavanaugh (1925-1990); moved to OKC in 1950;
      • Candice Sheppard (OKC)
      • Denise Hendricks (OKC)
  • Rachel L. Horton Justice (1897-1979)

In 1929, Frederick joined T.C. Bush of Waxahachie, Texas to minister in the Midwest to several small assemblies in Kansas, Missouri, then at Fort Worth, Texas, as reported in The Record.

Death

Words In Season 1938 obit: "Arkansas City, Kan. – “On Jan. 22, Fred T. Horton passed home to be with Christ. Age 77 years. An outstanding man among us for godliness. Born at Galesburg, IL. Saved 56 years ago at meetings held by J. Smith and C.W. Ross. A train dispatcher for 45 years for Santa Fe R.R. He built on a bluff 2 miles north of Arkansas City where he lived for 49 years, the text, “Christ died for the ungodly.” It was 476 feet long, 18 feet high and can be read two miles away. An invalid for 3 years and no longer able to take care of text, the Railway auxiliary permanently set the stone in concrete at an expense of $250. T.C. Bush spoke to a large company at the funeral services."

Scripture Hill

The stonework was constructed either in 1889 or 1897, mostly by Fred himself, with sometimes an African-American friend helping him who had a wagon. It took seven months to build and whitewash. In addition to 476 feet long and 18 feet high, the letters are 12 feet wide, and 3 feet deep. It was rebuilt thrice over a 30 year period, and the stone is from the hillside where it stands. It is said that "his wife and kids would hitch the horse to the wagon and head to railroad yards to pick up Father for supper. Afterward, he'd be off to the hill, on foot."

Several church groups and civic organizations (including the Boy Scouts) have maintained the lettering over the years. Awhile back, some folks installed three crosses near the stonework that they have lit by kerosene certain times of the year. Passenger trains no longer travel in the area, although freight trains still use the tracks, which have been moved some. Motorists can see the lettering when traveling on the nearby US Hwy bypass, especially during the Autumn months.

Also See

  • Words in Season: Aug. 1965 & Aug. 1972 contain tributes to F.T. Horton.

Scripture Hill

Sources

  • Ancestry.com
  • Findagrave.com
  • 1904 OB AAB
  • Newspapers.com
  • Our Record
  • Words in Season: 1938
  • Jack Dickson 2-28-2023
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