Portage Prairie United Methodist Church
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 41° 46.984 W 086° 20.409
16T E 554832 N 4625901
Historic country Methodist Church located in rural area near Niles, Michigan.
Waymark Code: WM2TXF
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 12/22/2007
Views: 30
Portage Prairie United Methodist Church
Persuaded by reports of good land from the Reverend John Seybert, Bishop
for the Ohio Conference, the Jacob and David Rough families came to Portage
Prairie from Pennsylvania in the spring of 1849. In 1851 the organized the Zion
Evangelical Church. The denomination merged with the United Evangelical Church
in 1922 and with the United Brethren Church in 1946. This church was renamed the
Portage Prairie United Methodist Church in 1968.
In 1887 the Reverend J.A. Frye sparked a religious revival that inspired
the construction of this Gothic Revival church. Embellished with oak details,
the church cost $7,200 and was debt-free upon its dedication. Its 100-foot
steeple was removed on 1919 due to severe electrical storms. Evangelical
pioneers had worshipped in a log schoolhouse until 1859, when they built a
yellow brick church. That structure was replaced by the present church.~
text of marker
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