In writing a history of the Methodist Church of Eagle Grove from its beginning up to now, one must go back to a time long before the church was officially recognized as part of the North West Iowa Conference.

On the authority of the "History of Wright County" printed in 1915, we find, "that during the Fall of 1854, the year of the first settlers of Wright County, one Rev. Clegg, of the Methodist Episcopal Church came and preached the first sermon in a log cabin on Section 35, belonging to William Stryker".  Mr. Stryker was the very first settler in Wright County.  Later, quoting, "on the 15th day of October 1857, a church composed of eleven members was organized by a Rev. David Day who was preaching at Goldfield, then a thriving little town.  The organization took place in a log cabin on Section 21, belonging to Jose R. Middleton, he acting as their leader".  This cabin was on a spot located across from the Troy Center School.  From time to time meetings were held, usually at a home of one of the Middleton's.  Later they were known as Middleton school groups holding their meetings in a school house located on the Elsa E. Middleton place, later known as the Thebiay farm.  Old timers said that there was at one time a thriving store located just west of the Thebiay barn.

This regular meeting of these Methodist folks was officially recognized, and it became a part of the circuit connected with the Goldfield church.  On December 12, 1879 a Rev. H. C. Brown, then a presiding elder organized them with Elza E. Middleton acting as secretary.  Among the charter members were Mr. and Mrs. James D. Renne, parents of Mrs. W. P. Allen; Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Slaikeu, parents of Alva Slaikeu, and a J. E. Robins who afterwards became a preacher.  Rev. J. G. Henderson was the first pastor and he was followed by Rev. Hugh Hay, sent to the Goldfield circuit by the Conference held at Algona the Fall of 1831.

EAGLE GROVE STARTED

One of his appointments was known as the Middleton's School House.  It was during this year that Eagle Grove was started, and the class was moved at once to the new town, and meetings were held for a time in the town hall.  The name Eagle Grove was given the new town because of it being the name of the post office, then located on the edge of a large timber, on the S. B. Hewett farm, and this grove had received the name because, for a number of years, eagles had made their nest in a very large tree located on the C. H. Griffith farm, recently owned by Grant Trask.  Mr. Griffith was the father of Mrs. Grant Trask and as the settlers became more apparent, the eagles disappeared, but not until, what was to become a very thriving center, had been named after them.  The post office and the name came to the new town site, in which there was not a single tree.

This new town soon took on boom proportions, and it became apparent that there would be need of a church building, and Rev. Hugh Hay started to secure funds for the building, and had plans well under way when he was moved by the Conference.  For a time there was no pastor, but Rev. F. H. Sanderson was sent to the circuit and soon had the task finished, and a nice little church, costing a total of about two thousand dollars, was finished.  It was dedicated on March 19, 1883, free of debt, except for $250.00 which had been advanced by the Church Extension Society.  In the fall Conference of 1883 Rev. H. C. Harmon was sent to the circuit, and as Eagle Grove had grown so rapidly the local church thought they should have a resident pastor.  This question of "where shall the pastor reside" became very bitter and after it was decided that he should reside at Eagle Grove, Goldfield rebelled and it was necessary to send a pastor to each point.  Rev. Harmon left in June of 1884 and Rev. J. C. McCoy was sent to finish the conference year.

REV. WINTER

It became apparent that there was need of a very strong pastor in the Eagle Grove charge, and the conference of 1884 sent us Rev. C. B. Winter, (the C. B. afterwards became known in the conference as standing for Church Builder)  Rev. Winter soon became a very strong force in the entire community, he having a vision of the important part that the Methodist Church should have in this fast growing center.  He began plans for the enlargement and improvement of the church building.  A church spire was added, a bell installed, seating rearranged and general improvements made at the cost of nearly $1,000.00, and on May 31, 1885 this enlarged church was opened for services.  It was just two weeks later, and only a few hours after a Children's program had been held, that the entire structure was completely destroyed by a tornado.  This would have discouraged a less active man, but Rev. Winter rallied his group, about 75 members at that time, and with the insurance money as a nucleus, he went to work soliciting funds.  Methodist churches in far away states helped in small amounts, and there was a donation of $234.50 given by the Chicago & North Western Ry., also donations from well-known citizens of Clarion, such as W. C. Tyrrell, J. C. Harwood, J. M. Overbaugh, and C. M. Nagle.  By October 18,1885 he had the church rebuilt and ready for dedication, and after an inspiring sermon by Bishop Cyrus D. Foss the balance was raised and the new ediface was dedicated free of debt, the total cost being $3,435.70.  It was now just a little over four years since the first home was built in Eagle Grove, but the town had grown to nearly 1500 souls.  Rev. Winter was returned to the charge and finished a very happy and useful three year pastorate.

