BRYAN COUNTY HISTORY: Easter on the prairie
Bryan County Genealogy Library
One of the rewards of researching family history is discovering how many ancient traditions still bring joy to family members. Some of the most comforting are birthday, anniversary, and holiday rituals, and two favorites of spring are the Easter church service and the egg hunt. Our great-grands prepared for each in much the same way we do today. Of course, one difference was that they used real eggs!
Egg hunts and egg rolls took place at homes, churches, parks, and schools. Some events charged admission and were great fund raisers for local groups such as the 1899 Ladies’ Parsonage Society of the Methodist church. Church houses overflowed on Easter, often beginning services at sunrise, having dinner and an egg hunt on the grounds, and then resuming services in the evening.