PBS to highlight former Spring Creek Church

Spring Creek Church, which once stood proudly three miles south of Clarkfield before it was destroyed by a fire 11 years ago, will be one of two former rural churches featured on a PBS documentary early next year.

Doug Ohman, a photographer/videographer/historian, who has had his photos of old barns, schools, libraries and other buildings printed in several books, has been commissioned to host various documentary specials by PBS based in the Twin Cities.

Ohman, who lives in the Twin Cities area, will bring a camera crew with him to the former Spring Creek Church site on Sept. 6 to interview Ross and Kayann Riecke of rural Clarkfield, as well as Kayann’s mother Kathleen Jacobson.

“We’re excited to be a part of this,” said Kayann Riecke, a former church member who has been instrumental in keeping the memory of the church alive.

“It’s going to be an hour-long documentary on old churches, barns and schoolhouses.” Hawk Creek Lutheran Church in rural Sacred Heart will also be featured by Ohman for the PBS documentary.

That church was 140 years old when it was hit by a lightning strike in 2016 and burned to the ground.

A new church was built on the same spot this past March. Spring Creek Church was built in 1883 on what is now 210th Avenue, one-quarter mile east of Highway 59. A 600-grave cemetery is a few yards east of where the church once stood.

Kayann’s father, Kenneth Jacobson, was baptized and confirmed in Spring Creek Church and is buried in the cemetery there. Kenneth and Kathleen were lifelong members of the church.

“My dad’s grandfather, Olaf Jacobson, was one of the founding members of the church,” Kayann noted. “That church meant a lot to our family. So having the church chosen for the documentary is very special.”

The idea to use Spring Creek Church came about when Ohman became friends with Ken Rupp of Granite Falls while attending the Hanley Falls Machinery Museum on several occasions. When the documentary series was proposed to Ohman, he began searching for a couple of churches that would make an interesting story. After hearing about Spring Creek Church, he checked with Rupp to see if he knew of anyone that might have some information. Rupp happened to work at John Deere in Montevideo with Kayann’s brother, Kimm Jacobson.

Jacobson informed Ohman that his sister would be the one to talk to since she knew more about the church and its history.

Ohman then met with Ross and Kayann in August. After being intrigued by the history of the church, he set up a time and date that he could bring his camera crew out to talk to the Rieckes and Kathleen Jacobson for a portion of his documentary.

“We were given a list of questions that we will be asked,” Kayann revealed. “I’m really not nervous. I’m kind of excited that the story of the church and cemetery will be told.”

As many of the Spring Creek Church members passed away or relocated, the church closed in 1997. Ten years later, a fire broke out and destroyed the historic building.

The fire occurred on a clear day, and the electricity to the building has been turned off several years before; eliminating lightning and/or faulty wiring as the cause of the fire.

To this day, there has been no official ruling on how the fire started, though it’s likely it was accidentally or intentionally set by one or more individuals.

To preserve the memory of the church, Kayann was able to entice former church members, family members, friends and others to donate toward a monument.

She then designed a stone marker that included a laser-print of the church from an ink drawing made by late professional artist Melva Mikelson, who was Kenneth Jacobson’s cousin.

The monument was put in place in 2014 and is surrounded by a black wrought-iron fence. Inside the fence is also a large tubular-steel cross that was welded together by Kimm Jacobson.

And in 2016, a covered aluminum cemetery directory/register was constructed and now stands beside the monument.

More recently, a second covered aluminum case was built and put up that tells the history of the church that was written by Kayann.

“Spring Creek Church is an important part of history,” said Kayann.

“Our relatives were people of faith.”

“Places of faith are important and should be remembered. And cemeteries are fascinating places. They are a connection between heaven and earth.”

And now Ohman and PBS will soon be doing their part to assist in preserving those memories.