Rev. W. A. Black followed Rev. Winter and he too was here for three years, and his was a very helpful ministry.  It was during his time here that the Troy Center church became a separate charge, meeting at a school for a number of years.  In 1895 a fine brick church, heated by hot air furnace's, was built under the inspiration of a $2,000.00 gift from Nora Odenheimer Middleton.  The church was built by D. D. Paine, contractor, and cost a total of about $4,000.00, besides much material and labor donated.  A very fine bell, costing $125.00, was donated by Alice Middleton.  This charge continued until the fall of 1921 and was then used as a community center until it burned to the ground in Fall of 1933, after being struck by lightning.  Part of the membership affiliated with the Eagle Grove and part with the Vincent charges.  A considerable portion of the insurance money received after the fire was given the Eagle Grove church.  The fine bell had previously been installed in our new church building.  After the pastorates of Rev. C. B. Winter and Rev. W. A. Black the Eagle Grove charge had a number of short term pastorates, Rev. Phil C. Hanna for but eight months, Rev. George H. Kennedy for four months, Rev. E. M. Glasgow and Rev. A. S. Flanagan for one year each.

THRIVING CITY

Eagle Grove had grown by now to be a thriving little city of 2,000, and the conference of the Fall of 1893 sent one of its very strongest pastors, in the person of Rev. John W. Southwell.  He is well remembered and much loved by many of our older members.  His was a full pastorate of five years, and much was accomplished to build a strong church, both in membership and spiritual effectiveness.  It was during his stay that the great union revival meeting under M. B. Williams was held, after which 196 were received on probation and full membership in the church, and in the one year doubling the total membership.  It was said that on Sunday not more than half of the folks could get into the church for the morning worship, and he entered a campaign to enlarge the building.  He and his membership went to work with zeal, and a very large improvement was planned and completed during the year of 1895.  On September 29, 1895, the enlarged church was dedicated, the total cost of the improvement being, $5,500.00, and it had all been pledged.  This was the church as it stood before we tore it down to build this fine new church building we are enjoying today. 

It was also during his pastorate in 1896 that the Eagle Grove charge entertained the North West Iowa Conference, with Bishop J. N. Fitzgerald presiding, and at the close of this year the total membership of the church was well over 300.  Rev. John Southwell had not succeeded in collecting on all of the pledges toward the new building at the end of his pastorate, and it was for Rev. F. W. Ginn who followed for two years to continue this work.  Many remember him as a delightful pastor.

Rev. Ginn was followed by Rev. George, a brother of John W. Southwell, and he did very well for three years and besides a strong pastorate in many ways he succeeded in leaving the charge clear of all debt.  The Fall conference of 1903 sent our charge a Rev. H. K. Hastings, a very lovable pastor, but during his second year he was incapacitated for the ministry on account of an accident, and was forced, to retire.  He remained in Eagle Grove for some time where he and Mrs. Hastings did all possible to help in the spiritual upbuilding of the church.  After one year on this charge Rev. C. M. Phoenix was compelled to give up the ministry on account of ill health, although his work was very acceptable and the church was thriving.

REV. CHAPLER

Rev. Charles E. Chapler, a very vigorous young man, was sent the charge in the Fall of 1908.  His was to be a very effective pastorate.  He at once began to endear himself, not only to his membership, but to the entire community.  It was during his term that another great union revival was held with over 600 folks going to the altar, and of this number a great many came to the Methodist Church, and again the seating capacity of the enlarged church was, on many occasions taxed.  He also had the parsonage modernized, and his was altogether a very pleasant and memorable church period.  The youth of the church were especially active at this time, and on many occasions the Epworth League would have an attendance of from 70 to 100.

Rev. Chapler was followed by five pastors, each serving two years.  Rev. W. W. Bolinger, a very strong preacher and especially effective in Sunday school work.  At this time the church school reached a new high in interest.  He was followed by Rev. Wilkinson, a splendid man who was doing a very effective work, but left on account of his desire to move into a Kansas Conference.  Rev. Van Cleve came after this move and he was followed by Rev. R. D. Acheson.  His was a very fine pastorate and there had been much interest built up in the prospect of a new church building when the, first world war involved us, and he left this charge to become a Y.M.C.A. secretary in France.  Had this not have happened there is little doubt but that a new church would have been built, and there were but few dry eyes in the audience when Rev. R. D. Acheson bid his church farewell.

