The year 1903 saw 36-year-old Cy Young win 28 games during the regular season for the Boston Red Sox (also known as the Pilgrims, Puritans and Americans), who went on to win the first American League versus National League World Series. Helium, which occurs only very rarely in nature, was discovered in Daxter, Kansas. William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson made available to the public the first production Harley-Davidson motorcycle. To close out the year, Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first powered airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17.

The Princeton Charge continued as part of the Radford District of the Holston Conference in 1903 and included the Princeton, New Hope, Pisgah, Shiloh and Bethel churches with R. A. Owen as pastor of the charge. Collections for the year in support of ministries were as follows: Princeton - $192.29, New Hope - $169.03, Pisgah - $93.36, Shiloh - $65.10, Bethel - $1.00 and Public Collection - $10.37. The pastor of the charge was paid $455.28.

The general state of the church was not well. A quarterly conference entry stated "Out of five Sunday Schools, four continue through the winter months. They are doing about as well as is reasonable to expect, under existing circumstances. They are moderately well attended. The lessons are usually well prepared and the teachers are progressing." Some insight into these "circumstances" is given when later in the year the pastor wrote, "There have been some drawbacks, mostly in the form of indifference, not the most aggressive spirit on the part of church officials, but the work has had a measure of success. Much apathy and some indifference confronts us at all the local churches. The missionary spirit is not buoyant, but it exists in a few." The pastor also wrote "The manner of contributing is altogether without method. We are greatly behind with our assessments, but we have faith in God and in our people." There church saw 11 members added by profession of faith, 4 by certificate and 9 adults and 18 children were baptized. Church membership stood at 393 at the November Quarterly Conference.

The pastor still looked to the future and the possibility of improving the physical conditions of the churches. The November 7 Quarterly Conference reported the appointment of a committee to "look after Camp-ground, to lease, rent or make such arrangements as they may deem best to protect the church's interest in the property." As was written in the article for 1901, this property would be involved in the expansion of Princeton and the building of our present church structure.

The year 1902 saw the birth of famous nature photographer Ansel Adams and the end of the Philippine War. The US Post Office Department began nationwide rural free delivery (RFD) of the mail after several years of trials in West Virginia. The public got its first taste of Barnum's Animal Crackers as well as America's favorite Valentine's Day candy treat, NECCO's conversation hearts.

The Princeton Charge continued as part of the Radford District of the Holston Conference in 1902 and included the Princeton, New Hope, Pisgah and Shiloh churches with R. A. Owen as pastor of the charge. There were six Sunday Schools on the charge, two of which were suspended during the winter months with the literature delivered to the homes of the members so they could continue the lessons. An entry into the quarterly conference minutes reads, "Considering all the disadvantages under which we labor, the schools may be said to be making reasonable progress." R. A Owen wrote concerning preaching during the winter months, "All forms of worship and of service pertaining to a pastoral charge have been observed with regularity for the quarter, with the exception of our afternoon appointment which the pastor failed to reach, but quite a number of extra services have been held at different points. The pastor has also visited nearly, if not all, the public and private schools in his bounds, and has addressed the students on moral and educational subjects." Also concerning education, the pastor wrote, "Only one pupil from this charge is attending college. Our own school, Princeton Academy, is patronized both by local patronage, and by pupils from other neighborhoods. Also the State Normal School at Athens is largely patronized by our own people." Concerning the spiritual state of the church he writes, "We have before us a wonderful field. The vast resources of the church are agitated only on the surface. The harvest is great, but the laborers are few."

The physical conditions of the churches were poor. The church budget was not doing well and the trustees had to take out a $250 loan, mortgaging church property, to meet expenses. The pastor wrote that they were hopeful and praying that all assessment would be paid in full. With little response to the pastor's plea for improvements last year, the pastor again wrote, "All of our churches are in need of repairs. Every effort available is being put forth by the pastor, and a few laymen, to bring about these desired results."

William McKinley, a Methodist, was president of the United States until September 1901 when he was fatally wounded by an assassin's bullet. Vice-president Theodore Roosevelt took over leadership of the country upon McKinley's death on September 14. Albert White was governor of West Virginia and was the second of five consecutive republican governors that would lead the state for years to come. The American Standard Version of the Bible was first published in 1901 and Gulielmo Marconi successfully transmitted the Morris code letter "S" by wireless radio across the Atlantic Ocean.

The Princeton Charge was part of the Radford District of the Holston Conference in 1901 and included the Princeton, New Hope, Pisgah and Shiloh churches. The Princeton Charge also had properties consisting of the Princeton Academy, a parsonage in Princeton and the Camp Ground property. R. A. Owen was the pastor of the charge. The Princeton church was located in a small wood frame church building in the area where the Memorial Building now stands on Main Street.

An elaborate program was carried out in a "watch-night" service at the central church (Princeton) to bring in the new year. Several prominent persons took part in the program which added to the interest of the occasion. In the spring, a "protracted meeting of ten days continuance" was held at the Shiloh church with good results. A "gracious revival of four weeks continuance" was held in April at the Princeton church which accomplished "great good." Approximately 40 persons professed faith in Christ and many of them gave their names for membership. One sermon was preached to the children and "much pastoral instruction was imparted" resulting in conversion of many of the children and quite a large number gave their names for membership in the church.

There were five Sunday Schools in the charge. Two were suspended during the winter months while the others continued to meet. The one in Princeton had made considerable progress and was, perhaps, never better in its entire history. The enrollment was 100.

Near the end of 1901, Pastor Owen reported, "The prospects for the new year are such as to create hopefulness, but little has been done as yet. The church houses are all in need of repairs. Two of them are being improved. Our parsonage is badly in need of repairs." Specifically about the Princeton church he wrote, "Our cause is suffering for lack of a better church at Princeton. We are not only behind the other denominations in town but we are behind the age and behind ourselves, and without a better house in the near future, we will not only fail to command the respect of strangers, but we will fail to command the respect of children as it relates to their church life. And we will fail to respect ourselves, and what is most of all, fail to honor God." The seed for building a new church was planted.

At the fourth Quarterly Conference of 1901, a report was submitted by the Trustees concerning the old Camp Ground property. In 1893, H. G. Woods had been appointed to investigate obtaining title to this property which lay near Alvis' Mill on Brush Creek. The Trustees' report stated, "This property has been lying without much oversight from anyone for several years. It is a valuable tract of land containing 4 or more acres. We have recently had it surveyed. It is worth $200. It contains some valuable timber, particularly for firewood. The land and the timber can be used to greatest advantage in connection with our parsonage, and we recommend that this disposition be made of it. The deed is all right, properly recorded, in possession of the trustees, but not transferred." This little known property in our church history will later play a very major role in the expansion of Princeton and in the building of the church we presently worship in.