In 1823, a group of people were
led by Isaac D. Wall in the formation of a Methodist congregation.
Those first services were held in the members' homes. A white frame
church was constructed in 1830. Clinton first appears as a pastoral
charge in 1850.
In 1907, a new brick church
was built and named Mary Winans Wall Methodist Church. The congregation
was surprised on a Christmas day service in 1955 when the floorboards of
the church began to give way. Since the Presbyterian Church was not
meeting at that time, they walked over there and Rev. Harkins accepted
7 people into the church that day. The state fire marshal later declared
the church unsafe, so the congregation met at Clinton High School while
a new church was built. The first service in the new church was held
on June 1, 1958.
A recreational building was
constructed in 1978 in honor of Joseph Embree. In 1988, the church's
name was changed to Clinton United Methodist Church. On April 25,
1990, a bolt of lightning struck the bell tower and caused a fire.
The fire was put out, but only after causing several thousand dollars in
damage. In 1991, the church bought 2 acres of land next to the church's
property from the Toler family. This will be used for future expansion.
SOURCE: Clinton United Methodist
Church Directory |
