First United Methodist Church of Ganado

The congregation grew with a town of newcomers. In 1891 a large number of Scandinavians from the North bought land and began farming around Ganado; older settlers were wary at first but came to call them a "hard-working, industrious class of people." German and Bohemian immigrants followed through the 1880s and 1890s, and many became civic leaders. T. N. Mauritz opened the first bank in 1891, an independent school district formed in 1900, and by 1914 the town of 750 had a rice mill, a second bank and a weekly, the Jackson County Independent.

What the plaque says

First United Methodist Church of Ganado Although this church was formally organized in 1880 by the Reverend M. A. Black and the Reverend T. R. Stewart, Methodists, under the leadership of S. C. A. Rodgers, Had been meeting in this area for some time. Religious observances began with brush arbor meetings and early morning services held in the Ganado area. The congregation included both Anglo and African Americans. The first church building was a chapel constructed of hewn logs that also was used as a school-house. Circuit-riding ministers traveled on horseback to serve this community and others in the region. In May 1895 trustees for the church purchased land at East Devers and Second streets, and a white frame sanctuary was erected by the end of the year. An arbor was attached to the back of the church for outdoor services as weather permitted. By 1927 the membership had outgrown the frame church, and in 1928 they built a larger brick sanctuary at Third and Devers streets. A spacious new church building was completed here in 1959. The congregation provides traditional programs for it's members and outreach activities for the area. The church continues to be an integral part of the community as it has for more than a century. (1998)

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Little School of the 400 — 0.3 mi
• Ganado — 0.5 mi
• Macaroni Station — 9.1 mi
• Early Jackson County — 9.1 mi