Early morning fire destroys century-old community church near Clinton Lake

photo by: Mike Yoder
The Clinton Presbyterian Church, 588 North 1200 Road, caught fire and burned down early Friday morning, Aug. 30, 2019.
Story updated at 2:58 p.m. Friday
The Clinton Presbyterian Church in rural Douglas County caught fire and burned down early Friday morning, leaving charred rubble where a century-old community landmark once stood.
Pam Johnston, clerk of session for the church, told the Journal-World that firefighters were called to the church around 4:40 a.m. Friday. The building is located at 588 North 1200 Road, near Clinton Township on the west side of Clinton Lake.
Township fire crews from Clinton, Wakarusa, Kanwaka, Willow Springs and Overbrook helped fight the fire, and as of mid-morning, firefighters were still on scene hosing down the debris. The church appeared to be a total loss, Johnston said.

photo by: Contributed photo
Firefighters battle a fire at the Clinton Presbyterian Church, 588 N 1200 Road, early Friday, Aug. 30, 2019.
588 N 1200 Rd, Lawrence, KS 66047
Investigators with the state fire marshal’s office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also on scene.
Lamar Shoemaker, a state fire investigator, said the ATF, with a bomb-sniffing dog, comes to all investigations into church fires because of the potential for acts of terrorism. However, he added, the fire was likely started by lightning.
Thunderstorms moved through the Douglas County area in the early morning hours, producing heavy rain, lightning and strong winds.

photo by: Mike Yoder
Police and ATF officers look through the remains of the Clinton Presbyterian Church, 588 North 1200 Road, after it caught fire and burned down early Friday morning, Aug. 30, 2019. Visible in the background, at left, is melted siding on a house next to the church.
Loren Baldwin, a volunteer firefighter with the Clinton Township Fire Department, lives next door to the church and said he was first on the scene after his father alerted him to the fire. Baldwin said he heard a loud boom around 3:30 a.m., which could have been a lightning strike.
While the church building was insured, an online fundraising page was set up by congregation member who wanted to help. Johnston said that the money from the fundraiser would be used at the church’s discretion to help defray any costs associated with the fire. Those interested in donating can contribute at gofundme.com/clinton-presbyterian-church-aid.
The church had been planning to host its annual Labor Day breakfast on Saturday, but church leaders made the decision to cancel the event. Many of the supplies, including pancake mixes and sausage, were burned in the fire, church member Charlie Thomas said Friday morning at the scene.
Thomas, 72, stared at the rubble of what had been his church since he was 5 years old.
“This was the new church built in 1918. The old church blew away in 1917,” he said.
The church was first organized in 1866, according to a church historian quoted in a 1973 Journal-World article. That historian said the original church building was a barn-like structure that was replaced by another building that was dedicated in 1895. In 1917, a tornado destroyed that church, and a new building was dedicated the next year. That century-old building appeared to be the structure that burned down Friday.

photo by: Clinton Presbyterian Church
The Clinton Presbyterian Church, 588 N 1200 Road, is pictured in an undated photo from the church’s website. A fire destroyed much of the church early Friday, Aug. 30, 2019.
The church was a gathering place for people who lived in the tiny community and even campers at nearby Clinton State Park, Thomas said, and the Labor Day breakfast was just part of the congregation’s community outreach. Every fall, church members host a turkey dinner, and a wedding was scheduled at the church for Sept. 22, Thomas said.
Gary Lee, of Topeka, also watched Friday morning as fire crews moved through the rubble. He said he was scheduled to preach at the church on Sunday. He said because the church did not currently have a full-time pastor, it relied on a group of pastors rotating in every Sunday. Lee said he would probably be changing his planned sermon to make it more relevant to the fire.
Marshall Larson, the pastor of nearby Stull United Methodist Church, about a 9-mile drive away, offered his congregation’s building for use by the Clinton Presbyterian Church.
“We are one community,” Larson said.

photo by: Mike Yoder
Firefighter gear sits on top of the front lawn sign at the Clinton Presbyterian Church, 588 North 1200 Road, after the church caught fire and burned down early Friday morning, Aug. 30, 2019.

photo by: Mike Yoder
A firefighter hoses down hot spots in the debris of the Clinton Presbyterian Church, 588 North 1200 Road, after it caught fire and burned down early Friday morning, Aug. 30, 2019.

photo by: Mike Yoder
The Clinton Presbyterian Church, 588 North 1200 Road, caught fire and burned down early Friday morning, Aug. 30, 2019.