Rev. C. H. Seward came to us in the Fall of 1918, remembered on account of the terrible flu and the toll it took in Eagle Grove.  He officiated at 18 funeral services during the first month he was with us.  Rev. Seward was a very fine preacher, and many remember the strength of his sermons.

ACTIVE PASTOR

In the conference of 1920, Rev. W. G. Muhleman, who had been acting as scout executive in the east, returned, and was sent to Eagle Grove.  His was an effective and very active pastorate and extended over a period of eleven busy years.  While his interest was very large in the organization and promotion of boy scout work in Eagle Grove, he was ever alert to the needs of his church, and especially the need of a new building.  It became necessary to make very extensive improvements upon the old building, which had served for over 25 years, or build a new one, and after having received great encouragement from some relatives back east, he created much enthusiasm among the membership to attempt a new building program.

It was during the fifth year of his pastorate that plans had taken on great promise, and the whole church was shocked when on December 1,1925 the Citizens State Bank was closed and all plans for a new church had to be abandoned.  Over 31 thousand dollars were at that time pledged, however, after the conference of the Fall of 1926, with Rev. Muhleman returning, a renewed effort was made to get the project revived, and after many meetings it was decided, in official meeting on March 2,1927, to go ahead with the building of a new church as soon as $45,000.00 had been subscribed.  Great impetuous was given by a gift of five thousand dollars from Mr. and Mrs. Howard B. Ward of New York, a relative of Rev. Muhleman, and it was not long until the goal set had been attained.  On June 5th, the last service was held in the old church building, and this service, was to many, a very sad and impressive one.  Few were there, who attended this service who were not impressed with how much that place of worship had meant to the spiritual life of the community.  The morning of the 6th of June the wrecking crew of Tom J. Wadded started to tear down, and for the time the church and Sunday school was held in the school house auditorium.  All were buoyed up with the hope of a new and better structure being erected to take the place of the old.  Work progressed well, and the week of March 4-11, 1928, was set aside as dedication week with the dedication taking place on March 11th with Bishop F. T. Kenney preaching.  There were 506 present at the first Sunday school meeting in the new church which still stands as a record attendance.

The building of this church stands as a memorial to the untiring efforts of Rev. Muhleman and the loyal support of hundreds of faithful Methodists and friends.  Special mention being made of the magnanimous help from relatives of Rev. Muhleman back east, their total gifts being $16,500.00.  They were Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Ward, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Ward, W. C. Evans, Miss Estelle Ward, Miss Katherine Ward, and Miss Minnie Muhleman.

To these fine folks "back east" we extend our heartfelt appreciation, as well as to every loyal member and friend who gave so unstintingly of their heart and hands toward the erection of this fine ediface.  Every person having a part in this enterprise has every reason to be proud of his or her part, but we feel that special mention should be made of the fine work done by W. E. Warnes who so efficiently handled the finances, and to H. H. Baker who supervised the construction of the building.

DEDICATORY SERVICE

At the dedicatory service it was shown that the structure as it then stood cost $77,012.21, and there were still some lesser items to be cared for such as the sidewalks, lawn leveling, and landscaping, and some furnishings to be purchased.  At the time of dedication the church had a bonded indebtedness of $25,000.00, with off setting pledges which were presumed to be enough to offset.

With the new building came new interest in the church school and all branches of the church became more active, and the pastorate of Rev. Muhleman continued up to the fall of 1931, when Rev. W. L. Breaw was sent to us.  This appointment was a very good one for the charge, as due to the unusual hard times, the pledges toward the new church were not being met, and it became increasingly hard to pay off any of the indebtedness, Rev. Breaw being very good with finances, worked very hard in getting the bonds refunded at a lower interest rate and a new plan for paying off same.  On July 1,1935, Dr. George H. Martin was induced to take over the secretaryship of this fund, and he did succeed, by some very hard individual work, in making some reduction each year in the outstanding indebtedness, it being $10,900.00, on the date that he took over the obligation.  The work of the church generally thrived during the pastorate of Rev. Breaw, and he served for five years.

Rev. J. R. Tumbleson was sent us the fall of 1937, and served us a period of six years.  Rev. Tumbleson was probably one of Eagle Grove's strongest preachers.  His sermons will be remembered for their beauty and strength.  It was in the year of 1938, after the bonded indebtedness had been reduced to $8,700.00, that Dr. Martin proposed a plan, which was adopted by the church bond committee, whereby the entire debt could be cleared within a five year period, if each did their part.  The plan was to the effect that a certain number would pledge and give $20.00 each year, and a number signed up to do this, and with untiring effort, Dr. Martin worked to see that every one of them, some 135 who signed, were seen at least once, some several times each year.  On January 1, 1944, the last bond was paid, and be it said the credit of this church, every dollar of interest was paid, and on date due, and the Methodist Church Bonds were held in very high repute among the businessmen of Eagle Grove.  Mention must be made that upon occasions Dr. Martin, personally borrowed money to meet the interest due.  To him much credit must be given for, what seemed to be almost an unbelievable accomplishment during the trying times, and this church will never forget his untiring efforts.

