In 1852

Oliver Porter Stark — with help from Henry L. Gooding and other Choctaw neighbors — built the structure that served the community as both church and school for 42 years. Although moved several feet from the original location in 1894, the same church, renovated many times and enlarged, stands on the Goodland campus today. The original church bell given by Rev. John P. Turnbull is a constant reminder of the work accomplished by these early pioneers with meager resources.