(By Judy Ann Fields from the People’s Defender 1967)
The first man to settle in what is now Jefferson Township was James Williams around 1792. He built his house on the east bank of Ohio Brush Creek about 16 rods above where the old state road from Cincinnati to Portsmouth crossed the stream. It is said that the same day Mr. Williams moved into his cabin, he went out to kill something for supper and before he returned he had killed three bears.
Soon after pioneers blazed trails into the wilderness of Ohio, missionaries of the Methodist faith followed. Their dedicated life was one of constant hardship. But their fervor and steadfastness in their faith made them equal to the tremendous task of winning followers among the people, who had left their religion behind them, along with the comforts of civilization, to come to this rugged frontier.
Around 1797, a small settlement was started near Mankers Mill. Two years later, Colonel Joseph Moore, a Methodist minister, moved from Kentucky and settled a farm nearby. Previous settlers in the area include James Williams and his brother Joseph, and Jonathan Waite. As the settlement began to grow, more people came. Among them were Peter Wikoff, John Newman, David Newman, Jesse Edwards, John Prather and John Beekman.
That same year, 1799, Reverend Moore organized the first Methodist society in the area, at his house. He probably preached the first sermon in this settlement. Due to his endeavors, the attendance of these meetings increased. A private log house was no longer large enough to accommodate them and as the attendance to their meetings increased, the interest and spirituality of the community grew. To meet this need, Mr. Moore donated the land for the first Methodist meeting house west of the Alleghenies. The members of the community entered the activity and cut and hewed the logs for the larger building. It was finished in the fall of 1800 and stood on Breelove’s Run, a fourth of a mile from Scioto Brush Creek near the present church. The religious society was mostly made up of the families already mentioned. The working hours were long in those days, but on Sunday church was regularly attended.
There were no regular pastors to fill the pulpit in those beginning years. Circuit-riding preachers would travel from each community and spend a week or two, once a year, in nightly services. Other early preachers in this church besides Reverend Moore were Philip Gatch, Lewis Hunt and Henry Smith. This building was used as long as it would serve its purpose, then the congregation began to drift and efforts were organized to build a new church.
Mr. Joe Hafer of West Union and his uncle, Marion Shaw, laid the foundation for the present church in 1913. The church was built on the old cemetery grounds and when excavating, they uncovered the corpse of a woman with a plat of hair tied with ribbon. Also, a silver ring was found.
The stone for the foundation and basement of this church came from an old flour mill that stood at Blue Creek, known as the old Waite’s Mill. This is a fine example of a country church. The serene location brings one closer to God before entering the sanctuary. This chapel was built in memory of many departed fellow Christians and dedicated to the same faith that brought the first missionaries. The present pastor is Reverend W. Dale McClurg. A warm welcome is extended to everyone to come and worship.
