Payette County ID Archives Church Records.....The History of the Methodist Episcopal Church Copyright Date 1930 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/id/idfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Patty Theurer seymour784@yahoo.com November 28, 2005, 11:46 pm History of the Methodist Episcopal Church Payette, Idaho Emily K. Thurston (Mrs. R. V.) Dec. 9, 1930 The history of Methodism in this vicinity begins a number of years before the founding of the town of Payette. According to Mr. John Applegate, whose parents were among the early pioneers, the first sermon ever preached in the Payette Valley was in the year 1871. Reverend Newton, a Southern Methodist who happened to be traveling through the country, was met by Mr. A. J. McFarland and invited to preach in his store building on the Payette River near Big Willow creek. Mr. Applegate well remembers the thrilling eagerness with which he, as a boy, set out for this meeting. It was the first “preaching’ he had had an opportunity to attend. Mr. McFarland, a very fine man and a staunch Methodist, was a leading spirit in all of the religious activities of that day. When the little Applegate school house was built on the Pence ranch at the mouth of Big Willow creek in the spring of 1873, he became the first teacher and also organized and led the first Sunday School. Mr. McFarland is still living at the home of his daughter on the same land he took up so many years ago. He is over ninety years old and quite feeble. Both Baptists and Methodists held church services in the school house whenever a preacher came to them. Rev. Gwinn, a Presiding Elder, organized the Methodist church with twelve or fifteen charter members. Among these charter members were Mr. and Mrs. S. W. King, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Pence, a Mr. Reed, Mr. A. J. McFarland, and Mr. W. C. Johnson. Later the membership increased to about fifty members. The first local preacher to serve the new church was Rev. Mr. Allender who was stationed there in 1874. According to the reports of all who remember those days, he was an outstanding character, and did more to hold together the struggling little church than any one else. Though not a young man, no distance or hardship was too great to keep him from visiting any one who was sick or in need and he seems to have won the love and respect of all with whom he came in contact. After Mr. Allender the church was again without a local preacher for several years, but was visited at intervals by the Presiding Elders, Rev. Jimmerson, and Rev. G. W. Grannis. In September 1883, Rev. E. Hopkins was sent to them. Through the courtesy of Mr. Will Wells, editor of the Payette Enterprise, I have secured a copy of the most interesting letter written to that paper in 1922 by Rev. Hopkins telling of his arrival and work as pastor of the Payette Circuit. The Applegate school house was the scene of a number of well attended protracted meetings, some conducted by Methodists, some by the Baptists. On at least one occasion, I am told, a series of meetings was held jointly. Both preachers were in the pulpit, and after the sermons the Methodist converts went up one side of the church and to take their pastor’s hand and the Baptist converts went up the other side to their pastor. This speaks well for the denominational cooperation of that day! It was not at all unusual for wagon loads of people to come from Emmett, Weiser and even more distant points, to attend the meetings. Mr. N. A. Jacobsen of Payette, who was a member of the Methodist congregation, tells of seeing Mr. Hannaday, who operated the Washoe ferry, bring a hayrack load of people to church and from each stake of the rack a large salmon was dangling. These fish, which were very plentiful in the Snake River at that time, were taken along to give to folks who were not so close to the source of supply. With the coming of the rail road the town of Payette was started about ten miles down the river and in 1885 the church was moved to the new town. A frame building was erected on what is now South Nineth Street, on a lot adjoining the present parsonage. Although the Baptists and occasionally the Episcopalians had been holding services in the Payette school house for some time, this was the first church building erected in the town. Practically all of the pioneer residents, whether Methodists or not, subscribed liberally to the building fund, and the women helped by giving dinners and oyster suppers. Mrs. A. B. Moss, an Episcopalian, tells of spending several days with Mrs. Peter Pence driving a team to all of the outlying farms asking donations for a big Thanksgiving turkey dinner which the ladies served in the newly completed church. Mrs. Moss states that the farmers were all very liberal and that their dinner was a big success. The following is copied from a newspaper clipping which was published at that time: Dedication of M. E. Church. Payette, Dec. 13, 1885. Our pastor, Rev. E. Hays taking the lead, was assisted by Rev. Eads, Rev. Crow and Rev. J. D. Flenner, pastor of the M. E. Church of Boise City, all of whom did their parts well and cheerfully, finishing the services about two o’clock. Then came an interesting part of the ceremony. Mr. Al Wilson and Miss Mary Applegate were united in wedlock by Rev. E. Hays. This white frame building with its rows of chairs for pews served the need of the congregation until 1904 when the cornerstone of the present substantial brick church was laid at the corner of 9th Street and 1st Avenue South. This church is most fortunate in possessing unusually beautiful stained glass windows which were first brought to this section of the country. All through the years they have been a joy and inspiration to the members and often have been greatly admired by visitors from large cities. One of the two large windows was given by Mr. and Mrs. R. D. Stegner, the other by Drs. J. C. and I. R. Woodward as a memorial to their mother, Mrs. Jennie Woodward. Of the smaller windows one was given by the Sunday School, one by Miss Carlton’s class and one by the Ladies Aid Society of Pleasant View which is now the village of Fruitland. The original plan called for a tower twenty feet higher than the one built, so that the bell, ringing out above the treetops, could be heard on the Fruitland Bench. The change was made reluctantly when the committee became convinced that a safe tower of that height could not be built without excessive cost. In 1908 Wesley Chapel was added to the building and in 1921 a full basement was excavated and finished, providing extra rooms for Sunday School and social purposes. Further improvements in the basement have been made from time to time. Sunday School room is still at a premium and the church hopes to build another addition in the not too distant future. The original parsonage, built a few years after the old church was finished, was moved to the lot adjoining the new building. Although a rather poor structure it continued to serve as the home of the pastors until 1922, when a fine little brick parsonage came to the church thru the bequest of Mr. Peter Pence. The old house was then sold and moved from the church lot. From the earliest days the Ladies Aid Society has been very active, helping the church in so many ways in would be impossible to mention them all. Whenever buildings or other improvements were needed the ladies assumed the responsibility of raising large sums of money and they deserved a great deal of credit when a $3600 mortgage was burned in1918 during the pastorate of Rev. H. K. Wallis, and also in 1924 during the pastorate of Rev. V. E. Hall when the debt incurred for excavating the basement was paid in full. The Woman’s Missionary Society, organized in 1910, has been very faithful. The organized activities of the young people are the Queen Esther Society and the Epworth League. When the local Presbyterian church disbanded in 1923 many of its members united with this church and are now numbered among its most active workers. The annual report for the Conference year ending in August, 1930, shows a membership of 279 and a Sunday School enrollment of 284. Following is a list of pastors who have served the church since it was moved to Payette: E. Hayes 1885 S. E. Crowe 1886-7 R. M. Gwinn 1888 J. H. Adams 1889 J. S. Anderson 1890 T. F. Alexander 1891 W. T. Robinson 1892 No appointment 1893 Geo. W. Kennedy 1894 W. M. Crowther 1895 M. L. Stewart 1896 William Hall & C. W. Huett 1897 J. R. Yost 1898 H. D. Wadsworth 1899 F. J. Bradley 1900 J. D. Bird 1901-2 Herbert Jones 1903-4 C. E. McCord 1905-6 G. G. Haley 1907-9 A. L. Howarth 1910-13 G. W. Barnes 1914-16 Hall K. Wallis 1917-19 C. L. Walker 1920-21 V. E. Hall 1922-27 A. B. Parrett 1928 to date Additional Comments: This information was provided by the Payette County Historical Society. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/id/payette/churches/thehisto8gbb.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/idfiles/ File size: 9.4 Kb