Soon after the end of the Civil
War, the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church of New York
purchased land from Joseph Chevalier for $570. The land was made
up of two lots bound by Roman, Prieur, LaHarpe, and Lapeyrouse Streets.
The church was led by W. Scott Chinn when it was founded in 1866.
He also pastored the church for two other tenures over the next decade.
Some even called it Scott Chinn's church. The members of the new
church even helped to clear the ground to hasten the construction of the
church. By 1867, there were 70 members on the roll. The church
had been built and was valued at $3700.
From 1874 to 1904, the church
had its share of problems. Not only was money scarce, but the church
burned down twice. After the 1904 fire, C.D. Crockett supervised
the reconstruction, but finding the funds was difficult.
Many new members were added
in the early 20th century. The church school had grown to 30 members.
Four of the students worked on a plan to increase attendance. Soon,
the enrollment grew to over 100 members.
By the 1930's, the church was
actively working on paying off its debt. But the 1930's were lean
years, and it went slowly. Membership declines in the 30's and 40's;
some feel this was because of the money situation. In the 1940's,
the Board of Missions stepped in to pay off the church's debts when creditors
threatened to sell off the church. The Board of Missions was repaid
in 1947-48. T.E. Elroy came up with the idea of selling blocks for
$100 each. Enough was raised to pay off the debt and put some on
the parsonage building fund. The mortgage was burned in 1948.
The church finally built a parsonage
in the 1950's. They used the money they had saved and $1000 from
the Board of Missions.
Under the dircetion of Rev.
Andrew Douglas, who arrived in 1968, a $10,000 renovation was done on the
church. Improvements included carpeting, new ceiling tiles, a carillon,
air conditioning, and so on. A lounge and pastor's study were built
in the basement. In 1975-76, the church purchased a piano and an
organ.
Source: History of LaHarpe United Methodist Church |
