Paw Paw United Methodist Church (Paw Paw, Miami County, Ind.) records

The Paw Paw Church was founded in October of 1837 by the Robert T. Miller and Edman J. Kidd families. Mr. Miller and Mr. Kidd blazed a trail to Peru, which is now known as the Paw Paw Pike. The first pastor was Rev. J.M. Mershon. At first, services were held in various homes until 1864 when the church was built. It was first remodeled in 1880 and again in 1903, which is the present building.

Paw Paw has the longest continued use of any Methodist Church for worship in Indiana. On September 15, 1978, Becky Huffman Kreighbaum, Paw Paw United Methodist Church Historian, submitted the church's history to DePauw University Archives to confirm its standing as the oldest Methodist church in Indiana. DePauw University archivist David E. Horn responded on October 23, 1979, to confirm that, as far as his archives showed, "Paw Paw United Methodist Church was the oldest United Methodist church in the North Indiana Conference." In December 1979, Director Carl H. Armstrong of the State of Indiana Division of Historic Preservation wrote to Chairman Robert Huffman to share that the church was officially listed on the Indiana State Register of Historic Sites and Structures, as of December 11, 1979. The church was reconsecrated by District Superintendent Dr. Kaye Bass on June 8, 1980, in honor of its historical recognition. On March 17, 1981, the Paw Paw Creek Bridge was also listed on the Indiana State Register of Historic Sites and Structures. On September 30, 1983, the bridge was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The church, cemetery, bridge, and river remain historic sites.

Paw Paw disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church in 2023.