The roots of a Christian Convention at Miltown, Washington, U.S.A., go back to the British Isles and especially to the ministry of John T. (Jack Carroll).  Jack came to the U.S.A. through New York City's port in 1904 having left his native Ireland to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in America.  He arrived in New York City in May, 1904 accompanied by his sister Mae Carroll, Hugh and Charles Mathews, Sarah Rogers, and Charles Glen.  He soon found his way to the West Coast where he pioneered his gospel preaching in British Columbia and the coastal states of U.S.A.

Often Jack traveled in his homeless ministry between Vancouver, B.C. and the Washington cities of Tacoma, Seattle and Everett by train. Some trains stopped at nearly every small station. Jack was constantly on the alert for places to preach the gospel.  The views from the train windows and conversations with passengers enhanced study of the communities the trains served.

As the train stopped at the Miltown Station, just eight miles south of Mount Vernon, he noticed a white school house on the hill since public schools were often available for community and public use including gospel meetings. The Miltown Community Center was located adjacent to the Pacific Coast Highway, the Great Northern Railroad and the South Fork of the Skagit River.  It was obvious that two country stores served farming and lumbering enterprises,  The farmland and the tree covered highlands were the backbones of the local economy.  As the train moved north, the Conway-Fir Community came into view followed by the dairy and poultry Community of Cedardale.

Shortly after the 1909 Christian Convention in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, Jack Carroll made arrangements for two pairs of sister ministers to begin gospel meetings in the Cedardale and Miltown areas.  Meetings had been previously held in Conway and Mount Vernon.  Esther Hanson, who began in the ministry in California in 1906, and had also preached in some Oregon and Washington cities, teamed with Maggie Marshall to open gospel meetings in Cedardale in February 1910. Esther later preached many years in Scandinavia.   It was in this mission that the Herman Benson family professed along with several others.

A little earlier, in December 1909, two young girls from the British Isles got off the train at Miltown with a few bags and cases--their total possessions.   They were Flo Davidson and Grace Douglas.  With baggage in hand they started walking east on the Miltown road toward the white, two-room school house on the hill a half mile away. They knocked on the school house door and were soon greeted by Mr. J. M. Weaver, the upper grades teacher and principal. His wife taught the lower four grades in the adjacent classroom.

After making their. business known the ladies left for the nearby farm of William Starbird.   Bill was the chairman of the three-member school board.  They soon returned to the school with a note for the principal, and then were on their way to seek for lodging and also to visit homes in the area.  When the ministers were gone from the school, Mr. Weaver put a message on the chalk boards of both classrooms as follows:

Notice to Parents
What:.  Christian Gospel Meetings
When: Every night except Saturday
Where: Miltown School
Time: 7:30 P.M. Beginning January 10, 1910 Everyone Welcome.

The children made copies of the announcement to take home to their parents  Ellevine Lian, later Mrs. Lester Silvernail, was a student in Mr. Weaver's classroom and recalled the above knock on the school house door, along with the chalkboard notice, as if it were made yesterday.

The mission began as scheduled after New Years.   The women ministers had visited many of the family homes in this predominately Scandinavian community.  The meetings were well attended, in fact, most everyone in the area came to some meetings to join in the group singing and hear the sharp English and Irish brogue of the women ministers.   The meetings were the talk of the area, as the gospel was preached clear and straight from the Bible.

This first of several missions in the Miltown area lasted six weeks, and before they closed many were moved to profess Christ.  The FIRST to take her stand for Christ was Mrs. Flora Silvernail, a widow whose husband, Frederick, died suddenly in 1907 at age 48.   She was burdened by her husband's loss and the assumption of the greater family responsibilities of seven children plus the family shingle-lumber mill. Furthermore, the family was pressed to finish the construction of their new large home and barn.   She was ready for the gospel when it came.

The second person to respond to the gospel was Emelia Lian, the eldest daughter of  Syvert and Ellen Marie Lian. After these, many more accepted Christ as their Savior and King.  Among those who are remembered to have professed in the original mission are: Flora Silvernail, Roy Silvernail, Wren Silvernail, Lester Silvernail, Fred Silvernail, Arthur Silvernail, Lula Silvernail, Maud Silvernail, Syvert Lian, Ellen Marie Lian, Elmar Lian, Emilia (Millie) Lian, Jewell McKinney, Mr and Mrs. J.M. Weaver,  Mrs. George Mann,  Eddie Nelson.

Later on gospel meetings were held in the old Pleasant Mill school house Just south of the Skagit-Snohomish county line east of Miltown. Still later meetings were held in the Silvernail home.

During this time Jack Carroll visited the community, as did his sister Mae.  Both became well known by those who had professed as they continued to preach the gospel freely.  A Sunday morning fellowship meeting was begun in the Silvernail home, while mid-week Bible study meetings were rotated among the homes of the believers.

In November 1909, a Christian Convention was held in Vancouver, B. C.  The gospel had been prospering there. November 1910, the Miltown and Cedardale churches were invited to attend the Vancouver convention.  Many of the U.S.A. friends attended, including converts from Everett, Seattle, Tacoma and other Washington areas.   The Miltown church was well represented as the zeal for truth flourished.   Three Miltown young men offered their lives for the ministry at that convention.  They were:  Jewell McKinney, Eimar Lian and Wren Silvernail.  Eddie Cornick of British Columbia also began his ministry at this time.

When Flora Silvernail was about to return home from the convention, she, as others was spiritually inspired.  She confronted Jack Carroll to ask if it could be possible for the U.S.A. friends to have a convention in their country where more could attend.   She was told that it might be possible if a suitable location and facility could be located. She immediately offered the use of the family farm and their recently completed home and barn.

Arrangements were made later for the FIRST COVENTION AT Miltown, on the Silvernail farmstead for November 1911.   These early conventions were small.  Meetings were held in the barn in the center Isle between the cow and horse stalls.  It was in the 1911 convention that Ellevine Silvernail professed.   She is 88 years old at this writing.

After two years of using the barn for the convention meetings, it became necessary to move into canvas tents to accommodate more people. The convention tents have occupied many locations on the farmstead until the present configuration was arranged.

Conventions have been held continuously at Miltown since 1911 until the present time, outliving the old town, the railroad station, the shopping and service area, the shingle and lumber mills and the little white school house on the hill.   The Silvernail farm is now in the third generation of ownership, having a Conway telephone and a Stanwood mailing address.   Only during the great influenza epidemic of 1918 and the Japanese War in 1942 were conventions not held.   In the past 73 years the gospel has continued to flourish in N.W. Washington as in other areas of the state, and it has reached into at least five as in other generations.

In 1924, double conventions were held at Miltown to accommodate the people and probably continued until the Olympia convention began. Conventions had also begun early in Chelan, WA,  in Moscow,  Idaho and Dalton Gardens in Idaho.   Some of the locations have been changed.

In the 1950's, double conventions began again and continue on an annual basis to this present date.   Some information from senior ministers from overseas and our states indicate that Miltown convention may have one of the longest tenures on one site under one family name, but surely a site of the most total conventions, perhaps one hundred or more.

Conventions or their sites are not to be idolized; however, to many of us they are a memorial to our  roots in Christ and our place of decision and surrender to God.

Miltown has another important memorial.  It is a little cemetery* one-half mile west of the convention grounds on the Miltown Road where many friends in the church and several workers are buried.  The ministers grave markers remind us of the price of our salvation.  They left their homes in Ireland. Scotland. Tasmania and Greece to preach the word and feed the flock.  For these memorials we are indeed grateful.

These data were collected and written by Harold E. Silvernail, 1984.

*Reportedly Jack Carroll was buried here.