Jefferson County Online A part of the IAGenWeb and USGenWeb Projects Salina Methodist Episcopal Church

Note: The town of Salina sits on the line between Buchanan and Lockridge Townships, having the distinction of being in four sections: Buchanan Township Sections 12 and 13, and Lockridge Township Sections 7 and 18.

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"The Fairfield Ledger"
December 18, 1888
Page 3, Column 4

The M.E. church people at Salina will have a Christmas tree Monday evening and will observe the holiday in an appropriate manner.

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"The Fairfield Ledger"
Friday, January 4, 1889
Page 3, Column 6

COUNTY CORRESPONDENCE.

SALINA.
  Editors Ledger:--The holidays passed off pleasantly in our town. On Christmas Eve the Methodist church had a handsome tree at their church, from which presents were distributed among a large and expectant audience. The acme of our holiday festivities, however, was the marriage of one of our best known young men, William J. SCHUTZ, to Miss Anna S. SUNDSTROM, in the M.E. church on the evening of Dec. 25th, Rev. J. E. Wilkins officiating. The wedding party, with invited guests to the number of nearly 70, then repaired to the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Schutz, parents of the groom, where a splendid wedding feast, the tables fairly groaning under the weight of toothsome viands, awaited them. The guests spent a most pleasant evening with their host and hostess and the happy pair, and all united in pronouncing the affair one of the grandest and most enjoyable that our community has ever had. That Mr. Schutz and his bride are held in high esteem is amply attested by the numerous and handsome lot of wedding gifts of which they were the recipients, the list being entirely too long for publication. Congratulations profuse were showered upon the happy pair. Mr. and Mrs. Schutz are already established in their own home, and you can rest assured that they have the good wishes of a multitude of friends for future happiness and prosperity.

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"The Fairfield Tribune"
January 14, 1891
Page 1, Column 6

SALINA, Jan. 11. The Free Methodist church has been sold to the Swedish Lutherans, and in the spring they will remodel it, which will add to the looks of our village, and we hope will prove a blessing to the community.

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"The Fairfield Tribune"
Wednesday, February 2, 1898
Page 6, Column 3

... In 1850 Dr. CORKHILL was minister on this work; the church was held in the school houses. Mr. CORKHILL, with the help of the good people, built the M.E. Church. Mr. COWAN deeded the lot on which the church now stands. Archy GREEN at that time was one of the main men in the church; he and his good wife have long since gone to the church triumphant. Dr. CORKHILL was a physician as well as minister of the gospel.

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"The Fairfield Ledger"
July 31, 1907

The Methodist Church of Salina.

The first permanent Methodist Episcopal society in Iowa was organized at Dubuque in 1834. Others were soon organized at Burlington, Mt. Pleasant, etc. The Salina circuit dates back to 1837. From 1838 to 1849 it was connected with the Fairfield appointments, but since that time has been independent. Messrs. Eber OGDEN and J. D. BATES have compiled from the church rolls the following list of ministers on this circuit.

1837-9, Thomas KIRKPATRICK, missionary from Rock River conference, laboring in the Glasgow and Glendale region.
1839-40, Jessie HERBERT, missionary from Rock River conference, laboring in Fairfield and in the Richwoods region.
1840-1, Moses F. SHINN.
1841-2, Wm. B. COOLEY.
1842-3, Robt. HAWK.
1843-4, Joel ARRINGTON.
1844-5, Hugh GIBSON.
1845-6, Micajah REEDER, Alvin RUCKER, assistant.
1846-7, Joseph BROOKS.
1847-9 , John HAYDEN, J. C. SMITH, assistant.
1849-51, David N. SMITH.
1851-2, Thomas E. CORKHILL.
1852-3, Wm. SIMPSON.
1853-4, Rev. ARMSTRONG.
1854-5, Rev. WILBER.
1855-6, Michael SEE.
1856-7, Hugh GIBSON, J. T. SIMMONS, assistant.
1857-9, O. C. SHELTON.
1859-60, E. L. BRIGGS, S. W. VERNON, assistant.
1861-2 John DARROW, Joseph McDOWELL, assistant.
1862-3, Joseph McDOWELL.
1863-5, P. HOLTZINGER.
1865-6, John ORR.
1866-8, A. J. KIRKPATRICK.
1868-9, Abner ORR, Elias J. PIKE, assistant
1869-70 Strange BROOKS.
1870-1, O. C. SHELTON.
1871-2, S. H. THOMAS.
1872-3, P. F. HOLTZINGER.
1873-4, W. S. MAHAN.
1874-6, J. H. MILLER.
1876-7, J. L. KING.
1877-8, J. T. COLEMAN.
1878-9, J. GASSNER.
1879-80, P. H. BODKIN.
1880-2, H. E. WYCKOFF.
1882-3, A. P. MILLER.
1883-4, W. S. GARDNER.
1884-5, C. W. SIMMONS,
1885-6, A. D. RICHARDS, supply.
1886-7, I. B. SCHRECKENGAST, supply.
1887-8, I. B. SCHRECKENGAST.
1888-90, J. E. WILKINS.
1890-1, J. W. CARSON.
1891-2, H. C. ETHELL.
1892-3, W. L. BAKER, supply.
1893-5, W. R. JEFFREY.
1895-7, G. L. MINEAR.
1897-1900, John H. TAYLOR.
1900-1, Will S. MITCHELL.
1903-4, W. H. SLACK. (note: noone was listed from 1901 to 1903)
1905, C. J. CHRISTENSON.
1906, T. S. POOL.

The circuit name and that of the district in which it was located have changed frequently in this time, as is shown in the following transcript from the records:

Brighton Circuit, 1840-1863.
Fairfield Circuit, 1863-9.
Salina and Glasgow Circuit, 1869-70.
Glendale Circuit, 1870-3.
Fairfield Circuit, 1873-1893.
Salina Circuit, 1893-1901.
Keokuk District, 1840-1856.
Burlington District, 1856-7.
Mt. Pleasant District, 1857-87.
Keokuk District, 1887-1896.
Burlington District, 1896-1907.

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"Jefferson County Republican"
Friday, June 5, 1908
Page 1, Column 3

A SUNDAY AT SALINA.
By H. Heaton

.... It was as pretty a place as one could wish to see. The first time I was ever at Salina was one night in 1860, at a "Lincoln Rally." ... Salina has three pretty churches. Methodist, Presbyterian and Swedish Lutheran, although the Methodist, while the largest and perhaps best of all three, has been abandoned by that people, the only abandoned Methodist church in the county.

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"The Fairfield Weekly Ledger-Journal"
Thursday, January 5, 1922
Page 6, Column 1

(Note: This is a brief excerpt from the article, the rest of which deals with Salina's residents, which was written by Beatrice BAKER who was a pupil at the Salina school.) "No floor in church. The first church was the Methodist. It was situated about the center of Salina. It was a small log building facing west. It did not have a floor...."

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Note in Volume 9 of the Prill Books, a collection of genealogical information at the Fairfield Library, by Mary Prill: 12 Feb. 1968. Mrs. N. B. EVANS believes the old church in a barnyard just north of the Salina Cemetery is the old Methodist Church of Salina.