Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/425

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��HISTOKY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

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��J. C. Fenner, C. L. Opcl^^ke and James Griith- rie.

Three churches are at present located within the town limits.

The Methodist Episcopal, a history of which has already been given, as it was first located at Old Salem, is a fine new brick edifice. Its Sun- day school was organized at Old Salem in 1828. James Long was the first Superintendent. Both Sunday school and church are in a flourishing condition.

The United Brethren in Christ was first or- ganized in Planktown in 1843. A church called the Union Church had been erected by the peo- ple of Planktown in 1840, which was used by all denominations. In this, the Brethren first organized. Afterward, in 1849, the}' built a church at Old Salem, across the road east of the Methodist Church. It was a frame church and cost about $1,100. In 1800, it was moved to Shiloh, with additional cost of moving and repairs, of $700. Michael Long, a missionar}' sent out by the Sandusky Conference, was in- fiuential in organizing this church. The names of some of the first members are N. S. Guthrie and wife, Robert Guthrie and wife, Peter Broche and wife, Mr. Shupe, wife and two daughters, and Artemisse Wolf The Pastors have been, Michael Long, Jacob Berger, William Mathers, Solomon Lindsej', John Goodwin, Enoch Bell, Alexander Biddle, C. L. Barlow, A. H. Leonard, V. Pond (Mr. Pond's wife also preached occa- sionally), William Newell and George Bender. The present minister is Rev. Mr. Spangler, and the membership about sixt}'.

A Sunday school was organized aljout the time the church building was moved to Shiloh. N. S. Guthrie was first Superintendent. At pres- ent, the membership is about twentj'.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church was or- ganized in Planktown in 1842, in a school- house, by the Rev. P. P. Lane. Samuel Weir- ich and Samuel Hendrickson were elected Elders, and Alexander McBride and Emanuel

��Biglep, Deacons. Some time after, a frame church building was erected, about 30x40 feet, which they occupied until 1853. P. P. Lane preached until 1844, when he was succeeded by Erastus Eastman, who served until 1848. Joshua Crouse was the next minister, and re- mained until the church was removed to Shiloh. In 1853, a new church building was erected in Shiloh at a cost of $2,188. The corner-stone was laid on the 9th of August of that year, and April 16, 1854, the building was dedicated by Prof F. W. Conrad, of Wittenberg College, assisted by Rev. D. Specher and Rev. S. Fen- iler. The building is a neat, white frame struct- ure, 38x56, and is called Mount Hope. In the summer of 1878, it was remodeled at a cost of $1,600. The present minister is G. W. Miller, with a membership of about one hundred and fifty.

A union Sunday school for the Methodists and Lutherans was organized about the time the church was occupied. J. Fenner is present Superintendent, with a membership of about one hundred and twent}'.

The Shiloh Reciew was started in 1872, under the name of Shiloh Times, by Barkdull & Rob- erts. Like most other papers before the}' become firmly established, it has had a checkered exist- ence, when it had an existence at all, show- ing that starting a newspaper is very pre- carious, uncertain and difficult. It was issued from the Shelby press about a year, when Roberts left it and the issue was suspended for a few weeks. Some of the citizens of Shiloh, wishing the paper continued, formed a stock company, purchased a press, and with Bark- dull as manager, published the paper another year, when they sold out to George T. Mattison, who bought it mostly on time, giving a mort- gage on press and type. Mattison failed to make it pay, left in about a year, and the con- cern went back into the hands of the mortga- gees. Two of the stockholders, J. C. Fenner and John P. Black, published the paper

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