Family and friends of St. Oswald’s in the Fields Episcopal Church of rural Skidmore, Missouri, return each fall for a special service. This year’s celebration is the 120th Harvest Festival and will be held on Sunday, October 1, beginning at 11 a.m. A potluck dinner follows the service. Presiding at the service will be The Rt. Rev. Martin Field, Bishop of The Diocese of West Missouri.
St. Oswald’s was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. In 1997, St. Oswald’s became part of the Sacred Hills Regional Ministry, along with St. Mary’s of Savannah and St. Paul’s of Maryville. The building was modeled after the founding families’ home church – St. Oswald’s in Grasmere, England. It was said by the early founders of the church, that if the church did not continue, it would make a good sheep shed! St. Oswald’s was built using the gable front variant of the Shingle Style, first used in the suburbs on the East Coast at the end of the 19th century. Many churches in the north of England are dedicated to the Sainted King Oswald, including the one at Grasmere, of which the Missouri St. Oswald’s is the namesake. Today, traditions are maintained, including Harvest Festival.
St. Oswald’s is located in southeast Atchison County. Directions from Mound City are: take Route N for 5 miles north and then head north on Keystone Drive for 4 miles. From Maryville, the church is 19 miles west on Highway 46 and then 4 miles south on EE. From Fairfax, take Highway 46 east 7 miles and then travel 4 miles south on EE.