Methodist Church - 109 N. Main

The present building at 511 North School Street was opened in 1955 up until that time the church was on the southwest corner of Washington and Main street at 109 N. Main. Methodist history to 1955

The first minister assigned to Culver was Rev. Carson in 1852.

It is said that there is evidence of purchase of land for a parsonage was in 1856.

In 1862 it is said that Moses Wood was pastor for Marmont

The Marmont Congregation is heard of as active in the year 1863, but may have had its inception at an earlier time.

In 1867, the people of the Marmont community were mostly Methodists and Baptists, worshiping alternately in the old school house.

A movement was started in the winter of 1867-8 to erect an M. E. church. Religious services were held, at more or less reg ular intervals, in the school house, and there was a Methodist organization and a resident pastor - Rev. B. H. Beall

The first church building was built in 1868. It was a wooden frame structure located in the village of Marmont on the southwest Corner of Main and Washington Streets. The lot on which the building was erected was purchased for $50.

Among these is Ezra Hibray of Maxinkuckee, who recalled in 1934/5: "that the church at Marmont was originally of frame construction, and was painted white. "The lumber for the church," he adds, "was bought right down in the hollow here, at Maxinkuckee, and was rafted across the lake." That lumber was milled at Fizzletown, or what is now called Maxinkuckee. There used to be two saw-mills here."

In the furnishing of material, one tree, a large poplar, furnished by Edward Medbourn ("Uncle Teddy," as he was called) supplied all of the necessary siding. It was a large tree, purchased by Bro. Medbourn of Jeremiah Mosher for $30, and the trunk was cut into sawlogs. It was converted into lumber at Berlin's sawmill, northeast of the lake. The snow was so deep that winter that falling in the tree was buried in the snow. The siding for this building was cut from this single poplar tree in Maxinkuckee and rafted across the lake. It is a tradition in the Medbourn family that the siding of the original Methodist Church edifice in Marmont was all made out of one poplar tree, which came from the Thomas Medbourn property.

Other members of the building project were: John Buswell, William Dinsmore, James Duddleson, Oliver Porter, Thomas Redden, James Houghton and Lorenzo Wizeman. Lorenzo WIseman built the church pews.

So it was that the Methodist services were first held in the school house in the Marmont community. Then, for many years the wooden church structure served the congregation faithfully and well as a meeting house

Early leaders of this church body were Dr. Lorenzo Wiseman and song leader John Buswell.

In 1886 it is said that J. W. Loder was pastor at Marmont

1888 - Oct 4 - Rev. Mr. Myers, of Marmont, will preach tonight. He is pastor of the Evangelical Church on the Marmont circuit. We bespeak for him a large audience. aThere will be services Sunday morning and evening. Morning subject "The Character of Christ" Evening, "What Christianity has done for the World". - Argos Reflector

Culver Methodism grew until the original structure was inadequate for the congregation's needs.

1893 - Ayg 20 - A letter from Rev. A. M. Hagenbrook, formerly pastor of the M. E. church here, but now at Marmont, Ind., says the have had a seige of scarlet fever in their family, but have nearly recovered. - Angola Heral (Indiana)

In 1898 the church membership rolls stood at 61.

Finally, the need of a more commodious and pretentious edifice was felt, and, accordingly, the present brick building of the Methodist Episcopal denomination was erected in the year 1898, at a cost of five thousand dollars, on the original church site at the southwest corner of Main and Washington Streets.

A remodeled and enlarged edifice was dedicated in 1899. The church was turned on its base. A basement and additions on both the east and the west side were added. The entire works received a brick veneer and a clock/bell tower was added. Rev. Fraley was pastor of the church during this period.

Names of the community added to the membership were: Benedict, Bigley, Crumley, Ferrier, Flagg, Henderson, Lendley, Keen, McLane, Norris, Osborn, Overmyer, Schilling, Speyer, and Warner

1903 - Nov. 12 - Eli Spencer put a new cement walk in front of the Methodist church this week...

By 1904 this number had climbed to near 100.

