The congregation of the Evansville United Methodist Church can trace its beginnings to 1839 with the arrival of the first settlers in Union township.  The first arrivals included three Methodist ministers.  Stephen Jones, Boyd Phelps, and John Griffith, had all served as preachers to Methodist congregations in Indiana.

Boyd Phelps had been a circuit preacher in 1837 in La Porte, Indiana and had helped organize the first Methodist congregation in that city.  Circuit riding preachers traveled from settlement to settlement in their territory, spending the night with a family.  The preachers brought news from other parts of the territory and ministered to the people in remote areas.

Hiram Griffith, Jacob West, John Rhinehart, John Baker, Willis Hazeltine, John Sale and Ira Jones were others who settled in the area and were members of the first church to be organized.  Methodists in Rock County were assigned to the Rock River Conference of the Methodist Church.  This conference was organized in August 1840 and included parts of Illinois.

According to the history of the early church, Methodism in Eastern Wisconsin, 1832-1850, "Methodism made a bold approach to Evansville in 1839 when Stephen Jones and Boyd Phelps, local preachers, entered town.  Then came another local preacher, John Griffith, and seven other Methodist families."

In the spring of 1840, the small congregation sent a letter to Rev. Samuel Pillsbury, who was head of the Monroe Circuit of the Methodist Church.  He arrived in the community in early August and went to the home of Hiram Griffith where he organized a class of twenty-eight members.

The organization included Boyd and Clarissa Phelps, Stephen and Isabell Jones, John and Balinda Griffith, Jacob and Margaret West, John and Jemima Baker, Ira and Sarah Jones, Amy Jones, Samuel and Sarah Lewis, Charles and Marion McMillan, Jane Brown, Erastus and Sally Quivey, Hiram and Sally Griffith, David and Keziah Johnson, John and Deborah Rhinehart and John and Jane Sale.

Rev. Boyd Phelps was asked to preach the first sermon at the Griffith home.  Until they could building a church or find some suitable public building, the small congregation held services in the home of a member of the congregation.

In the fall of 1840, the first quarterly meeting of the new church group was held at the home of Jacob West.  He also served as class leader.  Rev Henry Reed was the presiding elder at the meeting.

According to a member of the congregation "while Mr. Reed was preaching, a woodpecker lit on one of the weight poles of the log house and commenced playing a regular tattoo for worms, while the good brother was vigorously plying the gospel hammer for a similar purpose on the heads of the congregation inside".   The woodpecker's antics annoyed John Griffith and when he could stand it no longer, he went outside, found a stick and threw it at the bird, frightening it away.

At the quarterly meeting in 1840, Rev. James Ash, a Monroe resident, was named to serve as the circuit-riding preacher to the small Union congregation.  James Ash was one of the first members of the Methodist church in the Wisconsin territory to be licensed as an "exhorter" and a traveling minister.  Rev. Ash came to Evansville area every two weeks and preached to those who gathered for a service.  Ash stayed with local families each time he made a trip to the area.

Over the next few years, the number of people under the leadership of the Rock Valley Conference in Southern Wisconsin grew.  The Conference was divided into circuits and new circuits were formed nearly every year.

The Union township congregation changed circuits several times.  At the Rock River conference in the fall of 1842, the congregation was taken out of the Monroe Circuit and placed in the Madison Circuit.   Rev. Stephen P. Keys was appointed the pastor for the group.

Rev. Keys was new to Wisconsin and when he arrived in the area and tried to find his church, he got lost.  After traveling some distance and not finding a church building, Keys decided to return to Madison.  On his way north, he stopped at the home of Samuel Lewis, a hotelkeeper in Union.  At the Lewis home, Keys discovered that he had indeed found the location of his new congregation.

In the fall of 1842, the families in "The Grove" built a schoolhouse.  Nearly all of the men in the area helped with the construction of the log school building.  Since building the school was a community effort, the school board allowed the building to be used for a variety of purposes.

The Methodists were the first congregation to use the building.  Rev. Keys helped to build the new school and preached the first sermon in the new school.  For the next four years, this simple log building served as the schoolhouse, church, and town hall.

At the next meeting of the Rock River Conference in the fall of 1843, the Methodists in Union township were assigned to the Janesville circuit.  This new circuit included Janesville, Mount Zion, Union and Brooklyn.

At the Conference gathering each fall ministers were reassigned.  Seldom did one minister stay with a congregation for more than two years and in 1843 Keys was sent to another location.  A Rev. Ferris was sent to the Union circuit.  He remained only a short time and Boyd Phelps, Stephen Jones, and John Griffith acted as interim ministers until a new one was appointed.  From 1844 to 1845, Rev. Lyman Cattin served as minister.

At the quarterly meeting of the Union Circuit, in the fall of 1845, local Methodists began to discuss building a church.  Ira Jones, Hiram Griffith and Thomas Robinson were assigned to the building committee.  By the time the new church was under construction, Rev. Asa Wood was the minister of the congregation.

The first church building was constructed during the winter of 1846 and spring of 1847.  It was located on East Main Street on the site that today is the Ace Hardware store.  Two written descriptions of the church tell of its characteristics, one in the August 1, 1866 Evansville Citizen by Flora West, daughter of Rev. O. M. Comfort, and another by her husband, James R. West, in the October 7, 1909 Evansville Review.

According to James West, son of Jacob West, the front of the church was set back from the street twelve to fifteen feet.  The "Meeting House" as the members called it was built from timber cut from the grove of oak trees in the area.

The hand-hewn logs were sawed at the Griffith sawmill on Allen's Creek south of Evansville and then brought to the grounds.  "Almost every man in those days could wield a chopping or broad axe to good purpose," according to James West.

Workmen then framed the 30 x 45 feet building.  The floor was raised above the ground about three feet and a 7 to 8 foot platform extended across the entire front.  There were two doors in the front, one for men and one for women.  Floor joists were made from small logs six to twelve inches in diameter, workmen hewed straight on one side.

The ceiling was about fourteen feet above the floor, and four large posts served as roof supports.  The inside walls and ceiling of the building were lathed with oak boards split with a hatchet and then the walls were plastered.

There were plain glass windows on two sides of the church, but none in the front or back.  White curtains covered the windows.  Homemade tallow candles lit the church during evening services.
 
Flora West described the seats in the church as "straight backed" and "lead colored."   To heat the building a large stove was placed near one of the front doors.   Across the south end of the interior of the church was a three-foot-high platform.  The black walnut pulpit, which was about eight foot long and several feet in height, stood on this platform.

Some of the ministers were so short that only their shoulders and head could be seen above the pulpit.  According to James West, "it was certainly a strong fort if a minister had the spirit to fight Satan and his forces."

Girls and boys were not allowed to sit in the same area.  Girls were seated in the northwest corner of the building and boys in the northeast corner.  "Many were the sly glances and smiles exchanged even during the service causing sad deficiencies in remembering the text or discourse," Flora West recalled in the 1866 Evansville Citizen article.

Evansville's first church building was dedicated in June 1847 by Rev. Henry Summers, the Presiding Elder of the Conference.  According to Flora West, the settlers considered the new church "almost grand, compared to the log cabins in the vicinity and the log schoolhouse across the road."  The building served the congregation for nearly twenty years and was the scene of many marriages, funerals and baptisms.   Evansville's first cemetery was just south of the church building.
 
In the summer of 1847, the Methodists held a camp meeting on a farm west of "The Grove".  Two rows of tents were set up and families stayed on the grounds for the ten-day camp meeting.  An altar was built at one end of the site and seats were placed in the center of the grounds.  For warmth and light during the evening services, fires were built at each corner of the campsite.  The wood fires were placed on platforms made of dirt and turf.

In the fall of 1847, the Union circuit was assigned to the Racine District and Rev. Charles McClure was sent to serve as the minister.  Rev. Hiram Hersey was sent as an assistant to McClure the following year.
 
The Methodist Church added new members each year both locally and in the state.  The first Wisconsin Conference separated from the Illinois Conference in 1848.  According to Wisconsin Methodist history, the first Conference included the "territory embraced in the state of Wisconsin, with the addition of so much of Hazel Green and Monroe circuits, as lie within the state of Illinois."

