We are grateful to Robert L. Teters for providing this document.
Methodism was introduced to Marietta and Washington County on June 29, 1799, by Robert Manley. The Wateford United Methodist Church had its beginning at the mouth of Congress Run, an area also called Federal Bottom, something less than two miles down the Muskingum River below Waterford. Meetings were held in the home and also in the grist mill of Thomas Featherston, the first Methodist speaker on the bottom, before there was a church building. Meetings were subsequently held in the little log schoolhouse which was built a few rods up the river. In 1828 Stephen Devol, a "pillar of the church", sold to the trustees of the Methodist Church for one dollar, a lot near the river on which a log church was erected. The church was in the Marietta circuit and was served by Peter Cartwright, followed by Leroy Swormstedt, and Jacob Young.
About 1852 it was decided to build a larger church. On October 6, 1852, Charles Bowen, George Bowen, and Mary J Bowen, wife of Dr George Bowen of Waterford, gave to the church one acre of land, one of the finest building sites in the village. People of all denominations, and of none, helped with the building. George Townsend, long a leading member of the church, sawed the lumber for the church from native timber. Its dimensions were thirty-six by fifty-two feet, and consisted of a large room and a vestibule in front which provided shelter for saddles and other paraphernalia in stormy weather. The main entrance was in the center. Two door opened from the vestibule into the sanctuary from which two aisles led to the pulpit and altar in the south end. At these doors the brethren and sisters parted company, the men going to the left and the women to the right. The block of seats between the two aisles was occupied chiefly by women, but a man and women could sit together there without offense. The one coal heater occupied a space a little forward of the center, and two or three seats in front of it were occupied by the relatives at funerals and by others on special occasions. The seats in the corners faced the pulpit and were occupied by the fathers and mothers in Israel and constituted the "Amen Corners." A row of lamp posts bearing tall brass lamps in which lard oil was burned stood along each aisle, and two similar lamps graced the corners of the pulpit. There were four windows on each side and two in the south end. They were composed of panes of eight by ten inch glass and screened by outside green shutters while the body of the building was white. Uriah Heatrh, the presiding elder of Marietta District, preached and conducted the dedication service in August of 1853. There was no debt remaining. As Jacob Young was at that time a prominent figure in Ohio Methodism, it was decided to name the new church "Young's Chapel" in his honor, but this name was dropped later.
At this time the church was on the Barlow circuit, which was manned by two preachers, who came to each point once in four weeks. In order to do this, some appointments had to be served on weekdays. About 1865 Belpre was made a separate charge, and in 1879 Waterford became the head of a circuit of four appointments which later increased to five. Oakland has since became a station and Center has been closed. Later, Waterford became a half station with preaching twice each Sunday, and two afternoon appointments filled on alternate Sundays. Maple Grove was closed and the building and land sold in 1941. At the present time there is preaching each Sunday forenoon at Waterford, Salem, and Watertown. This practice was begun by Reverend Ralph Bauserman.
Mrs George Bowen was the founder of the first Sunday School in Waterford, which was held in the little brick schoolhouse across the road from the church. Until the early seventies it would be announced in October that the Sunday School would be closed for the winter. The following April, the preacher in charge would announce at the close of the preaching service ice that they would organize the Sunday School. Nobody was expected to take any part in this procedure except the older church members whose families had grown up, and who themselves thought no more of attending it than they did the district school. An elderly brother would be elected superintendent, and Sunday School would begin the next Sunday. There were no lesson leaves or quarterlies. There were little cardboard covered question books with questions and answers. The same one was used year after year. Pupils too small for this said their "A B C's" or spelled easy words. In the later seventies, the older young people, who found the Sunday School better than no place to get together, rose up in rebellion against the winter closing and won.
Though much remodeling was done through the years, a larger building was needed. In 1928, under the leadership of Reverend Harry Dye it was decided to build, and on July 22, 1928, a farewell service for the old church was held. The afternoon address was given by Reverend Edward Russell Stafford, of Worthington, who also spoke in the evening. On the morrow the furniture was moved and the work of clearing the ground for the new church was begun. Material from the old building was sold for two hundred dollars and the estimated value of the old material used in the new building was three hundred dollars. During the months of tearing down and rebuilding, services were held regularly in the new auditorium of the high school. The corner stone was laid on October 14, 1928, with H J Holcombe, Athens District Superintendent, officiating.
