FRENCH CREEK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH HISTORY
(updated AUGUST 2015)
In 1811, Robert Young and Gilbert Gould, from Massachusetts, settled on Mulberry Ridge, about two miles south of the present Presbyterian Church in French Creek. Lacking a church, services were held in Robert’s home, Records show that the early families included the Youngs, Phillipses, Perrys, Morgans, Sextons, Leonards and othe
rs. In 1864, a group of seven people met in French Creek to plan a Methodist Episcopal Church organization and building. The next year, in 1865, a log house of worship was built on the old Booney Young farm, about a mile from the church’s current location. We have a record of 20 members in 1868. A new frame building was erected in 1882 on the site of the present church, but in June, 1911, it burned when the post office building near it was robbed and set afire to cover the robbery. By that time, the congregation had grown to about 120 members, and they immediately set about building a new church, contributing their individual talents and resources. Many worked at the going rate for labor ($2/day), and those wages were frequently returned to the church via the offering plate. The new church was debt-free when it opened in 1912. Colerider was the chairman of the building committee. Others on the committee included Frank Page and A.L. Phillips. The trustees were M.H. Rexroad, Henry Colerider, John Armstrong, Dr. F.F. Farnsworth, and W.B. Head carpenters were Clint Reed and his bvrother, Richard. Parley Rexroad was a very fine carpenter whi installed the stained glass windows. Other assistants included Odie Snyder and Abe (A.L.) Odie Snyder, a teen-ager at the time, recalled that he helped haul the old leaded stained-glass windows from Buckhannon to French Creek on a hayrack. These windows, the doors, church bell, pews, and matching wainscoting, altar railing and pulpit, were all purchased from the congregation of the First Methodist Church in town. They were dismantling their old church after building the big brick one on Florida Street. The French Creek congregation spent two weeks of hard work, cleaning every inch of the darkened wainscoting and pews, and discovered the beauty we see today of alternating light and dark wood. Dale and Ray Colerider have been credited for building the wall on the top level of the altar at the sides of the pulpit. The cornerstone was laid in the same year as the fire, 1911, and the church was dedicated on June 8th and 9th of the following year. Of note, since the old church in town had been built in 1868, some portions of the current French Creek Church are much older than its 1911 cornerstone. Many changes have taken place over the years. Starting about 1960, the old deserted buildings that had surrounded the church were purchased and removed, and a fellowship hall with classrooms, kitchen, and rest rooms was added. In 1985, the area experienced a 100-year flood which put about two feet of water inside the church. This was the first time in history that flood water actually entered the church, although previous floods had frequently risen under the church. Fortunately, the waters receded rather quickly and the community mobilized immediately to clean up the church and restore order. There was little structural damage, although some carpeting had to be replaced as well as the floors in the classrooms. The only irreparable damage was the loss of some of the church records. Two or three years later, a second flood brought a few inches of water into the church, but there was little damage and the community again moved rapidly to remove the effects of the flood water. Other changes have included padding the pews and repairing the stained glass windows. More recently, a sound system was installed, the kitchen was enlarged, and a handicapped rest room and ramp were built. In 2006, the old furnace was replaced with a new one, and an air conditioning unit was installed for the sanctuary. In 2009, the congregation voted to have the choir loft stacked and carpeted and had the privacy railing removed to enable easier access to enter and exit the choir loft.
2011, due to some problems with leaking, it became necessary to do roof repairs. It was decided to replace the old shingle roofing with a more modern metal roof, which was done by Appalachian Roofing and Sheet Metal. At this time ice guards were installed and heat tape with automatic on and off breakers was placed in all the gutters by Crites Electric. Also, around this same time, some people noticed some “spring” in the floor in front of the pulpit when they walked across it. Robert Kittle of Robert Kittle Construction, also a member of the congregation, was called in to inspect the subfloor. Assisting him were members John Sencindiver and Laird Cain; all three found all the floor joist had been broken across or splintered lengthwise. Possibly, only by God’s grace, had it not given way under the combined weight of the people during communion or groups prayers in front of the pulpit. This damage was probably caused by flooding over the years lifting the floor and then letting it settle back down as the water receded. For safety reasons the church hired Kittle Construction to put in new footers for support pillars, support beans, and reinforce the broken floor joist. The repairs were completed in 2012. Laird Cain has been responsible for many of our electrical upgrades. He added a light for the bell tower with automatic off/on settings and has added additional lighting behind the stained glass window behind the pulpit so that it is more noticeable. Presently we have a group working to upgrade our sound system and install a projection set-up for the sanctuary. It remains a “work in progress”. Due to wall damage caused by the before mentioned roof leak, the church decided to remove the old paneling and replace it with drywall. David Hickman was called on to perform much of this work. In the process of removing the old paneling, they found a paper behind a piece of it showing that the last renovation had been done in June, 1963. This entire renovation consisted of replacing the walls, painting the ceiling, refinishing the floor and adding insulation in the exterior walls. The drywall was done by Robby Shreves and the floors by Jon Adams. The church today reflects the commitment of the congregation, past and present, to build and maintain a house of worship and praise, equipped to serve all.