Union circuit delegates to the 1848 Convention reported that the Union circuit had 200 members "in full connection" and 37 members "on trial".  It was the second largest circuit in the district, larger than Janesville or Racine.

Rev. James M. Walker was assigned to the Union Circuit in 1849 and Rev. James Lawson served as his assistant.  Walker stayed until 1850 when he was needed to fill a vacancy in a Beloit church.  Rev. J. C. Dana became the new pastor and local congregation members, Boyd Phelps and John Griffith, served as his assistants.

It was a rare occasion that ministers stayed more than a year or two at a church.  The Wisconsin Conference moved their ministers often.  In the Union circuit, the next five pastors stayed less than two years each.

In the fall of 1851,Rev. A. P. Allen came to serve the Union circuit and stayed for one year.  In 1852, Rev. George Fellows was granted a license to preach and served as assistant to Allen.

At the conference in the fall of 1852, Daniel Stansbury was assigned to the church.  The following year, Union was once again assigned to the Madison district.  Stansbury’s pastorate ended in 1854 and James Butler was assigned to Evansville. E. P. Beecher replaced Butler in 1855.

In 1855, the Union circuit was divided and the "Grove" Church was renamed, the Evansville station, with Porter, Union and Brooklyn included in the circuit.  That same year, Evansville was officially platted as a village and the Methodist Church trustees, W. W. McLaughlin, Jacob West, Thomas Robinson and John T. Baker, registered the church property, as 3 lots on the southwest corner of Main and Third streets, in Block 5.  This was the site of the Methodist parsonage.  The church trustees also reported that the Methodists owned 5 lots in Block 9, where the church was located.

In the fall of 1856, Elijah Robinson was assigned to the Evansville church.  For two years, during Robinson's administration, the church was also used for the first Evansville Seminary classes, while the new school building was being erected.

Many of the people in the local congregation, as well as the Wisconsin Conference of the Methodist Church, supported building the school.   A former minister, Asa Wood, returned to Evansville and conducted meetings to determine where the building should be built and how it would be supported.  The Seminary remained under the control of the Wisconsin Conference until the 1870s.

As Evansville's population increased, new congregations were formed.  In 1854, the Free Will Baptists built a church in the Grove.  In 1846, a minister was sent from the American Home Missionary Society to organize a Congregational Church.  The Methodist Church was the location for the services of the Congregational Church for a few months in 1857 during the time the Congregational brick church was under construction.

The Methodist congregation faced many social and political challenges in the next few years.  Social issues considered by the church included temperance and slavery.  These and other moral issues were discussed at Conference each year.

At one meeting the board of bishops presented their "Communication on the Subject of Sinful Amusements".  The paper was so well receive by those attending the conference that a collection was taken to publish and distribute it.  The communication advised that dancing parties, theatrical and circus performances and comical exhibitions were all frowned on by the church elders.   Ministers were advised to take steps to reform or exclude offenders.

In 1854 the Madison District issued a statement of opposition to slavery and asked for the repeal of the Missouri Compromise.  The Methodists also opposed the fugitive slave law and asked that missions be established in the states where slavery was allowed.

On temperance issues, the Methodist Church elders declared at their annual conference that they supported the organizations and societies "which have for their primary and sole object the promotion of temperance."  Ministers were asked to pass on the rules on temperance to the congregations and "to enforce a strict observance of it by all our members."

The practice of moving ministers from one location to another every one or two years continued.  Following Elijah Robinson was Rev. D. O. Jones in 1858, then J. I. Foote in 1859 and James R. Cooper, in 1860.

In 1860, the United States Census recorded two Methodist Churches in Union township, one in the village of Union and the other in the village of Evansville.  There was also a Baptist Church, a Free Will Baptist Church and a Congregational Church organization.
 
In the fall of 1860, Rev. Hezekiah C. Tilton was sent to serve the Evansville Methodist Church.  During his term, the Civil War erupted and Tilton volunteered as an army chaplain for Wisconsin 13th Regiment.  Many of the men from Evansville served with this Regiment.

After Tilton entered the army in the fall of 1861, Rev. R. P. Lawton served as minister and was followed by George Chester in 1862.  Rev. George DeLaMatyr was assigned to the Evansville church in 1864.  DeLaMatyr remained at the church during its move from Main Street to Madison Street.
 
Plans for a new church building began to develop in 1866.  The site of the church was needed for commercial buildings as Evansville's business district expanded.  The congregation had also grown and the church building was too small.  The trustees decided to sell the property and seek a new location.

In the June 13, 1866 issue of the Evansville Citizen, editor Isaac Hoxie, announced to his readers that the Trustees of the Methodist church had sold their old meeting house and were planning to build "a more commodious house fronting on Madison street, 40 by 60, of brick".

The Evansville Citizen wrote the eulogy for the old church.   "The Old Methodist Church that was erected nearly twenty years ago, as the boasted pride, and quite an ornament to the village & almost the first church edifice erected in the Territory of Wisconsin, west of the Rock River, has now grown into rather insignificance by the more elegant buildings around it."

In July, Rev. DeLaMatyr went to Oshkosh to purchase materials for the new Church.  The Citizen announced that the final services were to be held in the old church on Sunday, July 8, 1866.

The Methodist property on East Main Street was sold to Nels Swager in 1866.  Swager moved the building slightly to the west and closer to East Main Street so that it was in line with the other business buildings on the block.

The Swager's new store and hall received a face-lift and an addition so that it barely resembled the old church.  An addition of fifteen feet was built on the front of the building and a second story was added for a public hall.   The second story was known as Swager's Hall.  The churches often used the hall for Christmas programs and other fund raising events.

The village of Union also had a Methodist Church.  In the fall of 1866, the Union Methodist church was dismantled and moved to Brooklyn.
 
Construction of the new Evansville church on South Madison Street began in July 1866 with the excavation of the basement.   By October, the brick work was well under way.  The white brick purchased for the building was known as "Fulton brick".

Moses Vervalin was the mason hired to lay the brick veneer for the building.  Only one other workman on the building is known and his name was reported because an accident at the building site.

Erastus Enos was helping to build the roof of the church when he fell to the first floor.  Several of the wood pieces of the roof framing fell on top of him, breaking his wrist.  His other injuries were not serious, but the mishap did give him recognition as one of the construction crew.

Cold weather prevented the brickwork on the exterior from being completed.  However, because the building was enclosed, the congregation was able to move into the church.

From January to March 1867, the Methodists held a revival in their new church.  Every evening the pews were filled and on Sunday the building was "jammed" according to Isaac Hoxie's newspaper, the Citizen.  During the revival, twelve people were converted and the new Methodists were baptized at the next quarterly meeting.

The church could not fund activities and building programs without raising money from its members and other members of the community.  Fundraisers were necessary if the new church was to be completed and furnished.  There were also the ongoing expenses of maintaining the church building and providing an income for the minister.

In March, the Methodist trustees announced that an oyster dinner was to be held.  Supper was 50 cents and a plate of oysters cost 35 cents.  The donation party, as the dinner was called, was held in the new church.  The Evansville Citizen reporter attended the dinner and gave this notice: "Tables were spread in the unfinished audience room and well supplied with everything the most fastidious could desire."

As yet another means of meeting the church expenses, the pews were rented.  Jacob West, Lloyd T. Pullen and John Dawson served as the pew renting committee.  A seating plan for the new church was available for viewing at Pullen's store and a special day was set aside for the people to sign up for the area of the church they found most desirable.

The women of the church donated their time and talents to raise money.  In the winter months of 1867, the Methodist ladies' Sewing Society met every Friday afternoon at the church and began making articles to sell at a fair.  "The ladies of that society are untiring in their efforts to place the conditions of their church in the foreground of spiritual and temporal success," the local newspaper noted.

The Ladies Fair and Festival was held on June 14, 1867.  The women served a strawberry dessert and sold bazaar items made at their Friday meetings.  The proceeds were used to purchase furniture and other items for the new church.

In addition to the fund raisers there were many donations to the building fund from members of the congregation and the community.  The gifts ranged from $1 to $200 and these relatively small amounts were enough to raise the more than $6,000 needed for the building and furnishings.

