Our first stop was in the little town of Ribchester. We parked the car and walked down to the end of the street, to the River Ribble as it flowed on to Preston. It was here that Heber preached and baptized. As in every place there were those who were led by Satan in his attempt to thwart the work of the restoration. On one occasion the mob arrived as he was baptizing converts and threw rocks at him, one pelting him on the head. He stopped in the name of safety, but later arranged a time for the converts to come one at a time to the location in the bottom left photo to be baptized. The last one came out of the water just as the mob arrived to stop the procedure.
Wilford Woodruff was taught the art of fly fishing by Brother Smithies at this spot.
The school sits at the end of the street before the river: Diocese of Blackburn, Ribchester St. Winfrid's, Church of England, Primary School.
The two top buildings look pretty much as they did in 1837. The White Bull Pub was built in 1707. Many buildings had vines covering the walls. Autumn is approaching with the turning of the leaves.
The top home is that of the Angelican vicar who oversees the church in Ribchester. He was against the missionaries preaching and stirred others up against them. It looks pretty much as it did in 1837. You can see the suet on one of the buildings, left over from times past.
From Ribchester, we continued our journey into the River Ribble Valley with various stops along the way. The valley was beautiful, from the heather covered hill tops, to the lush green fields below.
Along the way, we stopped right on the road at the Walkerfold School and Chapel to take photos. The plaque at the bottom tells the story.
The remains of an old Roman bridge across the river. Some places along the trip we crossed the Hodder River that flows through the valley as well as the River Ribble.
The bottom photo is of Stoneyhurst College, a Jesuit school. It was quite a drive into it, weaving in and around forests and vegetation. It is very prestigious to get into and only those that rise above the normal learning ability make it in. The likes of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein met here and also at the Eagle & Child Pub in Oxford. It is from the grounds surrounding this school that Tolkein fashioned the land in The Hobbit.
We continued driving the small weaving country roads through villages and farms. We drove through Chatburn, Clithero, and Downham, three villages where Elder Kimball preached. When he got to Chatburn, he searched for a place to preach and ended up in a barn.
In his words: "When I concluded I felt someone pulling at my coat, exclaiming, "Maister, Maister." I turned round and asked what was wanted. Mrs. Elizabeth Partington said "Please sir, will you baptize me?" "And me?" "And me?" exclaimed more than a dozen voices. Accordingly I went down into the water and baptized twenty-five. I was engaged in the duty, and confirming them and conversing with the people until after midnight.
The next morning I returned to Downham, and baptized between twenty-five and thirty in the course of the day.
The next evening I returned to Chatburn. The congregation was so numerous that I had to preach in the open air, and took my stand on a stone wall and afterwards baptized several."
This is the town of Downham, looking pretty much as it did in 1837.
Top photo is of Pindle Hill. Dad remembers going with other missionaries to help harvest the hay crop at a member's farm at the foot of the hill when he was here 50 years ago on his mission. Pindle Hill is famous for witch trials in 1612. On a lighter note, it was on this hill George Fox came to meditate in connection with founding the Quakers. John Wesley came here to pray as well.
The bottom left photo is of the tree Dad is standing next to in the right photo. It was here Elder Jeffrey R. Holland came to pray and seek inspiration when he was given the task to come up with a site for the Preston temple to be built. The temple stands on the place he was inspired with.
You come to a "kissing gate" at the end of the street leading up to the tree. Dad wasn't too sure about it, but when Peter explained how the gate worked, I tried it out!
Sister Hale is standing in the pig's stye that was converted into the men's toilet.
Other photos are of flowers, animals, and stone fences in Downham.
When Elder Kimball was preparing to return to America, he made a trip back through the villages he had preached in.
From his account: "I went and visited the branches in the regions of Clithero and Chatburn, and on the morning when I left Chatburn many were in tears, thinking they should see my face no more. When I left them, my feelings were such as I cannot describe. As I walked down the street I was followed by numbers; the doors were crowded by the inmates of the houses to bid me farewell, who could only give vent to their grief in sobs and broken accents. While contemplating this scene I was constrained to take off my hat, for I felt as if the place was holy ground. The Spirit of the Lord rested down upon me and I was constrained to bless that whole region of country. I was followed by a great number to Clithero, a considerable distance from the village, who could then hardly separate from me. My heart was like unto theirs, and I thought my head was a fountain of tears, for I wept for several miles after I bid them adieu. I had to leave the road three times to go to streams of water to bathe my eyes."
From here, we headed to the Lake District for the afternoon. We were trying to decide what and where to eat when Peter said he knew of a great fish and chips place, if that was what we wanted. We were in agreement, so off we went.
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