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Arkansas City Gospel Hall, KS

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Arkansas City Gospel Hall was an open brethren meeting thought to have met in [[Frederick Thompson Horton]]'s home 1889-1938, as well as at 118 N. Summit. See his bio for details on his life. In short, Fred became a Christian in 1882 due to the influence of Scottish evangelists [[John Smith]] and Charles W. Ross, and was employed as a dispatcher for the St. Joseph railway, and was promoted to assistant to the chief dispatcher of the Oklahoma division of the Santa Fe railway in 1889, which led him to Arkansas City. In 1902, the assembly had fifteen people regularly breaking bread.

Either that year In either 1887 or in 1897, Fred constructed a Bible verse two miles north of Arkansas City on a bluff, "Christ Died For The Ungodly" in stone lettering that was 476 feet long and 18 feet high, for the benefit of passenger trains driving nearby. The railway auxiliary encased it in concrete towards the end of Fred's life, and it is maintained today by several Christian groups, as well as the local Boy Scout chapter. By 1902, he also placed the words "Eternity Where" on the side of a hill a mile away from the other.

=Locations=

* ACDT 1902-12-16: "Special gospel services at the Gospel hall, 118 North Summit street, beginning tonight and continuing through the week. Preaching at 7:30 p.m. by [[Thomas Chairs Bush|T.C. Bush]], of Waxahachie, [[Texas|Tex]]. All are invited."

* ACDN 1903-7-24: "Fred Horton entertained the children of the Gospel Hall Sunday school last night at his home on North A street. Gramophone selections were a prominent feature of the evening. Many delightful games were played, and after being served with ice cream and cake the children departed, well pleased with the way they had spent the evening."

* WRT 1903-7-30: "Fred Horton and wife last evening gave their Sunday school a lawn social n their own lawn. A goodly number of members of the Sunday school were present and together with the neighbors who were there, made a large crowd. Typical of Mr. Horton's methods, he furnished the ice cream and cake and other dainties, making everything free to those present. It is needless to say all had a good time and enjoyed Mr. and Mrs. Horton's hospitality."

* ACDN 1903-9-5: "Mr. [[William John McClure|W.J. McClure]], of Los Angeles, [[California|Cal]]., will preach the gospel in the Gospel hall, 118 North Summit street. All are cordially invited to come. Meeting at 8 p.m. Sunday."

* ACDT 1903-9-5: W.J. McClure, Los Angeles, will preach the gospel on Sunday at 8 p.m. in the Gospel Hall, 118 North Summit Street. All are cordially invited to come and hear the "old, old story that is ever new".

** Arkansas City Daily News

*** 1903-7-24; 1903-9-5; 1904-8-20

** Weekly Republican Traveler

*** 1903-7-30

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