In May 1867, with the funding in hand and the weather stabilized, masons were once again at work laying the brick on the exterior of the church.  The chief of the mason crew was Moses Vervalin and the church was the last building he built in Evansville.  Shortly after the church was completed, he moved to Marysville, Missouri.

The church seemed very impressive compared to the old frame building.  The main floor was a large auditorium with a choir loft at the east end of the church.  The pulpit was at the west end of the church, with the seats facing to the west.  The audience turned to face the choir and organist whenever hymns were sung.

There were two classrooms, one on either side of the entrance and the basement lecture room was 28 x 40 feet.  The belfry tower with its 100 foot spire was in the center of the roof of the church.

The exterior of the church was completed in June 1867.  By early July, the staging and mortar beds used by the masons had been removed and the carpenters began putting seats into the main auditorium.

Volunteers from the congregation graded the grounds and removed the construction debris from around the new church.  Members also donated their time to build a wooden sidewalk in front of the church.  The entire project cost $6,250.

The local correspondent to the Janesville Gazette noted the new church building.  "The Methodists are now completing a building of white brick.  Its size is 40 x 60 with high basement and beautiful tower.  It will probably be dedicated the latter part of September."

The Gazette correspondent also gave special tribute to the minister, Rev. George W. DeLaMatyr.  "The pastor is an able preacher and has proved himself an active laborer.  He has toiled indefatigably in building the new church and all regret that his labors among us must soon close."

Before the church was dedicated, the annual Wisconsin Conference meeting was held and Rev. DeLaMatyr was reassigned to a church in Delavan.  Evansville's new pastor was Rev. W. H. Sampson.  He arrived at the church just in time for the dedication.

The new church was dedicated on Friday, October 11, 1867.  Isaac Hoxie, editor of the Citizen and member of the Methodist congregation declared it to be "the finest public building in the place."

Hoxie did comment on a rather annoying practice of some of the men of the congregation.  At the dedication, one of the attending clergy found evidence of tobacco use on the floor of the church.  The preacher chastised the men in the congregation for the "ominous filthy blotches seen upon the floor".  The unnamed minister advised the men to leave their "large quids" at the door, rather than lying under the seats or in the aisles for small boys to see.

The new church was home to a growing number of Methodists.  The membership of the church had grown substantially since its humble beginnings at the time of settlement.  By 1867, there were one hundred and forty in the church Sunday School.  Six more people had been baptized and 28 received "the right hand of fellowship," just a few weeks before the dedication.

By the 1870s many of the original founders of the church had moved away.  Preachers, Stephen Jones and Boyd Phelps, had moved with their families to Minnesota.  John Rhinehart had emigrated to California.
 
Others former members were drawn back into the community.  The former pastor, Elijah Robinson and his family had returned to Evansville to educate their children at the Evansville Seminary.   The Robinson family continued to take an active role in the local Methodist Church.  Elijah was often asked to lead the singing of hymns.  Their son, Theodore, sang in the church choir and the budding young artist was reported to have sketched members of the congregation during the services.

Ellen Robinson served as an assistant to the Sunday School Superintendent.  At the annual election of officers on April 3, 1870, L. T. Pullen was elected superintendent; C. K. Landers, assistant and David Stevens, secretary and treasurer.

The administrative work of Mrs. Robinson and E. R. Sprague in operating the Sunday School the previous year was praised.  The school has "wonderfully increased in strength and interest by their energy; combined with practical ability", the annual reported noted.

Promoters of Evansville were proud of the community’s interest in church activities.  They believed that men of capital would be drawn to settle in a place "where church spires tower and school houses dot the hills."

The congregation returned to their normal routine once the new church was completed.  Rev. Sampson stayed until 1869.  By 1870, Rev. E. D. Farnham had been assigned to the Evansville church.  He conducted two services each Sunday.

Through the next few years, there appeared to be a regular schedule of annual church activities.  From January to March, nightly revival meetings were held to attract new members and to renew the religious fervor of the congregation.

Sunday school officers were elected in the spring and quarterly meetings were held by the Trustees to conduct official church business. Once each month, on Friday evenings, the Ladies Mite Society held "sociables" at a home of a member.  Members brought picnic suppers and money was collected to fund church activities.

An oyster supper was held in the church basement in the winter months when oysters were available.  The strawberry and ice cream festival was held in June.   At Christmas time there was a "Tree entertainment".   Members of the choir gave a concert and children received presents.

Temperance programs were also held at the church.  A December 1873 temperance meeting received the notice of a reporter from the Madison State Journal.  "There was an earnest demonstration in the cause of total abstinence at the Methodist Church in Evansville.  The Methodist, Baptist and Congregational ministers presided.  Evansville has for years occupied the proud and advanced position of a no license town and this impressive demonstration was worthy of a people who by their acts are known as the most thrifty, elevated, orderly and happy in the state."

A particularly popular minister arrived at the church in 1871, the Rev. J. M. Craig.  Craig was also a temperance man and was often asked to speak to the lodges of the Good Templars, a men's temperance organization that included many from the Methodist congregation.

Craig's sermons to his Sunday morning congregation were well received and his Sunday evening services often drew members of other congregations, as well as his own.  He tackled the subjects of the day, "Creation, the long period theory, instead of the six-day theory", "financial crisis, stocks-their lessons", and "women's rights".

When Wisconsin Conference was held in Whitewater in October 1873, the local congregation worried that their popular minister would be reassigned to another church.  It was not until the ministers arrived at the conference and the assignments were announced that they knew where they would be living the following church year.  Most knew that they would not stay in one place for more than three years.

When Craig went to the 1873 conference, he carried with him a petition signed by nearly one hundred members of the congregation asking the Methodist Bishop to return him to Evansville.   Their petition was successful and the October 29, 1873, Evansville Review, noted Craig had been assigned to the local church for another year.

"He has served the Methodist church as pastor for two years and has grown in favor and friendship, not only with his own society, but with all classes," editor Hoxie reported.  Craig was also given responsibility for the Methodist Church in Magnolia.

The Trustees of the church found that even the fairly new church was in need of repair just a few years after it was built.  The furnace originally installed in the basement was not drafted properly.  Annoying billows of smoke often greeted the churchgoers.  In 1873, Homer Potter was hired to enlarge the chimneys to try to overcome this problem.

Improvements in decorating were not always met with approval by all members of the Methodist Church.  In 1873, the walls were also papered.  While it was a "decided improvement", according to the Evansville Review, "some like the new paper and some do not".  The color was considered too "sombrous" by some of the more critical members of the congregation.

It was with regret that the fall of 1874, brought another change to the leadership of the Evansville church.  Having been assigned to the church for three years, Craig was assigned to another community by the Wisconsin Conference in 1874 and J. H. Brooks came to the Evansville church for one year.  Brooks was reassigned and the Evansville church had J. D. Cole as their pastor from 1875-1877.

C. E. Goldthorp was assigned to the church in the fall of 1877.  The Evansville Review carried a Church Directory in the 1870s.  It indicated a busy schedule for the Methodists.  The 1879 Directory told any interested readers that Rev. Goldthorp preached at a 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. services on Sunday.  A Sabbath school was held at 12 noon; prayer meeting Wednesday evening; Class meeting, Sunday at 12 noon and Tuesday evening.

In October 1880, Goldthorp gave his congregation the final report of his three years of service.  He had preached 430 sermons, 26 funerals, 135 class meetings, 155 prayer meetings.  Goldthorp had also made 525 visits, visited 90 sick and dying, performed 20 marriages and 27 baptisms in three years.

At the Wisconsin conference in 1880 Goldthorp was replaced by Henry Faville.  During Faville's administration, the ceiling of the church was replaced with wood paneling.  James West was in charge of the work and other workmen included John H. Winston, George Haywood, Alpheus Wilcox and Charles Sawin.  Installing the paneling was heavy and difficult work.  The construction required several weeks and while the work was underway services were held in the basement.

By 1883, the Methodists reported were more than 200 members in their congregation.  A new form of fund raising and support for the minister was instituted in the 1880s.  Ministers were "pounded" by members of their congregation.  A "pounding" was a party where the guests brought pound packages of food or money to be donated to support the pastor and his family.

