By the early 1850s, the Pleasant
Hill community was thriving. The area had a post office, hotel, a
school for girls, the Pierce-Payne Methodist College for Boys, and a Methodist
church. During the Civil War, soldiers passed through the town to
and from the Battle of Mansfield in April 1864. The boys college
was used as a hospital for the Union soldiers, while the Pleasant Hill
Methodist Church was used as a hospital for the Confederate soldiers.
The Boys College, which was formed in 1858 to complement the Mansfield
Female College, was never completed because of the war.
When the railroad was constructed
four miles from Pleasant Hill in 1881, the town moved to the new location.
The former location was known as Old Town, while the new location was called
Sodus. The Methodist church was put on logs and pulled by oxen to
the new town. In 1922, the name of the new location switched from
Sodus to Pleasant Hill.
Classrooms were later added
to the rear of the church. Most of the church, including the bell,
consists of the original materials. The steeple was donated by the
Dykes family. |
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