This year marks the 175th anniversary of the Morenci United Mehodist Church. A celebration will take place at the church, 111 E. Main on June 25 and 26 including an ice cream social, special services and historical displays.
The church began in 1836 as the Bean Creek Mission, where congregants met in a log schoolhouse two miles north of Morenci on the property of Simon Wilson. Although church members met weekly for “class meetings”, preaching services were only held every few weeks because the circuit rider was only able to come that often.In 1843 a log parsonage was built on Simon Wilson’s farm. Later on the old log schoolhouse was replaced by a frame one. In 1846 a new school house was built just north of Morenci. Since this building was closer to town the church moved its services to this octagon-shaped edifice.
After this relocation, a frame house was purchased nearby to serve as a parsonage, first occupied by the Rev. Robert Dubois in 1847. It is believed to have been located on M-156, just north of the old cemetery.
In the 1850’s baptisms took place in Silver Creek and the church began meeting in another schoolhouse in Morenci at the corner of what is now the corner of North and Congress Streets. In mid-summer 1850 the first Union Sunday School was organized in Morenci.
This was inter-denominational in nature as Dr. Joseph Rogers, a Methodist was the superintendent, and Ichabod Haarwood, a Presbyterian, was his assistant. There were 39 students who attended that year.
In 1851 the church obtained the lot where the current church now stands from Frank Cawley. A 36-foot-by-50-foot wood frame church was completed in May of the next year.
By 1853 the church had grown sufficiently strong to be placed at the head of the newly formed Morenci circuit that included Morenci, Medina, Dover, Fairfield, and Seneca Townships.
A bell for the steeple was purchased in Troy, New York at 30 cents a pound (960 pounds) plus $18.00 for the yoke for a total of $306.00.
Even though the original warranty expired in 1854, the bell still calls worshipers to services each Sunday morning.
In 1856 the Detroit Conference was created and William Donnelly became the first preacher to reside here year round bring an end to the era of the circuit rider.
In 1857, the parsonage was on the corner where the congregational church now stands. In 1868 the Congregational church purchased the property for their church. To replace this parsonage, property was purchased from Davis Saulsbury across the street from the church where a parsonage was built and used until 1902 when the present brick parsonage was built to the East of the church.
The wood church withstood two fires and many updates, but in 1910 the decision was made to replace the wood church because of overcrowding. In 1913 a temporary structure called the tabernacle was built on the South side of Locust Street just east of North Street. It was completed in one day.
The current structure was completed in 1914 at a cost of $20,000. The pipe organ was purchased in 1915 and used until 1974 when it was replaced with an electronic organ.
During these years the church was officially the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Morenci, but in 1968 the Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church merged and the United Methodist Church was born.
Sixty-four different pastors have served the church during its 175 years. Some stayed only months, and some years.
One pastor was blind, one played the marimba, the son of one fell out of the upstairs parsonage window and broke his arm, and one helped start the Morenci Sportsman Club, which first met at the church.
Many people have added to the rich heritage passed down to the present congregation and some of the names of the those early members still sound familiar: such as Wilson, Atwood, Wakefield, Osgood, Holt, Shapley, Reed, Cawley, Baldwin, Barker, Ranger, Salisbury, Coomer, and Smalley.
For more information on the celebration or history of the church contact Pastor, the Rev. Donna Galloway at 458-6923, or 458-6687.
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