Church

The Webster City Methodists were organized on January 2, 1857, by Rev. David Power Day. Meetings were first held at the White Fox School, two miles north of Webster City. There were 18 charter members of this society. In 1862, under the leadership of Rev. Elijah Kendall, the services were moved to Webster City. These were held in the first log school house, in the Town Hall on Seneca Street, and in Rhoades Hall on Seneca.

A building lot for the proposed church, Lot 1, Block 100, was purchased for $100 from Walter C. Willson and his wife, Calista Willson, and Sumler Willson and his wife, Abbie M. Willson. The Willson families then donated the $100 to the congregation. The Warranty Deed was dated October 3, 1859. An effort was begun in 1862 to secure funds to build the first church in town. A building committee of Simon Day, David Beach, and O. W. Story worked to raise funds for a church building. They met with little success in raising money at the time.

A church parsonage was built on Lot 14, Block 99, in the Dubuque and Pacific Railroad Plat. It was a small one-story building, first occupied by Rev. William Black in 1862. He received a preacher's salary of $239 for 1862. It was raised to $400 for 1863. The congregation at this time numbered 26 members. An annual "Thank Offering" was collected. This consisted of wood, dressed hogs, beef, butter, beans, apples, and sorghum.

In 1865, the growing congregation desired permanent quarters, so another building committee of Simon Day, Albert Cook, and David Beach worked anew to raise the necessary funds for Webster City's first church. In 1866, a contract was let to Alex Turner and Samuel Baxter for construction of a brick structure with no basement, two doors facing east, and a steeple in the northeast corner of the building. The aisles ran on both sides of the church. Pews were situated between the aisles. The cost of the building was reported in the Hamilton Freeman as $4,000, but church records show the final cost of building and furnishings as $5,250. The foundation stones were obtained from the Swanson Quarry on Brewer Creek; the bricks were obtained from Ira Hillyard's brick yard. The structure was completed in early 1867. A picture of this "Church on the Prairie" is shown with this article. Sheep can be seen grazing at the northeast corner of the church.

The Nov. 11, 1868, edition of the Freeman reported that a drive was underway to raise funds for a church bell. The editor of the Freeman urged all citizens to get behind this worthy project. The bell later was hung in the bell tower. Before the dedication of any Methodist Church could take place it must be fully paid for, so the dedication did not take place until July 15, 1868.

In 1870, the church was closed for a time when part of the plaster ceiling collapsed. The Freeman of March 16, 1870, contained a question concerning the safety of the building. Repairs were made, and the church was re-opened on January 25, 1871.

The only other building on Block 100 was the Union School which was situated on Lot 3, facing east. A north-south street, named Park Street, divided the block which now contains the Middle School. The east half was designated Public Ground on the plat, which is pictured with this article. The church became known as the "Church on the Prairie," since the city at that time was situated mostly east of Willson Avenue.

In 1873, the first parsonage was sold to Jacob M. Funk. The church then purchased the lot next door to the east, Lot 13, Block 99, from John D. Hunter, publisher of the Freeman, for $100. Here they built a two-story parsonage.

Ten years later, in 1876, the county built the second courthouse on the north half of the public grounds. Park Street was vacated at that time. The south half then became the Courthouse Park. Much later, the Courthouse Park was sold to the schools and became the site of the Elm Park Elementary School. It was named Elm Park because it was on Elm Street and located in the Courthouse Park.

On March 10, 1880, the Freeman reported that the congregation had grown to 130 members. Soon, the increasing number of members began to tax the structure. At the same time, the Webster City schools felt the need for a larger schoolhouse. The schools approached the church officials with an offer to buy the church lot. B. F. Miller, a local banker, donated lots 8 and 9 in Block 99 for the new building site. Church trustees, W. A. Cook, E. R. Lee, and David Beach sold the old church property to the Independent School District for $350. The deed was dated July 1, 1885. A provision in the deed stated that the church could remove all building materials until July 1, 1887, when possession would pass to the school district.

The cornerstone for the second M. E. Church was laid on May 12, 1886. The third parsonage was built in 1896 on Lot 8 while the church was built on Lot 9, both in Block 99 of the Dubuque and Pacific Railroad addition.