The Church House - Modesto's Oldest

Luke Ancil Church (1830 – 1901) was the epitome of a California pioneer.  He was born in Ohio, sailed for California from New York in October of 1851, and arrived in San Francisco in November of the same year.  From San Francisco he headed to the Southern Mines to make his fortune.  He may have been a somewhat successful miner, but he hit gold in Sonora in 1863 when he married Elizabeth Davis of Pennsylvania.  Luke and Lizzie established their first home in Don Pedro Bar where Luke engaged in the hotel business, and four daughters joined the family.  Perhaps because the mines began to play-out, there was less demand for a hotel, and in 1868 Luke Church moved his family to the new river town of Paradise City.   Not only did he move his family, he dismantled the hotel and moved the lumber to build a new home for them.  In Paradise City, Luke ran the stage from Paradise City to Stockton. 

Luke was literate and quite a good writer so he must have read and, perhaps, learned from his Stockton contacts of the progress the San Joaquin Valley Railroad was making down the valley.  As it became obvious the railroad would not cross the Tuolumne River at Paradise City, people began making plans to move to the new railroad town.  This adaptable pioneer must have investigated his options.  What criteria did he use to choose the site for his family’s new home?  The result was he bought a two-acre lot in the Ripperdan Addition for $80.00 in gold coin.  Tradition states the Church house was the third house moved to the area.  Unfortunately, no information about the mechanics of his move are known.  What’s really important is the story of this pioneer family who lived in the house through triumphs and tragedies and of this hard-working father alone raising and educating four daughters to be productive, good citizens. Most of all, the little house that Luke built has been the heart of this same family for generations.