1914-1930: Reverend Evans
Church HistoryIn 1913, there were 13 members of the Presbyterian Church, but by 1921, there were 41, and the population in the Newhall area kept increasing, so the Session of the First Presbyterian Church of Newhall recommended to the congregation that a new sanctuary be built. Funds to build the new church were solicited not only from members of the church, but also from the entire Newhall community.
The total cost of the new building and Moller organ [originally built for the Strand Theatre of Meridian, Mississippi] was $22,140. The church was completed in 1923 and dedicated on June 14, 1925. [$22,140 in 1925 is about $329,500 in 2021.]
This building replaced the original wood structure.
[Photo “First Presbyterian Church” https://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/ox6402.htm ]
Silent film star William S. Hart (L) and Presbyterian minister Rev. Wolcott Evans (R)
The pastor from 1914 to 1930 was Rev. Wolcott H. Evans, the “Shepherd of the Hills” for his work and for his efforts day and night to help the victims of the St. Francis Dam disaster March 12, 1928. A wall of water came down through the Santa Clarita valley, killing over 450 people.
“Presbyterian minister Wolcott Evans served the SCV to the point of exhaustion, from 1914 to 1930. The “Pastor of Disaster” ministered to hundreds of families who lost loved ones in the great St. Francis Dam break of 1928. Fittingly, in 1930, when he finally retired after a life of service and poverty, this community paid back the good minister. Presbyterians, Catholics, Lutherans, Baptists and a few agnostics chipped in $1,300 to buy The Rev. Evans his retirement home.” [from Signal 100/Simple Acts of Kindness https://signalscv.com/2019/07/signal-100-simple-acts-of-kindness/ ]
The choir room and library area next to the Sanctuary in the present church building are named for him, the “Evans Room.”