In March 1883, Rev. Henry Faville and his wife were "pounded".  Faville was told to be at home at a certain hour, because he was to marry a young couple. It was a ruse for the surprise party.  Guests brought butter, eggs, oats, salt, dried apples, sugar and silver in pound packages to the surprised minister and his wife.

Just a week later, the community was grieving for the young minister and his wife.  Harold, the Faville's five-year-old son, died on the 16th of March.  The funeral was held at the parsonage,

Easter was in late March in 1883 and the congregation recognized the sadness of the Faville family by "the absence of profuse decoration, that is wont on Easter services".  A single vase of cut flowers stood on the altar as Faville gave his Easter sermon.

After thanking his congregation for the kindness shown to the family during the funeral, Faville used the familiar Easter text, "He is not here; He has risen.  Go and seek the place where the Lord lay."

The following year, Faville was sent to another church and Rev. H. Sewell became the pastor.  Sewell loved to fish and would often bring home his catch and share it with members of the church.

The building was modernized by the introduction of electricity.  The electrical system was installed in 1887 and the Methodist Church was the first in Evansville to have electric lights.

Through the late 1880s the membership in the Evansville Methodist Episcopal Church continued to increase.  Popular ministers and many activities for members helped boost the number of people attending church.

Rev. Henry Sewell was sent to Beaver Dam in the fall of 1886.  However, he liked Evansville so well that he purchased a farm nearby.  For many years during his ministry in other cities returned to oversee the operation of the farm.  In the late 1890s, he once again made Evansville his home and preached each Sunday at the Methodist Church in Magnolia.

In 1886, Rev. F. L. Wharton was assigned to the Evansville church as pastor.  Wharton had been the Methodist minister in Wausau.  During his year of service, he also wrote a newspaper column in the Evansville Review called "Pulpit Sayings of Rev. F. L. Wharton".

Wharton's messages were meant to inspire and teach.  "Each human soul is a mirror in which we may see something of our own tempers and distempers, if we look" Wharton wrote. "Don't ask the idler in the church to do anything--he never has time."  "Life is a succession of emergencies."    "If we walk at all, we must walk by faith."  Each of Wharton's weekly columns in the Review contained twenty or more thoughts for meditation.

The Methodist Church was the site of a memorial service for the birthday of President U. S. Grant in April 1888.  Many Civil War veterans attended the service conducted by Rev. Wharton and a collection was taken to establish a home for "old and crippled soldiers."  More than $60 was donated.

There was even some hope that a veterans' home would be built in Evansville.  In late May, Rev. Wharton and Village President, Caleb E. Lee, traveled to Milwaukee to promote Evansville as a site for the home.  Wharton and Lee's visit was in vain and the dream was never realized.

In October 1887, Wharton went to the Wisconsin Methodist Conference in Appleton and discovered that he was to move from Evansville after only one year of service.  The new replacement was Rev. Lucius N. Wheeler.

From 1865 to 1873, Wheeler had served as a missionary to China.  Poor health interfered with his missionary service and Wheeler returned to the United States.  In 1881, he wrote a 268-page book published by S. C. Griggs and Company of Chicago.  The title of the book was "The Foreigner in China".  It told of Wheeler's experiences as a missionary to the people of China.

Wheeler's pastorate, like the many before him, brought new members into the church.  During the two years of his service, nineteen new members joined "by letter" and thirty-two joined during a revival service on February 3, 1887.  Because of the growing membership in the Methodist church, it became obvious to the trustees that their building was too small.  At their quarterly meeting in April 1889, the trustees voted to enlarge the church.

Board member, Isaac Hoxie, offered the following resolution:  "Resolved that as soon as $500 shall be raise and $500 shall be subscribed for enlarging and improving the church edifice; the work of improvement should be immediately commenced.  The board, including Rev. Wheeler as Chairman and L. T. Pullen as secretary, approved the resolution unanimously.  It took more than a year from the time the resolution was signed until the building of the addition was underway.

In October 1889, Rev. Wheeler was reassigned to the Fort Atkinson Methodist Church and was not able to stay for the completion of the building.  Within a year, he had decided to return to China as a missionary.  Wheeler's wife and children moved to Appleton where his children attended school while he was stationed in China.

Rev. W. W. Stevens was appointed to the Evansville Church.  Stevens had served in Algoma, Wisconsin and his wife had been active as an organizer of the local and state Women's Christian Temperance Union.  When the Stevens' arrived in Evansville they were given a reception at the church so that they could meet the members of their new congregation.  To make their new minister and his family feel welcome, the congregation gave them a set of dining room chairs and two fancy rocking chairs.

Under Stevens' administration the building of the new church got underway.  The building committee included Almeron Eager, W. S. Smith and W. H. Doolittle.

James R. West and Homer Potter were to make the drawings for the new addition, and give the board specifications for the improvements that were to be made.  They were also to estimate the cost of the addition.  The amateur architects designed a twenty-foot addition to be built on the east side of the church.

William Garfield and James West got the contract for building the new addition.  The contract called for the crews of Garfield and West to do the carpenter and mason work for the foundation at a cost of $1,480.  The work was to be completed within 90 days from the date of the contract.  By November 1, 1890, the Methodists hoped to be worshiping in their remodeled building.

The addition was under construction by mid-August 1890.  The foundation was dug, and the masons were working on the walls of the basement of the new addition.  Theodore F. Shurrum was given the contract for the lathing, plastering and brick laying on the church addition.

West and Garfield's crew tore out the old stairway and choir loft.  All of the seats were removed from the auditorium so that lumber and other materials could be stored inside during the construction.  Meetings and church services were held in the Free Will Baptist Church for a few weeks during the early stages of the project.

The brick laying was completed by late October, but the construction took longer than planned.  It was not until early November that the congregation was able to move into the basement of the church and resumed services in their own building.

A new board of trustees was elected during the construction.  All were men who supported the construction project, including, Isaac Hoxie, James West, Almeron Eager, William W. Garfield, W. W. Young, John Evans (wagon maker), G. H. Reed, David Stevens, and C. F. P. Pullen.  Committees were also appointed to oversee the parsonage and furniture, music, Sunday School, temperance, education, missions, the sick, strangers and church records.

Additional projects increased the original estimate for the remodeling and new fund raising activities were needed.  The Ladies Aid Society offered a lecture and concert series in the winter of 1890.  Five programs were offered for the price of one dollar.

The programs were intended to please the "literary and music loving people of Evansville."  One of the programs was by a former minister, Henry Faville, and another by his twin brother, Rev. John Faville, who was also a minister.  They delivered their "twin" lectures, Henry giving one called, "With Brains" and John giving one called, "Without Brains".

The five programs were very successful.  After paying expenses, the ladies cleared $218.81 and gave the money to the church trustees to pay for new seats and carpeting.

Construction continued through the winter months of 1890-91.  By December 1890, the old central tower had been removed and two new towers were being built.  Harry Benny did the high and hazardous work of covering the pinnacles with galvanized iron.  The tower on the north was built sturdy enough to accommodate a bell, but there was no money in the budget for one.  The tower on the south reached 80 feet into the air.

The trustees contracted with the Manitowoc Church Furniture company for the new seats for the church.  The pews were to be delivered by the fifteenth of January at a cost of $350.  The Evansville Methodist church had purchased some of the last furniture made at the Manitowoc firm.  Shortly after the Evansville delivery was made, the company's buildings burned to the ground.

The new seats were made of oak, with end panels and a two-piece back.  On the back of each pew was a bookrack for Bibles and hymnals and an envelope holder.

The new addition had two rows of seats with a center aisle.  Seventy-five to eighty people could be seated in the new area.  With a new seating arrangement, the main audience room could seat 400.  The pews on the main floor were placed in two sections, with the wail ends towards the center.  A main center aisle was four feet wide and each of the two side aisles were three feet wide.

Isaac Hoxie, in a lengthy article in the February 17, 1891 issue of the Evansville Review described in detail the new interior of the church.  Across the entire west end of the church was a raised platform, fourteen inches higher than the main floor.  In the center of the platform was the pulpit.  There was also a seating area for the choir and orchestra.  Additional seats for the audience could also be placed in this area, if there was a large crowd.

Homer Potter, who had also been consulted about many of the details in planning the new interior, built the altar railing.  It extended the entire length of the platform and the ends bent slightly.  In front of the railing was a crimson kneeling cushion.

