This area of Osage county was settled by German Lutherans in the 1860s, and this small country church was founded in 1871. The congregation still meets in the original building that was constructed in 1873. When termites were discovered in the hewn log sills in the 1990s, congregation members rebuilt the foundation by jacking up the walls section-by-section and cutting out and replacing the termite-riddled timbers and wall structure.
By the late 19th century Babbtown had developed into a prominent town in the area, with a general store and post office across from the church, a blacksmith shop, and a Lutheran school, which was built in the late 1890s and held classes from 1900-1930. The old schoolhouse was expanded in the 1970s and again in the 1990s, and is now used as a parish house. Around 1900, the Rock Island Railroad was built through what is now the town of Meta, and as that town grew, Babbtown dwindled away.
The coordinates listed above will take you to the grave site of Meta Rowan, after whom the town of Meta was named. In order to find the cache, subtract 1523 from the year of her birth to get ABC, and subtract 1606 from the year of her death to get XYZ. The coordinates of the cache are: N 38° 20.ABC W 092° 08.XYZ
This cache was placed with permission of the congregation, and all of the neighbors know about it. Feel free to visit if they come out to talk to you! Happy caching, and God bless you!