In the early 1800s, the Griffings
and other families in the Prairie Jefferson area attended services given
by circuit riders passing through.
In 1860, heirs of William Davis
gave the Oak Ridge Church two acres of land on which to build a Methodist
Episcopal Church, South. Records note that in 1864 the partially
completed church was being used as a hospital for recovering soldiers.
With the war over, $2,500 was subscribed in 1866 to finish paying for the
church. The completed church had two doors. There was a partition
down the middle of the pews, with males sitting on one side and females
on the other.
In 1878, a parsonage was built.
N.S. Cornell brought lumber to the site in his buggy. The following
year, the local post office changed its name from Point Jefferson to Oak
Ridge.
In 1889, “Aunt Pony” Randle
collected money for a church bell. The bell, which was picked up
at Ion landing (Girard) on the Boeuf River, was housed separate from the
church.
In 1906, a vestibule entrance
with a belfry and one wide front door was built at the front of the church.
The old parsonage was torn down
in 1926. A six-room parsonage was constructed in1934 and dedicated
by Bishop Hoyt Dobbs.
In 1951, the cornerstone was
laid on the new education building. The following year, plans began
on renovating the church. Renovations, completed by 1955, included
lowering the ceiling, removing the center posts, and replacing classrooms
at the entrance with a colonial gallery and columns. The dedication
service was led by Bishop Paul Martin. |
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