Battle Ground Assembly (Tippecanoe County, Ind.) records

At the 1857 Northwest Indiana Conference in Lafayette, Indiana, a new town with a college and church were planned in the area where the Battle of Tippecanoe had taken place. Rev. Wilson Beckner was appointed preacher for the newly formed Battle Ground Circuit, which superseded the Harrisonville Circuit organized in 1845. The school house in Harrisonville was remodeled to house the Battle Ground Collegiate Institute, and the first church building was erected on the present site in Battle Ground in 1859. In 1867, the Methodist Church withdrew its support from the institute, largely because of the rise of DePauw University, and the school closed as a Methodist institution. In the session of the Conference in 1874 a resolution was introduced stating that the district camp meetings were to be discontinued and a conference-wide one begun. Battle Ground became the meeting place for Methodists of the northern part of Indiana. The Epworth League Institutes for young people were also organized at this time. Thousands of Methodists have stayed at Battle Ground Camp and many young people have dedicated their lives in service to Christ, among them are missionaries, teachers, nurses, and some leaders in the NIC.

In 1951, Battle Ground Methodist Church became a station. In 1969, it merged with Battle Ground Evangelical United Brethren (which had previously joined with Liberty Chapel) to become the Battle Ground United Methodist Church. It is a member of Lafayette District and the North Indiana Conference.