The church trustees also decided that the church would not look finished until they replaced the plain glass windows in the church.  They voted to purchase beautiful Gothic headed stained glass windows, with "cathedral glass below and ornamental stained glass above."

In January 1891, the new windows arrived at the church and were unpacked.  Isaac Hoxie, the Evansville Review editor, declared them to be "the handsomest and most costly windows that were ever brought to this place."

One of the windows, a large circular stained glass piece had a portrait of the baby Jesus on his Mother's lap.  This window was purchased by the Women's Christian Temperance Union for $30.  This new window was placed in the new addition so that it could be seen at the new entrance of the building.

In his report of the new church, Isaac Hoxie was particularly pleased with the new windows.  He wrote, "There seems to be a harmonious blending of lights and shadows, but the sunlight reflecting through the many colored lenses that form the window panes, falling obliquely upon the richly carpeted floor, toned down to mellowness by the darker shade of the oaken pews."

The basement walls were painted and the old carpeting from the main floor was used to cover the floors.  On the south side was an infant Sunday school class room that was connected to the main room with folding doors.  On the north side, also connected with folding doors, was the kitchen.

All of the papering and painting of the church had been done by William Burk.  The basement also had three large furnaces for heating the building, which had been installed by F. A. Baker & Co.
 
On Sunday, February 15, 1891, the building was completed and the church was rededicated with impressive ceremonies.  Flora West and Samuel Cadwallader wrote histories of the local church and Methodism in Wisconsin that were presented during the ceremonies.

The program was also a fund raising event and brought forth a generous spirit from the audience.  Within an hour, enough money had been raised to cover the $1,200 debt of the church.

There was an additional $600 given that day and the extra money was used to purchase a bell for the tower and a new organ.  The church trustees ordered a 1500-pound bell from the McShane Company of Baltimore.

The bell arrived at the depot in late March and local drayman, John Reilly, loaded it onto his wagon and took it to the churchyard where it sat over the weekend.  On a Monday morning, building contractor, William W. Garfield and Albert Snashall, who usually installed the windmills sold by the Baker Manufacturing Company, placed the new bell in the church tower.

A crowd gathered to watch the bell being hoisted into the tower.  "Observers complained of aching necks, dizzy heads, and blurry eyes." the Tribune reporter noted after observing the sidewalk superintendents who had watched the proceedings from morning until 5 p.m.  The bell was tested and "poured out a tone remarkable for its volume and sweetness.  Everybody seemed to be delighted with it.  The key is said to be F sharp."

In July 1891, the new reed pipe organ arrived for the church.  The organ was paid for in installments and cost $550.  Prof. Falk from the Chicago firm that had sold the instrument came to the Methodist church to oversee the installation and then stayed to give a musical recital on the new organ.

There were many talented musicians in the church.  An orchestra was formed under the leadership of John Porter.  Porter played flute; Fred Smith, clarinet; John H. Johnson, cornet; Frank Scoville base; Will Marshall, violin; and Kitty Clark, organ.  Gertrude Eager and Kitty Clark accompanied the choir that numbered as many as fifty members.

The enthusiasm for the activities of the church seemed to increase.  People found time to attend meetings on Sunday and several evenings during the week and revivals in the early winter brought in more members each year.

Following on the success fund raising activities of the church women, the young people of the church organized a successful lecture series.  There was an annual Children's Day and an "Old Folks Day", with the sermon to and about "old folks".

"Dollar Experience" meetings became a popular fund raising activity.  At the programs, church members told imaginative stories about how they had raised money for the church.   "Blue Jay" socials, "Brownie" socials, Yellow teas and "Thank" offerings were other creative fundraisers held by the women.

Rev. Stevens stayed an unprecedented four years in Evansville Church.  Ninety nine new members were added Stevens' term from 1889 to 1893.  The Young People's society was reorganized and a junior department was formed.  By 1893 the church had 295 members.

In October 1893 Stevens was sent to serve the Fort Atkinson Methodist Church and Rev. J. S. Davis was sent to Evansville's church.  During Davis' term the parsonage of the church was remodeled and the church property was valued at $12,500, with the average annual expenditures at $2,502.

There was a renewed interest in the rights of women in the 1890s.  For the first time in two women were chosen as stewards of the church.  The privilege was granted to Carrie Porter and Mrs. W. B. Campbell.

Rev. George. W. White was assigned to the church in 1895 and he remained for two years.  A great revival in early 1896 brought fifty new members into the church.

Rev. William Rollins came to the church in October 1897.  The rights of women were chief in the mind of many ministers in the late 1890s.  Rev. Rollins declared the turn of the century as "the paradise of woman, where she has greater freedom and privileges than any other on the face of the earth and will soon have a free ballot with men."

Rollins challenged the women in his congregation, "Ye daughters of America what will you choose, will you have the good and high things or the low and debasing."  "I plead for the enfranchisement of women.  It is unjust to hold women bound by laws, the forming of which has been carried out without her action.  Denying the ballot to women is an insult to their intelligence.  Who are the principal opponents of women in the politics today.  The brewers!" Rollins told his congregation in February 1898.

If the women could not vote, they knew how to raise funds to keep the activities of the church in operation.  The women of the Evansville Methodist Church had always been the financial and service backbone of the church.   Margaret West was the last survivor of the charter members of the Methodist Church formed in 1840. She represented the hundreds of women who had donated time, talents, and money to fund the church operations.

In September 1898, the women organized an art show in the church.  Forty paintings of former church member and world-famous Impressionist artist, Theodore Robinson, were borrowed from family members and put on display.  Mrs. George Hall and her daughter, Grace, also exhibited many beautiful pieces of needlework they had brought back from their travels in Mexico.

The following year, in addition to their monthly socials and the women served meals at the first Rock County Fair to be held in Evansville.  For 25 cents, "the best meal you ever ate" was available, according to the Badger newspaper.

Ministers continued to be rotated every few years in the Wisconsin Conference of the church.  Rev. Webster Millar was assigned to the Evansville Methodist Church in October 1899.  Former pastor and Evansville resident, Rev. Henry Sewell had baptized Miller at Lake Mills in 1870 and had also baptized Mrs. Millar at Emerald Grove in 1866.  Sewell told the Evansville Review that Millar was "a grand man of God", exactly the man to lead the church through the turn of the century.

The Evansville Methodist Episcopal Church entered the 20th century with Rev. Webster Millar as their pastor.  He remained until 1902 when Rev. James Churm was assigned to the Church.

In the early 1900s, the length of service for ministers was extended and many stayed for four years, rather than the one or two year terms that had been common in the 1800s.  Churm had one of the longest residencies of any minister up to that time and remained in Evansville for four years.

At a Watch Night service at the end of his first few months as pastor of the local church, Churm reviewed the year of 1902.  He cited, "a number of instances where prominent people have been called away from earth" and he noted that "some of our keenest joys came to us through pain, suffering and disappointment."  He urged his congregation to fill their days with good deeds.

A full day of church activities was available for members each Sunday.  The regular services were in the morning, followed by Sunday School.  In the afternoon, there was a meeting of the Junior League and in the evening, the Epworth League.

In 1903, The Sunday School Board elected the following officers:  Superintendent, Henry L. Austin; Assistant, Mrs. P. C. Wilder; Secretary, E. M. Jones.  The treasurer was Mary Clancy; the organist, May Philips; and the chorister, Addie Chapel.

During Churm's term in Evansville, the church was remodeled.  From early April until late May 1905, church services were held in City Hall while carpenters worked at remodeling the interior of the church.

Robert Hankinson was in charge of the carpentry work.  A new hardwood floor was laid throughout the auditorium, replacing carpets that had previously covered the floor.

The Tribune described the interior remodeling.  The pulpit was placed on a raised platform on the west end of the room "so arranged that the minister will stand square in front of his audience when speaking, and the choir directly in front of the organ when seated as well as when singing."  George Dell was in charge of the painting and papering.

The last Sunday in May, the high school baccalaureate service and a memorial service for veterans was held in the newly remodeled church.  The first Sunday of June 1905, the church was officially reopened.  The church choir, directed by John P. Porter, performed a concert of sacred music.  The Methodists invited the entire community to help celebrate the remodeling.
 
