Palmyra United Methodist Church
In 1842 David Powers, the founder of Palmyra, and his brother, Samuel, started operating their sawmill. The same year a group of five gathered in the name of our Lord and organized the Palmyra Methodist Society. They used the new log school house as their place of worship. It was located on the corner of 5th and Main Street at the railroad crossing.
Previously, as early as 1837, church services had been held at Troy, Round Prairie, Heart Prairie, East Troy, and Jefferson. Palmyra was served as a charge on the Jefferson-East Troy circuit. From 1849 to 1853 Palmyra was included on the Heart Prairie and Round Prairie circuit.
The first Quarterly Conference was held October 12,1846 at Sullivan. The second quarterly conference was held at Hebron on New Year's Day. The third at Palmyra, March 25, 1848 and the fourth at Seely Mills (now Rome) on June 10th and 11th. The next year the four conferences were held at Golden Lake, Palmyra, Hebron and again at Palmyra.
In 1846 a new Town Hall was built on the NE corner of 4th and Taft streets. The upper floor was used by the three local religious organizations; the Methodists on Sunday evenings, and the Presbyterians and Baptists on alternate Sunday mornings.
The Methodists built their own church in 1850; a small frame building on the NE corner of Main and Northwest streets. It was a very modest structure. In the beginning they held services with benches for pews and a dry goods box for a pulpit. In 1858 Little Prairie and Eagle were added to the Palmyra charge.
After thirty-five years of use the little church was considered beyond repair and services were being held in the Congregational Church and in the pavilion back of the Bidwell House, later known as the Druggists Home.
The Palmyra Enterprise published an article deploring the fact that Palmyra did not have a resident pastor. In 1883 the church was reorganized as an independent charge.
When the Reverend Duckworth received his appointment, he and his bride moved to Palmyra and rented the frame house on the corner of 8th and Wilson across from the Village Park. It served as the parsonage for fourteen years. During his pastorate a new church was built in 1886 on the corner of Taft and 5th streets, the present location. The cost was $2,000.00. In 1897 the church was remodeled and enlarged and the brick facing was added. The parsonage was built on the adjoining lot in 1900 at a cost of $1,367.59.
The sanctuary was remodeled in 1940 and services were held at the Masonic Temple and weddings at the Lutheran Church.
Fellowship Hall was added in 1954. Plans were being made for the mortgage burning ceremony to be held in February 1962; but on January 6th the church burned leaving only Fellowship Hall standing.
St. Matthews Lutheran Church offered their sanctuary for Sunday Services. As soon as Fellowship Hall was cleaned and made useable, all activities and services were held there.
Plans for the Church and a Sunday School wing made it necessary to move the parsonage. Ground breaking ceremonies were held October 28, 1962 and construction began in November.
The cornerstone was put in place on May 12, 1963 and the Day of Consecration was held October 20th of the same year. Mortgage burning ceremonies and Dedication services were held May 5, 1974.
The Bible on the communion table, with its scorched center pages, is among the items that survived the fire.
In 1979 the congregation bought the brick ranch house at 517 W. Main Street from Mrs. Eva Jones. The parsonage, built in 1900 and moved to 117 S. First Street, was sold.
Excerpts from the 150th anniversary held on October 18, 1992.