On Easter Sunday, March 31, 1929, the building was dedicated. It had been in use for a month, but some work was necessary before it was ready for dedication. The first sermon delivered in it was preached on February 3, 1929, by Reverend Maxwell Hall, county director of religious education, and the first funeral held in the church was that of George Newbanks, on Saturday, Feb 9, 1929. Easter was ushered in at sunrise by a beautiful praise and baptismal service at which the large picture window, given by Mrs H F Devol, of Kansas City, Missouri, in memory of her parents, Dr and Mrs George Bowen, was dedicated. After Sunday School, Dr Harry J Holcombe preached an excellent sermon. At noon a covered dish dinner was served. In the afternoon the dedicatory message was brought by John G Benson, D D, superintendent of White Cross Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and the ritual ceremony by Reverend Holcombe, Reverend Dye, and Reverend Sayre of Marietta. W W Mason, the church secretary, read a complete financial statement giving the actual cost of the building to be only $15,229. This was made possible by the Waterford Mill and Supply Company furnishing all material at cost, and by the donations of work. One thousand on hundred seventy-three dollars were pledged before the day was over toward the church debt of approximately $2,400. The pledges were laid on the historic old Bible from the first church. The closing service in the evening consisted of a section of a pageant, "The Eternal Light"; solos, recitations, and a number by the primary class.
On Sunday, June 2, 1935, the church celebrated the paying of the church debt and the burning of the mortgage. The Sunday School attendance for the thirteen Sundays during March, April, and May averaged about two hundred forty. Because of the record attendance, Edwin Pabst generously contributed the amount remaining to be paid on the church debt. Dr Timmerman, District Superintendent, was the speaker and had charge of the mortgage burning. Reverend Charles E Palmer was the local minister at the time of this happy occasion.
The parsonage, located east of the church on the same lot, was used until October 6, 1936. At that time Mary Flowers gave the present parsonage to the church, and the original parsonage was rented as private property. On October 4, 1940, the newly acquired parsonage was sold to C L Sprague with Mary Flower's approval. The original property was repaired and used until Dec 19, 1968, when the C L Sprague home was bought, to again be used as a parsonage. The Reverend Wesley Thatcher and family were the last occupants of the old parsonage, which was moved across the street by the buyer, Ralph Kelby, and the former location was made a church parking lot.
On December 6, 1970, the new parsonage was dedicated by Dr Joseph R Graham, Athens District Superintendent, who looked on as the mortgage burning took place. Wesley N Thatcher, the minister, was assisted in the burning by Orton Wallace, Eldene Barnett, and Francis Sampson.
The McNeilan Bible Class was organized on February 15, 1910, with thirty-five adult members. The Friendly Class was organized on March 23, 1910, with twenty-five members. Minerva Culver was the teacher. (Web Page Author's note: Miss Culver is the author of an early history of the congregation. Click here to read this history.) The C T N(Carry the News) Class was organized in the early nineteen hundreds with Agnes Zumbro being one of the early teachers. The class and the monthly social class meetings were held until about 1977. The Baraca-Philathea Bible Class, after several years of existence, was issued a charter on March 29, 1938. At the time of the burning of the church mortgage, the teacher was Claude B Rexroad. On that Sunday the class filled the entire west side of the sanctuary. At present the Sunday School classes are the Friendship,. Senior High, Junior High, Jolly Juniors, Third and Fourth Grades, Grades One and Two, and Pre-school. Maynard Swingle is the superintendent.
The United Methodist Women's organization has grown from the Ladies Aid and later the Woman's Society of Christian Service. At the present time, the president is Eldene Barnett. The United Methodist Youth Fellowship was organized in the early 1940's. The youth leaders at present are Jerry and Deborah Barnett. The president is Gina Biedel, and there are sixteen members. This group serves Waterford, Salem, and Watertown. The United Methodist Men's organization was granted a charter on November 26, 1965. Richard White is the chairman.
Edmund Barnett made a gift of five thousand dollars to the Waterford United Methodist Church, which on August 14, 1972, was established by the trustees of the church as the Edmund Barnett Family Scholarship Trust. The recipient of each scholarship is to be a member or child of a member of the Waterford Church. Those who have received the scholarships are Scott Hughes, Peggy Farmer, Brian Wallace, Gregory Allen, Fran Roe, and David Pierce.
Many appointments have been given to the church in addition to the large memorial window. The other stained glass windows were given in memory of Ermina McNeal(a member for seventy-five years), Cora M Roberts, Rebecca Agnes Zumbro, Mayme Townsend, L C and Louise Oldaker, Amelia Whitmer Geer, Susannah Power, Mr and Mrs H Beckett, Mr and Mrs E O Humphrey, Mr and Mrs J E Barnett, Finley Flowers and Mother, Eliza V Martin, and Joseph M Martin. All of the gifts, whether large or small, have been a positive force in the life of the church. A permanent record of the donors and their gifts is in our Church Memorial Book.
The current pastor is Reverend Robert Thomas, native of Circleville, Ohio, who is a 1977 graduate of Duke Divinity School.
Note: pastors since 1979 and dates of pastorates have been prepared from church records by Tim Vermande, PhD student at Southern Methodist University.