In 1905 the church was composed of about one hundred members and had a flourishing Sunday School, with an average attendance of seventy-five pupils. The Epworth League and the Junior League had about forty members apiece. The Ladies' Aid Society, "fund raisers" for the church, then was headed by Mrs. CALLIE MEDBOURN as president. Mrs. O. A. REA, wife of the doctor, was secretary, and Mrs. WILLIAM PORTER, treasurer. Rev. WAYNE NICELY, a recent appointee of the Northwest Indiana Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and a graduate of DePauw University, was the pastor (1905-1907). Reverend NICELY had succeeded Rev. GEORGE RANSOM STREETER as resident pastor. Reverend STREETER went to Wheeler. Ind., in 1905. FRANK C. BAKER was superintendent of the Sunday School and president of the Epworth League.

1907 - Apr 25 - The improvments scheduled for the Methodist church include the painting of the outside of the building.

1909 - Oct 14 - Church Improvements - Work on the remodeling of the Methodist church basement will be under taken at once. The plan is to convert the basement into a suite comprising a recption roon, dining room and kitchen. The floors will be concreted, the walls plastered and the ceilings covered with pressed steel. The work will be done under the auspices of the Ladies' Aid society.

The Culver Citizen issue of 11 Nov. 1909 proclaimed - That the relic of prehistoric times, the wooden sidewalk along the north side of the Methodist church, was yanked out and a cement walk is taking its place.

1911 - Feb 9 - New Lighting Plant - The Methodist church has given a contract to A. M. ROberts to install an acetelyne gas plant of 26 lights - 16 upstairs and 10 below. The present gasoline plant is worn out. The improvement will cost $255.



Note the original placing of the stairs almost in front of the church verses the photos below that by 1912 or soon after this phot was taken the steps were at an angle from the church to come down to the corner of Main and Washington. One can see a building in back of the church also where the library parking lot is today and to the left is a building or building. Below is a 1912 era post card showing the changes in stairway structure. could this be a picture of the re-construction period for this stairway?

Classes received charters. The first of these was the Wide Awake class taught by Mrs. Osborn; other classes of men and women followed. The charter for the first Men's Class was granted in 1914.

Closely affiliated with the Methodist Church in Marmont, and later in Culver , were JOHN and BETSY MATTHEW, and no history of the church would be complete without mention of this attachment. JOHN MATTHEW, a native of England, who died in Culver, January 15, 1916, settled in Marmont around 1886. The family's first residence was in the old Methodist parsonage. The entire MATTHEW family became members of the M. E. Church when the original frame building stood on the present location. Mr. MATTHEW and his wife were for many years known as Uncle John and Aunt Betsy. They took a great nterest in the church and were ever intimately associated with its affairs and progress. JOHN MATTHEW died in 1916, Betsy in 1926, just ten years later, and they were buried side by side in the Culver Cemetery.

1918 June 26 - Has Golden Jubilee

Methodist Congregation Fitting Observe Fiftieth Anniversary of church's Organization

Sunday was a great day for Culver Methodism. It celebrated a twofold achievement-the anniversary of a 50 year existence as an organized local church and the raising of a fund of $1,200 for the liquidation of the old $560 church debt and the installation of a new furnace and leaving a surplus of $150 or more for future needs. The money was secured from the members of the church and congregation.

The Sunday program started off with a fine presentation of a Children's day cantata by the Sunday school. This was followed by a sermon by Dr. H. L. Davis of the First M. E. church of South Bend. Dr. Davis spoke to a full house on the theme of the church's mission and accomplishments, particularly in its relation to the war. He regards the church as the greatest agency in the winning of the war and In the establishment of a permanent peace. While he believes in peace and in the principle of arbitration for the settlement of International differences he is no pacifist, and he bluntly declared that a "damnable country that says you can only sail upon such waters as we dictate and use only such ships as we approve should be sent back into the hell from which it sprang".

