Lyman's History of old Walla Walla County, Vol. 1 / Embracing Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin counties

by William Denison Lyman

We give here a sketch of the early history of the Methodist Church, not with the desire to overemphasize that denomination at the expense of others, but that by reason of its pioneer nature it was peculiarly typical of the first days. We take this from a historical report prepared by J. M. Hill and E. Smith and presented at the conference at Walla Walla on February 7, 1900. This report contains so much interlocking matter of different kinds as to give it a permanent value:

"On page seventy-four of Rev. H. K. Hines' Missionary History of the Pacific Northwest, we find that the first sermon preached west of the Rocky Mountains was delivered by Rev. Jason Lee at Fort Hall, on Sunday, July 27, 1834. And in a book entitled Wild Life in Oregon, on pages 176-7, we will find that the first Methodist sermon preached at or near Walla Walla was by the Rev. Gustavus Hines, on May 21, 1843, at Doctor Whitman's mission, six miles west of this city. Rev. Gustavus Hines also preached at Rev. H. H. Spalding's Lapwai mission, on Sunday, May 14, 1843.

We find that the first Methodist Episcopal Church organization that was perfected in Walla Walla, or in that part of the country known as Eastern Oregon or Eastern Washington, was in 1859, and at that time the Walla Walla Valley was just commencing to be settled up with stock raisers and traders. The Town of Walla Walla was the principal or most important point, the United States military post being located here, and this place having become the wintering place for miners, packers and freighters from the mines north and east of this country.

The Oregon conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, having jurisdiction over the church work in this section, took up the matter of supplying it with the gospel, and at the annual conference held at Albany in August, 1859, appointed Rev. J. H. Wilber as presiding elder of this field, calling it the Walla Walla circuit, which took in most of that part of the country east of The Dalles, Oregon, comprising the Grande Ronde, Walla Walla, Snake River and Columbia River valleys as far north as the British line and east to the Rocky Mountains, and appointed Rev. G. M. Berry as pastor for Walla Walla circuit.

Brother Wilber and Brother Berry at once started for their field of labor. They came to Walla Walla and commenced the work by holding meetings at different places, at the homes of some of the people and at times in the old log courthouse at the corner of Main and Fifth streets. Soon after taking up the work Brother Wilber and Brother Berry decided to organize a class at Walla Walla, and on Monday, October 11, 1859, met and organized the first class in the district; also held their first quarterly conference. The quarterly conference was called to order by the presiding elder, Rev. J. H. Wilber, and opened with singing and prayer. The pastor, Rev. G. M. Berry, was appointed secretary of the meeting. The following named brothers were elected as the first board of stewards: S. M. Titus, William B. Kelly, John Moar, A. B. Roberts and T. P. Denney. A. B. Roberts was elected as the recording steward.

In January, 1860, the class decided to build a church in the Town of Walla Walla, and appointed a building committee to undertake the work, consisting of the pastor, Rev. G. M. Berry, Brother Thomas Martin and Brother John Moar. At a meeting held in April, 1860, the committee reported that they had selected for a church site lots 6 and 7, block 10, at the corner of Alder and Fifth streets, and that Rev. G. M. Berry had made application to the Board of County Commissioners asking them to donate the lots to the church. At a meeting held on May 21, 1860, the first board of trustees of the church of Walla Walla was appointed, being Brothers T. P. Denney, S. M. Titus, John Moar, Thomas Martin and William B. Kelly, and on May 22, 1860, lots 6 and 7 of block 10 of the original Town of Walla Walla were transferred to the above named trustees for the church by the Board of County Commissioners of Walla Walla County.

The building committee—the pastor, Rev. G. M. Berry, as its chairman—with the few members, at once took up the work of building the church, which was completed in the fall of 1860. It was the first church of any denomination built in Walla Walla, and was built at a cost of $1,046.52, with unpaid bills to the amount of $131.02. These items are taken from the report of the auditor of accounts of the building committee as reported at the third quarterly conference, held at Walla Walla on June 24, 1861, by Andrew Keys, auditor. The pastor, Rev. G. M. Berry, had practically been Sunday-school superintendent as well as pastor ever since the organisation of the class until the church was completed. We fail to find any record of the dedication of this church.

The Oregon annual conference of 1861 created the Walla Walla district and appointed Rev. John Flinn as presiding elder and pastor of Walla Walla. At the Oregon annual conference, held in 1867, the Walla Walla district was divided into one station and four circuits, viz.: Walla Walla Station, Walla Walla, Waitsburg, Grande Ronde and Umatilla circuits.

In 1868, the class having become strong, and desiring a new location for their church building, the board of trustees procured lots on the corner of Poplar and Second streets, bought on May 30, 1868, from W. J. and Abell Arner for $250.00, and deeded to the following named trustees: H. Parker, T. P. Denney, J. L. Reser, Joseph Paul and John W. McGhee. The old church was moved to the new location, repaired and enlarged, and a parsonage was fitted up just east of the church, facing on Popular Street.

At the Oregon annual conference, held at Eugene, August 5 to 9, 1869, all of the membership and appointments formally denominated Walla Walla Station, Walla Walla Circuit and Dry Creek were formed as one charge and called Walla Walla Circuit, to which Rev. John T. Wolfe was appointed as pastor and Rev. Charles H. Hoxie as assistant pastor.