Rev. Thomas North became the pastor in the fall of 1906 and Churm was sent to the Methodist church in Whitewater.  North also stayed at the church for four years and during his pastorate the church celebrated fifty years of service to the community.

On September 30, 1909, Evansville's oldest congregation gathered in the basement of their church.  The members and their friends enjoyed a dinner prepared by the Ladies' Aid Society and then listened to reminiscences of former members and pastors.  James R. West, son of Charter members, Jacob and Margaret West, once again recounted the early days of the church and prepared a list of ministers and events of the organization in 1839 to 1909.

The following year, Rev. Thomas North was sent to a Methodist church in Lyons and Rev. Charles E. Coon became the Evansville Methodists' pastor.  Rev. Coon took an active interest in community affairs and became a member of the Evansville Civil League.  Together with Allen Baker and other prominent Evansville businessmen, North worked to improve living conditions in the city.

Many in the community had a strong interest in providing recreational activities for young men.  A YMCA was formed and held their meetings in the Methodist Church until the club could afford permanent headquarters.   The club provided Bible study classes, speakers and musical programs to entertain and educate their members.

Rev. Charles Coon also introduced an outdoors vesper service. The City Hall lawn was used for the services.  If the weather did not cooperate, the services were moved into the church.

Rev. Coon was replaced by Rev. Golder Riley Lawrence.  When the United States entered the First World War in April 1917, Rev. Lawrence played an active role in organizing Evansville's patriotic activities during the early months of the war.   He also helped organize Evansville's first Boy Scout troop.

The Boy Scouts met in the Methodist Church.  Rev. Lawrence taught the young men military drills that were performed during parades and patriot meetings.  The programs were held to encourage Evansville residents to purchase war bonds and to become members of the Red Cross.
 
To demonstrate Evansville's willingness to support the United States government, a Loyalty parade was held in early April 1917 and included school children, the community band, social clubs, the fire department, city officials and veterans of the Civil War.  Seventy-two automobiles decorated with flags and bunting also traveled the parade route with the marchers.  Rev. Lawrence was chairman of the event and gave an address from the Central House porch.

Lawrence's patriotic activities were in tune with the ideals advanced by the Wisconsin Methodist governing body.  In October, the Wisconsin Conference of the Methodist Church passed a set of resolutions supporting U. S. President Woodrow Wilson and America's entrance into the World War.

The 1917 Conference delegates also severely criticized Wisconsin's Senator Robert M. La Follette for his activities to promote a peaceful solution to the world conflict.  The Evansville Review praised the church's stand in its October 25, 1917 issue.  "It is very evident there are no slackers or treason lovers and defenders in the Methodist Church of Wisconsin."

As evidence of their patriotism, the Evansville Methodist Ladies Aid Society donated a service flag to the church.  Mothers of men who had enlisted in the armed forces made the flag.  The names of the soldiers were embroidered on a blue star and the star was pinned on the flag.  A blue star indicated the soldier was still living and the reverse side of each star was embroidered in solid gold.    In case of the young man's death, the star was reversed with the gold side showing.
 
The women presented the flag to the church during a special service held in December 1917.   During the program, a mother, wife, or some other close relative of a soldier pinned a star on the flag.

The names embroidered on the stars for the living were Floyd Neff, Lyle Blakeley, Paul Jones, Brooks Gabriel, Paul Mabie, Harry Thompson, Lloyd Wilder, Glen Estes, Raymond Estes, Chester W. Hurd, Arthur O'Dell, Lloyd M. Rowley, Robert Woodard, Harry McKinney, Harry Milligan, Fay Patton, Harold Seguine, Clarence Stiff, Alfred Stiff and Robert Antes.

A gold star was placed on the flag for Ivan G. Walton who had already died of disease in an army camp.  At the service, Rev. Lawrence announced that three soldiers had been overlooked and their names would be added later.  They included Bernard Buxton, Carl Prunk (who had also died of disease) and Lauren Knapp.

The Evansville Review gave Rev. Lawrence high praise for his patriotic speech at the service flag dedication.  He had called for a "stauncher Americanism to support the noble Americans."  According to the Review reporter, "It was an address full of burning, eloquent patriotism and no one who heard it could fail to be a better patriot for having listened to it."

At the close of the service, the Boy Scouts carried the flag to the rear of the church where it was placed on the wall.  Another flag service was planned for the following Easter Sunday to add stars for new enlistees and those who had been overlooked during the first service.

As the war progressed, the United States government demanded that citizens conserve food and fuel.  One of the ways the government communicated with people in the days before television and radio was to ask pastors to make announcements of government regulations during church services.  When the United States government sent out notices asking citizens to abstain from eating meat or products made from wheat a few days a week, Evansville's churches responded to call.

Those who observed the dietary restrictions were asked to sign pledge cards for the number of meatless and wheatless days each.  Each Sunday the local churches served as the distribution points for the pledge cards.  On Saturdays, Boy Scouts went from house to house to pick up the cards.  Most people willingly complied, believing they were helping to feed the soldiers by being thrifty in their own eating habits.

As the war progressed and the government began to stockpile fuel, a shortage of coal and other fuel threatened to close public places.  The Methodist and the Congregational Church congregations agreed to have joint services during the month of January 1918.  This conserved fuel and helped the war effort.

By Easter 1918, Rev. G. R. Lawrence had enlisted in the service as a Chaplin and his name was added to the roster of blue stars.  Others whose names were added to the roster were Bennie Green, Harold Seguine, Carl Prunk, Victor Miller, and Forest Wainwright.   Harry McKinney was the first Evansville soldier to be killed in battle.  His death occurred in May 1918 on the front lines of France.

In May 1918, Rev. Hugh A. Misdall was assigned to the local Methodist Church as pastor.  He had been here only a few months when the war ended.  The Armistice Day celebration in Evansville on November 11, 1918 was an enthusiastic crowd that became a mob.  A near riot ensued when crowds began to gather in the business district as the news reached out into the community that the Armistice had been declared and the war was over.

Rumors began to spread of people who were thought to have been traitors because they did not purchase enough war bonds, or who were German sympathizers.  These people were dragged from their homes and brought to a huge bonfire built at the corners of Main and Madison Streets.  There they were publicly ridiculed by being marched around the fire, forced to kiss the American flag, and jeered by the onlookers.

One woman was dragged from her home and put into one of the Hall Circus' animal cages.  Her captures took Mary Shaw, trapped in the animal cage, to the town's main intersection where she was ridiculed and harassed by the crowd.

The new Methodist Minister, Rev. Misdall; Police Chief, Fred Gillman; and local businessman, C. J. Pearsall rescued Mrs. Shaw.  The three men dispersed the crowd and took the woman back to her home in Mr. Pearsall's car.  It was a brave act that restored order once again.

The war was over and the church could once again resume its normal activities.  However, the following winter many local ministers were called to preach funerals for the victims of a deadly form of influenza.  The Methodist minister was no exception.

One sad case was the death of two children of the family of Andrew Christiansen.  Clifford Christiansen, aged nine, and his younger brother, Neal, died in January 1919 within 24 hours of each other.  Both suffered from pneumonia, one of the complications of the flu.  Rev. Misdall conducted the funeral service for the children.  That same week there were six funerals, all for victims of the influenza epidemic.

Misdall had seen the local church through a particularly difficult time of war and illness.  In September 1920 the Wisconsin Methodist Episcopal Conference was held in Rice Lake.  Rev. Misdall already had his household packed in anticipation of a move to a new church.  He was appointed to the Maniwa church.

The conference had replaced Misdall with the appointment of Rev. A. W. Barnlund.  He remained in Evansville for two years.  Barnlund notified his congregation that he would resign at the 1922 annual conference.  Rev. Frank Parker Hanaman was sent to Evansville in the fall of 1922.

In a survey of the community to determine what activities were available for young women, it appeared that the Evansville churches and the schools provided most of the programs.  The survey was recapped in the January 31, 1924 Evansville Review and included a brief report of the Methodist Church's activities .

The Review article indicated the importance of the activities for the girls and women in the church.  The women of the church "raise 25 to 30 percent of the church budget.  Fifteen to twenty per cent of the budget is given to missions."  The women also taught Sunday School, sang in the choir, and were members of the Epworth League.
 