At the close of the service the congregation was conveyed in automobiles to Thayer's grove at the south end of the lake where a great picnic dinner was served on two long tables. It is estimated that between 250 and 300 were present. An interesting program filled in the remainder of the afternoon. Addresses were made by Revs. H. L. Davis of Leiters Ford, and Clouse of Culver. Mrs. Slonaker recited several selections.

The most important feature of the afternoon was assigned to Dr. Wiseman who read a careful and intelligently prepared paper on the history of the Culver church. We append this paper and suggest that it be filed away by every reader of the Citizen:

Dr. Wiseman's Address.

Letters were received from Revs. Fraley and Nicely, conveying good wishes.

At the Children's day service a collection of $17.84 was taken for the educational fund -- a most beneficent branch of church work which enables young men and young women to borrow $500 without interest for the purpose of paying college tuition, the indebtedness to be liquidated within five years after graduation.

1935 - Jun 6 - Rev. Pengilly Returns to Culver for Third Year

Rev Richard Pengilly has been assigned the Culver charge, which includes Popular Grove, of the Methodist Epscopal church, according to the announcement made Sunday afternoon at the annual conference held at Battle Ground.

This will be Rev. Pengilly's third year in serving the local pastorate.

1939 - Aug 16 - Clock Faces On Metodist Church, Old Landmarks are Removed

The faded clock faces on the Methodist church tower are gone, and their passing will recall to many the days when they attempted to give the time of day to the town.

Maybe there was a time when the four clocks were accurate, by many a reference is made in the Citizen of 30 years ago of the clocks either being behind time or stopped entirely. They seemed to have the inspiration for many a jibe in those days.

For over two decades the clock mechanism has been removed and only the dim faces reminded passersby of those bygone days. To put it midly, they have not been a thing of beuty and joy forever.

Now modern incention has caught up with three of the faces and they have been removed to allow the installation of four louds speakers, which are connected with the church chimes.

The installation made two months ago has been changed to give better coverage and an automatic unit has been installed that plays eight numbers without human attention. The chimes are now being played at noona as well as in the evening.

A speaker has been placed in the church auditorium so that the unit can be used in connection with the services, making it the most complete outfit of its kind in the midwest.

The chime library has been increased among the new numbers being "Maxinkuckee Moon" by Herbert Keller and Paul Fogerty, the academy song, and the state song "On the Banks of the Wabash".nter>

1949 - Best guess, by what was writtem on the back : Culver was organized in 1844 as Uniontown. In 1851 renamed Marmont. In 1896 renamed Culver City in honor of Henry Harrison Culver, founder of Culver Military Academy. In 1949 the town officially Culver. The present Methodist Church was organized by Rev. W. R. Nickels, year, 1863 A frame building was constructed 1868. The siding of which was made of one native poplar tree. Size of the building 36 by 48 ft with 18 ft, ceiling, cost $Rev. B. H. Beall pastor Earliest families of the church were: Porter, Redden, Medbourn, James and Albert Duddleson, Buswell, Wiseman, Matthew, Houghton and Morris This "Keepsake plate", a project, Daughters Ruth S. S. Class organized 1944. World Wide Art Studios - Covington, Tenn, - - Stamp reads: eggshell Thama Homer Laughling Made in U.S.A.

In outward appearance, the present church has changed but slightly since its erection (1934/5). The faces of the clock in the tower are gone now. They were there, doing duty at the beginning of the century. Today only the blank spaces they used to occupy mutely bear witness to the former existence of the big timepiece, the "old town clock." Also, in those days, surmounting the tower was a weathervane supported by an ornamental device of wrought iron. At the street corner stood an old fashioned lamp-post.

1956 - Jun 20 - Steeple Comes Down with a Bang - Shown here is the steeple of the old Methodist Church as it was being pulled down last Wedensday after noon by Don STubbs with his tractor and with the aid of the Culver FIre truck. The church was built in 1869 and later remodeled in 1899. Work was begun Tuesday, June 12, in tearing the building down to make way for a new Northern Indiana Service Office.

Wesley Methodist Church - The new building was built at 511 School Street and was opened in 1955 under the leadership of Rev. Kendall Sands. The membership at this time stood at over 600.