THIS CACHE IS IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE CHURCH. PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB ANYTHING RELATED TO THE FENCE OR GARAGE NEXT TO THE PARKING LOT. IT IS NOT UNDER A BUSH.
This series is an unexpected offshoot of the Camp Adair Building Locating Exercise. This is one of the eleven chapels from the base.
In 1946, Grace Lutheran Church was outgrowing its current location and bought lots on the corner of 21st and Tyler. It hoped to acquire an Army chapel from nearby Camp Adair. The hope was realized, but only after many discouraging months. When the chapel was finally made available for $910 in December of 1947, there was still the problem of moving it to Corvallis. It has been estimated that $10,000 in volunteer labor was given in dismantling the chapel and then moving it, part by part, into Corvallis to be reassembled over a newly built basement. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held in July of 1948, and by May 26, 1949, the cornerstone was laid. The next two years were filled with hard work and good spirits while men built and women provided lunch and coffee. Long before the church was completed, services were held in the building. Members would take turns sweeping away the shavings before services. Dedication services were held in May, 1951.
With the construction of the new facilities to the south of the chapel in 1965, the chapel building was remodeled as a fellowship hall and the altar was moved into a small area expanded from the east end of the hall.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
John 15:13
Listed are the four Divisions that trained at Camp Adair and their casualties:
70th Infantry Division – “Trailblazers” - 775 killed in Europe
91st Infantry Division – “Powder River” - 1,575 killed in Europe
96th Infantry Division - “Deadeyes” – 603 killed in Leyte, 1,598 killed in Okinawa
104th Infantry Division – “Timberwolves” – 1,447 killed in Europe
Please keep in mind that some of these men prayed in this chapel.
In John H. Baker’s book “Camp Adair” he states on page 109 that when the camp was razed, all the chapels were spared. Four were moved to be war memorials, seven for churches.
I have had surprising success in locating some of the chapels. If you are interested in my Camp Adair investigations, you may want to visit this link. This web site is still growing, so check back. Keep your eyes open for more caches in the “Greater Love ??” series. As I locate more chapels, I will try to place caches to mark them, if possible.