HISTORY OF CORI/IlIE METHODIST CHURCH
from l.8?O to 1946
(llritten and presented by Mrs . C. G. Adney at a special
75 annivsroary sorvioe. at Corinne Church June 1946. )
I aoknovodge with thanks tha help given in re.saroh by Dr. II. E.
Blackstock, s . Charlotte Ferry, Rev. W. C. Phelps and to Rev. L. V.
Loveland for the loan or hie book by Henry Merkel on 'The History of
Methodism in Utah',
Corinne J1ethodist Church has the distinction of heing, not only the
rirst Methodi.t Church, but also the first Protestant Church to be dedicated
in Utah. This ohurch vaB dedicated. September 20, l8?O. L. C. lemon vas
its first pastor.
On July 17th, l.8?O Dr. Q. M, Fairce, suparintendent of the Utah Mission,
Bishop E. R. Ames and Chaplain McCabe held ohurch services in the Corinne
Opera House at ~bich a subsoription list Y8S started tor a Methodist Episcopal
Churoh. .1100 was quiokly subscrihe<l. The folloving day another ' 450
ws Bubsoribed. This same day a lot was selected and plans draw. On
J~ 26th the contract was let and in lesa than tvo months this edlt1ca
waa dedicated. Total coat was $4000, of \lhloh 11,000 vaet donated by the
Board of Home Missions ot oburch extension.
Tho history tram l.8?O until 1892 is sketchy and meager, but Henry M,
)terkel ' 8 book 'bn History of Methodism in Utah showB assignment ot pastors
to Corinne charge [change] each yaar. Records in the custody of Dr. II, E.
Blaokstook show three pastors during this peri nd having been assigned to
Ogden and Corinne, one to Tooele aDd Corinne and one to .Jordan Valley and
Corinne. Minutes ot the conterenoe ot 1888 reoord this bit or oocment.
''or years the town has been on a deoline and the churoh Wlocoupied, except
by an o008sioo&l visit from the superintendant.
In 1892 Rev. Oeo. O. Streeter, then pastor of Corinne churoh, reoords
the following oommentaryl
'The Methodist Church of' Corinna has not been used t'or worship for 12
years, hence ve ound it in very bad oondition. glass nearl1 all broken,
floor torn up, plastering orf, seat:o gone . By the blessing of' God we have
been able to repair it at a cost or . 350, all of whioh has been paid in by
the good people ot Corinne. Now va have 8 oonfortable place or vorship,
with a large and attentive oongregation and a Sunday School numbering 65 in
attendance. The S. S. V8S orgnn1zed Dec. 7th, the ohurob reopened Jan. 24- .
From then until the present time thB churoh has been open and in USB a8 a
place of voNhip.
SOl!8 ohanges have been made in the original structure f'ro:'\ time to time.
One important OM. the oement ooping, ''08 oonstructed about 1914 to preserve
and strengthen the foundation and briok wall, whiob latter was graduallT
eroding awaY', making the church unsate tor use. This \l8S done at a cost
or . 500.
2
Tho window glalina his beon ronoved throo t1mos. I .... told b7 ona or
the old-timors, still Uving, Hr. BosleT, who glased tbo windows in l.892,
thlt t ho origins1 windows wo,.. lovel:v stained gl .. s of tho IIeJOOr1s1 t;vpe,
depicting sacred characters and scenes. The moat reoent renewal ot the
glas. on tho wast windows was dono within the month. (June 19$ . )
In 1905 the trams ~stib10 was hui1t. In 1911 tho cement stoop, banisters
and walks VBre construoted. In 1915 eleotric lights vera installed.
During tho :rears trom 1900 to 1906 tho Corinno pastor .erved a oharp
near Trotlonton, then known a8 the Iowa String, driving to and tram services
by means ot horse draw buggy.
