An historical marker was unveiled at the Iola United Methodist Church on Palm Sunday, April 29, following services.
The marker is the latest of a series of markers throughout Iola-Scandinavia produced by the Iola Historical Society.
Iola Methodist Roots
The marker presents a couple of photographs and historical information about the church. Following is what is noted on the marker.
“The informal inauguration of religious services in Iola occurred when J.J. Hatch, having arrived with his wife and six children on December 4, 1856, delivered a sermon to a small gathering. The exact date and location of that service was not recorded, but it is believed it took place on the site of the Iola Methodist Church today. At that time the community’s original schoolhouse stood on this site. The formal organization occurred in 1858. Church records indicate the first resident pastor of the parish was Mr. Alcott, a name not on the formal pastors list, Henry Orcutt being the first listed, perhaps the result of a sloppy signature.
“Having used the old schoolhouse building for some 20 years, sharing it with a Baptist congregation, the central portion of the present structure was constructed in 1897, according to the cornerstone of a 1955 classroom and fellowship addition, more than doubling the Church’s size. Originally a single-floor structure, featuring only a small narthex and the sanctuary, fronted tight on what is now W. Iola Street, in 1955 the structure was raised and set back several feet to the north, with the area beneath dug out to accommodate a fellowship hall, kitchen, and furnace/utility room.
“The original 1879 structure had an open bell tower, rather than a steeple. In 1907 parishioners enclosed the bell, concerned that kids throwing stones to ring the bell might miss and break one of the stained-glass windows. A steeple with a lighted cross was later added atop the cupola. Two noteworthy developments are tied to the 1955 addition.
“First Lady Mamie Eisenhower was solicited and remitted $1.00 to pay for a nail that was used in the construction. The carpenter/parishioner Chet Krause undertook this $24,000 building project, donating his labors, buy paying his hired help.
The heirs of J.J. Hatch remained connected to the Church for over a century.
“Honored for supporting the 1948 installation of 28 pews: Walter A. Hatch; Mr. & Mrs. J.A. Hatch. Others enumerated: Albert Biedermann; Mr. & Mrs. William Wallace; Mrs. William G. Egner; Rev. & Mrs. H.D. Stone; Dr. & Mrs. C.L. Lee; Mrs. Mina H. Spooner; Fred C. Wipf; E.M. Taylor; Mr. & Mrs. A. Weinmann Sr.; Rev. George H. Willett; J.H. & Emma Leuthold; Rosa Leuthold Biedermann; Amelia Leuthold Wipf; Mr. & Mrs. Wilfred Leuthold; Frances Adams; Grace & Jeanette Wright; Charles E. Huffcut; William R., Earl H, & Louis E. Parks; Mrs. Margaret Scott; Mrs. Charles Morrison; Mrs. Minnie Wilker; Mrs. Lucy Seibert; Mrs. Fred Barker; and Mr. & Mrs. Florence C. Cleaves.”
