09/29/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/1CvZgcwXtp/?mibextid=wwXIfr
THEN & NOW: Ridgeway Methodist Church, Ridgeway, Missouri
(C. 1908 & 2026)
For well over a century, this little white church has stood as a familiar landmark in the small Harrison County town of Ridgeway.
Methodists organized a congregation here in 1881, during Ridgeway’s earliest years. Their first church was built that same year, but as the congregation grew, a larger building was needed. The original church was sold in 1898, and while it was being moved to the Yankee Ridge community, it reportedly burned.
A new Methodist Episcopal Church was then constructed in Ridgeway at a cost of about $3,000. It is the church we see in the old image.
The historic view dates to C. 1908. Back then, the church had an especially beautiful open bell tower topped by a tall, elaborate steeple. Although that portion of the building was later simplified, many unmistakable details remain, including the round quatrefoil window, diamond-shaped window, four tall Gothic windows, chimney and distinctive roofline.
Today the building is home to Ridgeway United Methodist Church at 401 Pine Street. More than a century has brought paved streets, mature trees and changes to the church itself, but the old building is still standing in 2026.
Just imagine all the Sundays this church has seen, the weddings, funerals, Christmas programs, potluck suppers and generations of Ridgeway families who have walked through its doors. The steeple may look different today, but the old church beneath it is still there.
Ridgeway, Missouri, C. 1908 & 2026.