There were 230 members according to the survey.  However, less than half of the people attended services or participated in programs.  An average of ninety people attended Sunday School.  The average attendance at Sunday services was 60 in the morning and 30 in the evening.  There was a prayer group of about thirty people who met during the week.
 
Hanaman was interested in improving attendance at all church activities.  He encouraged the Epworth League to divide into two groups and have a contest to see which group could establish the best attendance record and recruit new members.  "Something doing every minute" was the theme for the club.  Adelaide Flack was president of the Epworth League.

To encourage attendance at the men's program's, the Methodist Men's Club merged with the Congregational Men's Club in 1924.  The new organization met for the first time in the basement of the Methodist Church and the ladies of the church served a dinner.

At their first joint meeting, the men appointed a committee to get speakers for each month's meeting.  The monthly meeting alternated between the two churches.  The meetings included a meal and a speaker.  The joint group encouraged good citizenship and an interest in civic affairs.

The following year, in 1925, Rev. G. C. Saunderson who had been pastor at the Orfordville Methodist church, was appointed to replace Hanaman.  Before going into the ministry, Saunderson had served nine years as a public school teacher in Iowa and South Dakota.  He had also spent one year in India where his father was a missionary.

Saunderson had attended Carroll College and Lawrence University but had not completed a degree.  During his term in Evansville, he was also a student at the University of Wisconsin and he received his degree in March 1926.  Saunderson continued his studies at the University in Madison, working towards a Doctor of Philosophy degree.

In addition to his regular church activities, Saunderson was also asked to teach a two weeks' course in church history at Lawrence College.  In 1930, 20 ministers from Wisconsin enrolled in the course that included the development of the Christian church and its institutions from the first century to the present.  The course of study included the works of Paul, Augustine, Constantine, Calvin and Wesley.

At the 1930 conference of the church, Rev. Saunderson was transferred to the Hartford Methodist Church and Rev. G. Kenneth MacInnis was appointed to serve in Evansville.
 
Church historian, Mrs. Bert H. Richards, credits Rev. G. Kenneth MacInnis, pastor from 1930 to 1936, with having the longest pastorate the Evansville Methodist Church had ever had.  According to Mrs. Richards, "His work with the young people was especially outstanding.”

Before his transfer to Evansville, MacInnis had been serving Trinity Methodist Church in Milwaukee.  He soon became a popular speaker to Evansville social and civic groups.  One of his first speaking engagements after arriving in Evansville was to the Evansville Lions Club at the Hotel Central.

MacInnis spoke on the "New Philosophy of Success".  He admonished his audience to "Improve yourself, write a book, tunnel a mountain, bridge a stream, make money, but in the doing of these very useful things do not neglect character building, do not neglect social service to the community."

MacInnis spoke from his own experience.  As a young man, he had been a farm hand,  a lumberjack, a detective cowboy in Montana, a gold and copper miner and a sailor on the Atlantic Ocean.   During his time at sea, MacInnis had survived three ship wrecks.  While he was on leave in New York City, MacInnis he visited a street mission where he found a role model who led him into the ministry.

In his speech to the Lion's Club on the art of living a successful life, MacInnis used Jerry MacCauley, a mission worker in New York City as one of his models of the "new ideal of success".

MacCauley had once been  "the dangerous river thief of New York" but had reformed.  As a mission worker, Jerry MacCauley had helped many young men to become Christians.  The young  "rollicking sailor lad", G. Kenneth MacInnis, had wandered into MaCauley's New York City mission and had made his first commitment to a Christian life.

MacInnis was in his late thirties when he entered the ministry.  With his unusual work experience, MacInnis empathized with young men searching for a meaningful life.

In 1902, MacInnis had graduated from Lawrence College in Appleton.  He had served as a pastor in Edgerton from 1908 to 1912 and during that time had also worked towards a doctorate degree.  MacInnis received a PhD. from Oskaloosa College in Iowa in 1912.

MacInnis concentrated much of his efforts in his ministry on encouraging young men to live useful lives.  In 1928 he had published a book of poems called "The Philosophy of Life in Verse".  His poetry had appeared in newspapers and magazines.

MacInnis did not limit his interest in the ministry to his own congregation.  When the Civilian Conservation Corps set up camp at the Evansville Fair Grounds in 1933, MacInnis helped organize a series of church services for the men living in the federal camp.  MacInnis delivered the first sermon, "The More Abundant Life".

Many members of the MacInnis family took part in the service.  His grandsons, Donald and Douglas MacInnis, played trumpet and violin duets, accompanied by their mother, Mrs. Earl MacInnis and their sister, Joanne MacInnis.
 
In 1934, the Evansville Methodist Church celebrated the 150th anniversary of Methodism in the United States.  Rev. MacInnis invited Bishop J. Ralph Magee from St. Paul, Minnesota to preach at a special service held in October.  Rev. E. M. Oliver, district superintendent of the Methodist Churches in the area and MacInnis assisted with the service.

There were many opportunities for the Evansville community churches to cooperate with one another.  Lenten services were usually shared with the Baptists, Congregationalists, and Free Methodists.  In 1935, the four churches sponsored a go-to-church movement, encouraging the public to attend services.

Within the Methodist congregation, the year-round church activities meant many volunteers were needed to make the gatherings successful.  Easter Sunday morning, MacInnis held a sunrise service in the city  park at 6 a.m., followed by a breakfast in the church hall.  At the Easter service in 1935, he baptized seven children and 12 people were received into the Methodist Church as new members.

In September 1936, MacInnis retired after 40 years as a minister.  He moved to California in October and died the following January.  His remains were returned to Wisconsin and services were held in the Evansville Methodist Church. Rev. George Kenneth MacInnis was buried in Monroe.

Rev. Arthur Edwards followed MacInnis as the pastor of the church.   Edwards was a native of England and had served as minister in London before coming to America in 1909.  After his immigration, Edwards served as pastor to churches in Michigan, North Dakota and South Dakota before coming to Wisconsin.

He began his ministry in Evansville by urging his congregation to go to church.  "The slightest irregularity in attendance will work serious havoc with a good habit.  Then we reach for an excuse.  We shall find plenty except good ones," Edwards wrote in his weekly announcement of church activities published in the Evansville Review.

While the minister was the most visible leader of the church, many lay people took offices and volunteered their time to provide support for the church and activities for members.  Each year, at one of the quarterly conferences held at the church, local trustees, stewards and committee chairmen were chosen.

In the late 1930s, church members named to these responsibilities included Roy Reckord, Mrs. W. D. Brown, Leonard P. Eager, L. L. Thompson, William Blakeley, R. P. Richardson, Wade Woodworth, William M. Bewick, Gertrude Eager, Leroy Lewis, Marion Jones, Charles Johnson, E. M. Jones and J. W. Rodd.

Annual fund raising events included the Methodist Men's ham supper held in the spring and a chicken pie supper in the fall.  For many years Mrs. Fred Luchsinger headed the Methodist Ladies Aid Society.  She also served on the parsonage committee and was a tireless worker for church dinners.  Making coffee and cleaning and ironing the table lines and towels were special responsiblities she accepted as part of her volunteer work.

In September, 1939, Edwards was transferred to the Methodist Church in Palmyra and Rev. T. C. Nagler came to Evansville from Milton.  The congregation gave Nagler and his family a reception to introduce them to their new community.

At the reception, Mrs. C. W. Hazlett acted as mistress of ceremonies.  Angela Bewick, Beatrice Richard, Robert Hubbard and Leroy Scoville presented a program of musical numbers.  The ministers from the Baptist, Free Methodist and Congregational churches each gave a short talk.

Rev. Nagler had a special interest in revitalizing the Epworth League for young people of the church.  He was often asked to speak to conventions about the importance of young people's work in the local church.  He encouraged regular activities for young people to keep them interested in attending church and volunteering for church activities.

During Nagler's administration, the church year was filled with events for members of all ages.  For the young people, the Epworth league provided programs, monthly socials and regular weekly meetings under the supervision of Nagler.  In November 1939, John Antes was elected president of the Epworth League.