Since the dedication of the church on March 11,1928, almost to the day, sixteen years ago, we have expended, in addition to the amount of $77,012.21 reported at that time, a total of approximately $10,500.00, $7,912.22 being interest, making the total cost of our place of worship $87,579.53.  This is a very large sum and that we can meet here on this day, the 12th of March, 1944, under the leadership of our new pastor, Rev. Clarence W. Tompkins, sent us just this last fall, and see the full fruition of the labor of so many loyal souls, should indeed cause us to give thanks to Him from who all our blessings come.  We should and shall here rededicate ourselves to continue to serve, that nothing of the good of the past be lost.

SHORT HISTORY

While in writing this short history of the church, it has been impossible to go into much detail, and while we have endeavored to be accurate, there may be errors, but, it is impossible for anyone to study the records without being grateful for the faithful work in this church of such as the Middleton's, Paine's, Keith's, Smith's, Warnes's, Schwenck's, Martfeld's, Cooler's, Williamson's, Renne's, Allen's, Porter's, Johnson's, Robinson's, Scott's, Donly's, Fothergill's, Harpham's, and others who have built in years gone by, that we might enjoy, now, the fruits of their labor.  Many have gone on to their rich reward, few remain of the older group, but we who are younger should get inspiration from their lives to carry on with a renewed courage, to the end, that the Eagle Grove Methodist church should be a potent factor in the furtherance of His Kingdom on Earth.

Since the Methodist Church was declared to be free of debt on that memorable day, March 12,1944 under the pastorship of Rev. Clarence Tompkins, most of the years have passed with but little more than the regular services.  After Rev. Tompkins left us to organize Friendship Haven at Fort Dodge, much regret was expressed that he was leaving, but all wished him the best in the new endeavor, which seemed to be an almost unsurmountable task.  He had served the church in Eagle Grove for seven years. 

Rev. Tompkins was followed by Rev. Harrison G. Dawes and under his leadership the church showed steady growth.  He and his family made a deep impression on the entire community.  He left us to serve the Estherville Church, and was then in 1957 appointed Superintendent of the Spencer District.

Rev. Roy H. Cox came to us in 1954, and served until 1961, when he retired to live in Eagle Grove.  Due to the shortage of ministers he accepted an assistant pastorate at First Church, Fort Dodge.  Rev. Cox was followed by Rev. Lyle W. Lieder.  Rev. Lieder was a very strong leader, and soon the church was awake to the need of additional church school facilities.  Much progress was made during his pastorate, but on March 15,1965, he was called to the large church at Spencer, Iowa.

On April 18, 1965, Rev. Bernard G. Olson was sent to our church from Kenwood Church, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  It was during his pastorate that the men of the church began a campaign for new Church School facilities in earnest.  After some $145,000.00 in cash and pledges were made, an architect was hired and plans were accepted and the fine addition to the church was completed.  This new building is expected to meet the requirements of the church school for years to come.  Rev. Olson was sent to Independence last conference and Rev. Donald L. Forbes was sent to our church.  His strong sermons are bringing many to the services.  Under his leadership our church should experience a Spiritual revival.  We can truly say that Rev. Forbes is among the very best pastors we have ever had.  Our church has responded to his forceable sermons by attending in large numbers, many Sundays having an attendance of around 300.  The Church School has been gaining of late. 

In the past few years we have made great progress toward clearing the debt on the new church school addition, with a confident hope that the obligation will be cleared by December 31, 1971.  Besides paying off this indebtedness, the interior of the church has been improved, a new organ has been installed and paid for, the outside has been sanded and joints filled and a glaze finish put on at a total cost of about $8,000.00.  Personally, I have been real proud of our congregation.

On May 18, 1901 the following men signed the articles of incorporation, signing as Board of Trustees. N. Slaikeu, J. S. Keith, A. P. Johnson, J. S. Paine, S. O. Pillsbury, Hugh Donly, R. N. Healy, W. E. Warnes and Jno Buchanan.

On April 13, 1968 the General Conference united The Methodist Church and the Evangelical Brethren Church and henceforth the Church will be called "The United Methodist Church."  Our Articles of Corporation were changed, by unanimous vote, to meet this requirement.