Monon United Methodist Church (Monon, Whitely County, Ind.) records

Monon Methodism had its beginning in 1845 as a mission church. It was a mission church until 1850 when a circuit was formed. In 1861, with a membership of 15, the Monon Church was made a station. The Monticello Methodist Church belonged to the same mission circuit as our church during the years 1845-1860. The Monon circuit consisted of the Monon Methodist Church, Monon Chapel, Francesville, Monticello and Hanging Grove. The earliest place of worship was on South Race Street, where the Martin O'Mara home was located. This was also used as a house of worship by the Presbyterians and Baptists, as well as being used as a school building and services were attended by all regardless of denomination. In the spring of 1870 the First Baptist Church was built, and this was used by the Methodists until sometimes a few years prior to 1882, when John D. Moore gave the Methodist denomination a building which stood just north of the site where the Monon Public Library now stands, and which had been used as a cooper and wagon shop. This place was called " Happy House" because the members were so happy to have a building of their own. This building served until 1882, when the first church building was erected at a cost of $1500. This new church was located directly south across the street from our present building between the Fred Thompson residence and the Standard Oil station. The parsonage was just across the alley to the east. In 1908 a corner cite was purchased across the street to the north, which had two dwellings on it. One of the dwellings was remodeled into what is our present parsonage. The excavation and concrete for the new church was finished in 1911. The new church was dedicated May 14, 1913. It cost $16,400. The Sunday School pledged and paid $1,745, the Parish League, or Ladies Aid, or Woman's Society of Christian Service, $1500. Five individuals paid $500; ten paid $300; twenty paid $100. The mortgage was burned in 1924. The sacrifice these people made for themselves and their progenitors can be best understood when we known that the wages of a common working man in those days was about $0.15 an hour. In the summer of 1967 the congregation voted to purchase land at the corner of Fifth and Holly and build a new parsonage. Construction was begun in the fall and total cost when complete was expected to be around $25,000.