In December, the Sunday School pupils, directed by Sunday School Superintendent Gladys Peterson, presented the Christmas Cantata, "The Sweetest Story Ever Told".  The church was filled to capacity at the performance and the free will offering was set aside to finance Sunday School projects.

In October 1940, the Ladies Aid Society and the Home and Foreign Missionary groups were combined and reorganized into the Methodist Woman's Society of Christian Service or WSCS.  The work of the organization remained the same, to support the local church as well as foreign and home missions.

Gertrude Eager headed the reorganized WSCS.  The women were divided into three circles.  Mrs. Lloyd Amido was president of the first group; Mrs. Fred Luchsinger, president of the Circle 2 and Mrs. Earl J. Gibbs president of Circle 3.
 
In 1942, the Rev. Henry C. Schadeberg served as pastor for one year and then became a Chaplin and was sent overseas during World War II.  As in the First World War, an honor roll was created naming those serving in the conflict.  Fifty-nine men and one woman from the church were serving in the United States Armed Forces around the world.

Seven men from the church died in service, including Ted Greenway, Eugene Dille, Robert Gibbs, Donald Lawry, Kenneth Wall, Robert Hubbard and LeRoy Scoville.  Memorial services were held at the church for each one of the men.

After Rev. Schadeberg was called to serve as a chaplin, Rev. H. A. Graubner was appointed to the church in 1943.  With so many young people in the service, the numbers in the choir were diminished and Rev. Graubner sent out a call for more singers.  "If you can sing, your place is in the choir."  Graubner also invited people to become new members.  "Within our walls we would have no one be a stranger."

It was Rev. Graubner who led many of the memorial services for the the veterans.  During 1946 and 1947 the church received many gifts in the form of memorials for the men who had died.  The oak communion altar was given in honor of LeRoy Scoville and Robert Gibbs.  Collection plates were given in memory of Eugene Dille.  A candelabra was given in memory of Robert Hubbard and a dorsal to hang behind the altar was given in memory of Kenneth Wall, John Higday and Robert Higday.

In June 1948, Rev. Horace Graubner was transferred to the Fond du Lac church and Rev. James Saunders came to Evansville from Fennimore.  Saunders had immigrated to the United States in 1937 from England where he had served as a Methodist minister.  After he arrived in the United States he entered college and received his bachelor's degree.  Then Saunders attended Northwestern University and received a Bachelor of Divinity Degree just a few weeks before coming to Evansville.

During Saunders' ministry, a fund drive for a new church organ was started in 1949.  Rev. Saunders and Mrs. C. W. Hazlett were in charge of collecting funds for the new organ.  A Vacation Bible School was also organized in 1949 and included students from grade school through high school.

Saunders stayed in Evansville for five years and then was sent to the Stoughton church.  In 1953, Rev. John Walker replace James Saunders.  Walker had most recently served the Manitowoc Methodist Church.  Walker was to preach at both the Evansville and the Orfordville Methodist Churches.

A large addition was made to the church during Walker's term.  At a Christmas service in 1955, a call was made for donations for a new addition.  The congregation placed $4,200 on the altar during a communion service.  A fund drive was held to get pledges from other members and by early summer a sufficient amount had been raised to grant contracts for the building project.

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the $43,000 addition were held in July 1956.  W. B. Bewick served on the building committee for the 18 by 70 foot extension of the building.  The addition would include a new heating plant, kitchen, rest rooms and a parlor on the ground floor.

The pastor's office and Sunday School rooms were to be added on the second floor of the two-story addition to the west end of the original church.  Darwin Crull received the general contract for the addition; Alvin Bone received the electrical contract and Hyne Plumbing and Heating received the contract for plumbing and heating.

The new addition gave the congregation needed growing room.  A strong advocate of the project, William Bewick, kept careful watch on the construction.  During one of his Saturday morning visits to the site, he died unexpectedly at the age of 72.   His hope for enlarged facilities for youth work was nearly completed at the time of his death.

Rev. John Walker broke with the tradition of living in the church parsonage and purchased a home of his own.  He was an antique collector and needed more space to house his collection.  Walker purchased a home at 120 West Main Street, just a few months before his retirement in 1962.  After his retirement, Walker continued to preach in the Orfordville Church for a few weeks and then it was assigned to the Brodhead Methodist pastor.

Rev. Eldon Riggs was sent to Evansville after Rev. John Walker retired.  Riggs and his family moved into the parsonage at 30 South Madison Street, just across from the church.  However, the following year, in 1963, the congregation decided to sell the old parsonage and purchased a new one at 314 Grove Street.

During Riggs' pastorate, a directory of church members and activities was printed.  The booklet, printed in 1967, included pictures of the church leaders, Sunday School teachers, choirs, organist, and families who were members.

1967 was also the year that the church celebrated its 100th year at the location on South Madison Street.  The congregation held a special service on November 26, 1967 to commemorate the event.  Bishop Ralph Alton was the guest speaker and a pot luck supper was held for members and friends who attended the event.

Rev. David Peterson served as pastor of the Evansville Methodist Church from 1968 to 1971.  During this time, the United Methodist Church was formed in the United States by the creation of a union between the Methodists and the Evangelical United Bretheren Churches in 1968.  Since that time, the local church has been called the United Methodist Church.  In keeping with earlier philosophies, the national church body and the local churches supports civil rights, full clergy status for women, and world peace.

Peterson’s term ended in June 1971 and he was replaced by Rev. I. Dean Jordan.    Early in 1972, Rev. Jordan and Sonia Nelson, chairman of the membership committee, compiled a directory of members.

In a 1973 interview with Jane Whitmore, an Evansville Post reporter, Jordan spoke about his enthusiasm for serving the Evansville church and community.  Deeply interested in civil affairs as well as his church, Jordan became a member of the health planning council to recruit doctors to Evansville.

During Jordan's service to the church, there were was a strong interest in the renovation and maintenance of the historic structures in Evansville.  The church trustees decided to improve the appearance of the 106-year-old church.  The years had taken their toll on the building and in September 1974, the exterior brick was cleaned by sandblasting.

Rev. Jordan served the church for 11 years, the longest term of any pastor in the local church.  He was pastor of two churches during his term in Evansville.  During the early part of his service, he was pastor at both Evansville and Orfordville.  In the later years, he was pastor of the Peace United Methodist Church and Evansville.

He also continued with his community service and was appointed to the Evansville Housing Authority Board in 1972.  During his term, Jordan was instrumental in the development of the 20-unit housing complex for the elderly that was built on South First Street in 1978.  Groundbreaking services for the South Meadows Housing project were held in March 1978.

Rev. Jordan served the church until June 1982.  After living in Evansville, the Jordan family liked the area so well that they purchased property in Porter township, just east of Evansville and after serving in other churches, retired to the Evansville area.

Rev. David Farina became pastor of the Evansville United Methodist Church and the Peace United Methodist Church in 1982.  He and his family moved to the Evansville area from Methodist Churches at Greenville and Center near Appleton.

Farina had heard of the ecumenical spirit of the community and became an active participant in the Evansville Ministerial organization.  He took part in union church services held on Good Friday and Thanksgiving.

During Farina's term, the towers of the Methodist church were renovated.  In a fund drive called "Catch the Spirit, Save our Towers", the publicity committee, headed by Sally Eager, produced a brochure that was distributed in the community.

Funds were needed to remove old insulation, tuck point the bricks and caulk windows, and doors, remove the roofing on the towers and repair weak rafters.  Over the years the towers had suffered water leaks that had caused dry rot and other damage.

In 1990, Krause Konstruction was given the contract for renovation of the towers.  The work was completed by May 1990 and a rededication service was held in June to celebrate the successful project.

Other building maintenance projects were completed in the summer of 1990, including tuck-pointing and siliconing of the building by Krause Konstruction.  The fellowship hall and the tower rooms were also remodeled.

Just as the tower project was completed, Rev. David Farina was reassigned to the Baraboo Methodist Church.  He had served the Evansville and Peace churches for eight years.

Rev. Hilbert Lohr was appointed to the church and began his ministry in July 1990.  He had been serving a church in Platteville.

Rev. Michael White replaced Lohr as pastor and serves today as pastor of the congregation that began in 1839 with the arrival of the first settlers.

7/31/2002