A parsonage was maintained at Corinne tor many years 'hen this church
membership V88 at its peak and batoJ!'e the Tremonton ohuroh parsonage vas
built. It 1s the reoolleotion ot the oldest members here that the parsonage
in Corinne vas occunied by the pastor until about 1925, when the r8aldanCG
\188 ohanged to Tremonton.
The onlr exiating records in our possession ot the Ladies Aid Society
sbov ita organization on October 10, 1901, with a membership ot 23. Thia
orpoi.otion funotioned until ahout 1925. During theae manr :rears it held
regular meetings, and served and supported the church ralthtu1l;v end well.
In 1923 the Iedie. Club was orpnized with a membership or 24. Thia
orgnnization has remained an aotive unit, vithout interruption, aver since.
It is nov the onl;v ladies amdUar:v of the ohurch. Its funds , obtained
trom teas and contributions, are devoted. almost entirely' to the support
and upkeep of t 1-. ohurch. It holds oonth17 meethings and has an active
... 'ber.hip or 12. During it. existonce it haa worked devotodl:r end untirinal:v
to improve and maintain the pb,ysiee1 at ructure or the ohuroh, and to be1p
paT current expen... . It is larpl:v throuell its program and .upport thlt
the 1m ovement s at the past several years have been made.
Sunday school records are not complete, tho \Ie have records dating
back as tar &8 1.892. The largest enrollment ot record vas in 1915, when
membsrship numbered 127.
During the manr :rears, up until ebout 1915, we hid an aotiva Epworth
League, alao a Junior League.
(Cendle Lighting Ceremony, Vesta 1'81'l7, Joyn. qeynold •• )
Prem 1870 until l.892 ten pastor. tilled tho oharp, vi ••
L. C. Damon
J . N. Jameson
P. S. Stain
A. B. Gluckner
L. W. B. Long
M. Hov1aon
Henry Sknn
Minutes say 'Tooele
and Corinne to be
18'70-72
1872- 73
1873
1874
1875
1876
1877
.uppUed' 1878
'Corinne to be .uppUed 1879
A. W. Adkin.on 1882- 83 Corinno end Ogdon.
Q. ' . J.rr.17 l884 Corinno and Jordan ValleT
G. E. Jayn. 1885
3
From 1892 until the present the charge has bean served by 8 total of
20 pastors , the names ot wbom will strike 0 chord in the memories of those
present who have knovn and worked vith these individuals. The,. are, in
their orders
Geo. 0 Streeter, 1891-92 C. J. ·.Mekkelson 1907-09
R. M. Hardman 1892-93 B. W. Driver 1909-11
E. H. SllO\I 1893-97 J. H. Irvine, 1 mo. 1911
A. W. Hartshorn 1897- 1900 Thos F. Jofanwarlng 1911-14
Jos. Wilks 1900-03 T. G. Godwin 1914- 15
G. E. MoGarEOr 1903-04 B. T. Fisk 1915-17
R. E. Gilpin 190;.-07 5, Allison 1917- 21 -------
Tho. F. Manwaring 1921- 25 (Sinc. 1946)
D. A. Gregg 1926-27 A. N. Pritohard, June '46-lIov. '46
Alvin R. Diokson 1927- 32 Eva W. Brow Doo. '46-Ma,. ' 47
E. M. Gordon 1932- 38 Floyd Stevens June '47-J~ '48
R. P. Goff 1938-44 W. J . PdrsoM June ' 49-June '50
II. C. Phalpa 1944- 46 Gile V. Wilaon June '50-June ' 52
Alan Anderson • '52- ' '53
Chas . Jones • '53-Sept ' 53
B. E. Lepper Oct. '53-
Superintendents who presided. during the foregoing years a1'e 88 tollows.
