Submitted By: Kim Sutton
The Paulding United Methodist Church is celebrating not one, but two, major church anniversaries. The first Methodist Episcopal wooden church was built in Paulding in 1874, 150 years ago! The current brick Paulding United Methodist Church was dedicated in 1899, 125 years ago! To commemorate these two important milestones an Anniversary – Homecoming Celebration will be held on Sunday, September 29th starting at 10:30 a.m. A carry-in potluck luncheon will be held after services in the church basement. Some of the previous Pastors will be in attendance to share about their time spent with the church. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend. Our desire is to glorify God in our celebration. Please join us in praising the Lord for all that He has done and is going to do in the future for the Paulding United Methodist Church.
Here’s a little history taken from the archives: The Village of Paulding was laid out in 1850 and the first house was built in 1851. That same year the Methodist North Ohio Conference appropriated ninety dollars [$90] for the Paulding Mission. Joseph Shaw was appointed preacher and he organized the Paulding Society.
Some services were held in the school and others in the old court house. Paulding grew slowly at first as it was still virtual wilderness. Wild animals roamed the streets at night. Sidewalks, if built, were of wood. Streets were only passable in good weather. It was not easy to find good trails or roads leading into and out of town because of the swamps.
The Methodists were the first to build a church in Paulding. They constructed a frame building on land owned by the school board, at the present site of Paulding High School. The Paulding Democrat newspaper published on July 23, 1874 states: “The work on the new Methodist Church, of this place, is progressing rapidly toward a final completion. It is a great improvement to the town in a worldly as well as a moral and spiritual point of view.”
Same paper, Paulding Democrat, published on August 27, 1874 states: “The new Methodist Episcopal Church of Paulding, Ohio, will be dedicated, September 7, 1874, by Rev. A. Harmount, of Lima, Ohio, and Rev. F. Marriott, of Fostoria, Ohio. A cordial welcome is extended to all to attend.”
Then in 1883, the school board decided to build a new brick school building on North Water Street, so it was necessary for the Methodists to move. They paid three hundred fifty dollars [$350] to William F. Straw and Martha L. Straw for lot 93 on North Williams Street. The church was moved there in 1883. The new school was dedicated in 1884 and stood until it was demolished in the late 1980’s.
The church ceased to be on a circuit but was made a station in 1887. The Rev. William Philpott became the full-time pastor, with a congregation of on hundred twenty-five [125] members. The congregation continued to grow to approximately 300 members. It also grew in enthusiasm. It was decided to build a larger, brick church. So, the frame building was moved one block north and one block west to a location on Cherry Street. Services were held there during the construction of a new church.
Ground was broken in February 1898, when S.L. Roberts was pastor, and the cornerstone laid on June 24 of that year. The building committee that was directly in charge of the work consisted of Judge W.H. Snook, chairman, the Common Pleas Judge. James Lynn, Secretary, who later became the leading road contractor of the county; A.R. Geyer, Treasurer, and was President of the Farmers Banking Company. Bricks were made in the Cribbs Brickyard. The architect was Mr. Hale of Defiance. Mr. W.B. Berry, contractor of Paulding, was superintendent of the construction. Important papers were placed in the cornerstone.
The first parsonage stood a block west of the church, later site of the Earl Peeper home on Cherry Street. Then on January 31, 1908 the trustees Gilbert Barnes, S.T. Price, C.H. Cunningham, James Barnes, S.G. Aldred, N.R. Webster, J.P. Crain, James Lynn, and W.H. Mustard bought lot number 100, which adjoins the church lot on the south, from Eleanor and Charles Baughman. Paying for the lot proved to be very difficult, but finally in 1910 the final payment was made and they received a quit claim deed. The frame house on the lot was torn down and a brick house was built matching the general architecture of the church. Rev. Stockstill was pastor at the time and he moved into the parsonage before it was completed. In 1965 the former Gertrude Price home on Williams Street south of the parsonage was purchased. Within two years this house was torn down and the lot was stoned to make a parking lot. The parsonage was remodeled in 1966 by enclosing the back porch and using part of an existing room to make a downstairs bathroom. Because the parsonage was very difficult to heat, and the wiring was in poor condition it was torn down during the 1980’s while Rev. Larry Hopkins was the minister. At that time a lot had been donated on Kay Nora Street and a new parsonage was built. With the old parsonage being torn down the parking area was enlarged and it was blacktopped in 1990.
The above information was taken from the histories kept by Mable Thomas, Marilyn Shrider Ladd and Sandra Wann.