T. C. Il1rf (Sine. 1946)
John L. Loilleh Dr. II. C. Wampler
Henry Jamos T.lbot Dr. Monford L. Jackson
E. L. Millo
J. J . Lace
C. W. Hancher
W. E. Blackstock
In oollecting data tor this history, the yarlouB members who vere co~
taoted were inclined to dwell 1llO1'8 upon the pastors, who f'or the past 4S
years have f'illed this pulpit, than upon the history of' the church, cha1'acter1z1.
n& them as 1ndi vidual. falling into cla.... aDd categories of Godl,y,
evangelical, orthodox, i'rlendly, homsspJn, profound, benevolent and many
like appelatlons of love and reap9ot. It \l8S noteworth3' that not one adverse
comment of theBe pastors ¥BS voiced by anyone who, through -the years ot
their f'u1t1lment of this charge, labored and llved close to these pBstors.
I have here recorded 0 tew of these reminiscences l
Rev. Wilks, known and loved as the grand old man ot the homoapm type,
a true missionary ot God.
Rev. Gilpin, the evangelist, who brought scores to the alter in humble
submission to God tbru his interpretation ot the Prodigal son, and other
touohing dramatic portrayals ot Biblical tame. It is noteworthy. also,
that, in the main, these converts, \lh11e perhaps swayed by the emotional,
remainad true followers of' Christ.
Rev. Driver, who brought his congregations f'loom tears to laughter in
one short second, \laS the man of the hour, de]lBrting from the orthodox type
of sermon to give long discourses on Savonarola, or on the topic at the
day. Who publlcl,y repr1lllanded hi. wit_ .nd three _11 tot. •• the,. came
late to church, and .tirred the _path,. of tho oongr.gation for her, but
4
attar all, should she not set the tine example tor the woment olk ot the
congregation. And he , when the day vas bot, paused to remove coat, collar
and tie fro greater comfort and in order that he Ddght do greater Ju.tice
to his aO:l'IlIon.
Rev. Ma!1var1ng, the f'l.''lend of all, who rose to the exbaulted and stooped
to t he manial tasks 0 the chura And our only pastor to return tor a
second term after an absenoe ot seven years, Who jokod with bis paritlonel's
in the grocery store and vept with them at the graves of their loved onss,
S. Allison, the English gentleman, plain, straightforward, reticent
and po ••••• ing rare g1fis in interpretetion of tho Scripture.
D. A. Gregg, another evangelist who POSS8SSad a rare magnetism tor
gathoring around hiD into a Bible claa. the men of tho congregation.
Elbridge M. Gordon, the profound man of letters, whose 11!!18rmonB on
Biblical topics, 8S veIl 8S on political Bubjects and on temperanoe, beld
his listeners in raps attention fllId wishing that all the world might hear
bis message.
Rev. Gotf', our triune pelstor, who V8.8 preacber, evangelist and builder,
..,ho rolled up his sleoves on w ek days to tackel the barde~t of lImlual tasks
and filled the pulpit in a .... terM manner on Sunday.
And t hen our 0\111 beloved. Rev. Phelps who grows with us i n admiration
and respect and who vil l go down vtth out long list or loved and honored
pastors.
And ao thi. church todaf is i11ed with tho . pirit of tho.e GodlJ'
ministers ot the gos pel whose sence and intluence vill permeate these
valla as long as the physical structure remains, and vill actuate the lives
or those who have known them end have bonefi t ted by their Christian l>1nistrationa.
During t he past thraa years the churoh has reoeived oubstantial oontributions
f'r0lll the Corinne land Owners Association, an organization reoeiving
its tunds tbru the Corinne Ibeaaant Area , and allocated to 110 according to
tho totel of land owned by oteatant people within the araa. The •• donatiooa
have been devoted to church building improvements.
Histories ar a a record ot plaoes, events and people, and so tar, I
have confined this history large1)r to t he chln'Ch, its tmmders, pastors
and events. Ha1 I nov pause to mention some persolUllities oonnected with
the cburch, both in past and present history.
One of the most faithtul and staunchest supporters or the church tor
the pa.t 45 yeara is Hra. Charlotte Ferry. Since 1901 .he haG tl6intained a
constant and active membership, serving in many capacities, both in the
ohurch and S\D'lday sohool. She is a charter member of both the Ladies Aid
Society and the Ladies Club, is nov a trustee, a ateward, churoh treasurer,
and is active in M7 and all oommittees upon whioh aha Is called to serve.
Is a member ot t he general comm1 ttee ot arrangenents tor this event.
It is quite fitting that, whon the old parsonage vaa . old, her husband,
the late J . Y. Ferry, long a member and ardent supporter of this churoh,
purchased it tor a home. It vas moved to its present site, remodeled and
1s still the homo or Mrs. Fe~ and ber daughter, Vesta.
Mrs. W. R. Holmes, 8 member since 1904, ranks next in seniority. She,
like Mrs. Forry, is still active in all aftairs of the ohurch. She has
served in past years as assistant Sunday school Superintendent, teaoher of'
a boys class, assistant organist and has been active in the affairs of the
olub for mnn7 years.
other member s of' long standing are Mr. and s. S. A. Older and Mr.
and Mrs . A. L. Shaw, their memberships dating beak to 1906. Mr. Older and
Mr. Shaw have been trustees tor many years. Hr . Shaw, an ex-teacher of
a very active boy ' s olass is instrumental and helpfUl in any and all building
improvements. Mrs. Older and Mrs. Shaw have eaoh given much time and
effort to the atfaira of the ohurch and Sunday school and to the Ladles
Aid, both having served as president ot the latter and Mrs. Shaw now serving
ber second year as President of the Ladies Club.
Mrs . Jennie Boker, active as a mer:lber since 1906, Is at present a
trustee and a steward and. an active Ladies Club member.
).hoa. Ellen Larsen has been a devoted. member for 31 odd years.
We have on our roll a former member, one, Mrs. Winnie Baker Sommer,
who, while having transterred. her membership to a ohuroh in Peoria, IU.
still maintains a keen interest in the affairs at this ohuroh. Sha and
her husband, Mr. D. P. SQlTI..mer, oontribute generously to the support of'
our improvement progrmns. To them \Ie extend credit and thanks.
Our two newest members as ot April 14 1946 are Mr. and Mrs. James
Reed. Since coming to out' co:::munity tvo years ago they have given generously
or their time, tslents and financos, both to the Sunday School and tbe
church. Hr. Reed. is the answer to the prayer s of the ladies of the church
tor an ever read3' and lIilllng helper in time ot need. He has been exceedinglf
helpful with all our recent improvements.
£xtenei ve improvements have beon ade, both vi thin and 1d thout the
ohurch, during the past year, at the completion of which va held rededication
services January 13, 1946, at whioh time the Rev. Laird V. Loveland
ot Ogden Uethodist Church filled the pulpit, assisting Rev. II. C. Phelps.
On June 2, 19~ a similar meeting to this ot today vas held 1dth Bishop
Hammaker presiding, at which time ve cOIlJllemorated our 70th annl:veraat7.
On July 12, 1942 special semoas wore held in this churoh by the
Episcopalian8 of' the State, with Bishop Houlton in charge, aesisted. by
Rev. Geo . H. Argyle and Venereblo 11m. F. Bulkley, it being the 'lOth anniversary
ot the founding of the Episcopal church in Utah. (The first Episcopal
church was built and derlicated in Corinne in 1870, but no longer stands,
hence the Met hodist churoh WBS utiliaed tor the anniversar,r eervices) .
Our presant aotive church membership is 17. Sundayachoo1 26.
Our members are few but our purpose is great, vizt To do our part
in maintaining and preserving this churoh, not only 88 long a8 it oerves
our needs , but as long 8S there Is a need for it in this oommunity_ We
regard that this historic edif'ice 1s ours in trust. It wss f'iven into
our hands a \lell- preser-ved structure. It is our purpose and. 81m to deliver
1t into the bands of another generation in a like oondition.
