Built in 1903, Grace Methodist Church opened toward the end on 1903. It was built by mostly volunteer labour under the direction of Reverend J. W. Hedley. One might think that the town of Hedley had been named after the good reverend, but such was not the case. It was named after Robert R. Hedley, then manager of the Hall Mines smelter in Nelson, who had grubstaked the owner of the Rollo mine in Hedley around 1897.
Not long after the construction of Grace Methodist, the Presbyterians began to hold services in the town, usually in Fraternity Hall, which came to be shared on alternating Sundays with the Anglicans. The Presbyterians and Methodists worked together in Hedley, and Hedley became a Union congregation in 1923. This was two years before official Church Union in Canada, which took place on June 10th, 1925, thereby creating the United Church of Canada.
Not only was this the first church and the first school in Hedley, it became the first building in Hedley with electric lighting when the lights were turned on for the first time in April of 1904. That same year much of the rest of the town was wired to the town's generator, which was operated by a steam engine.
The information below are taken from the Twelfth Annual Report of the Okanagan Historical Society, pages 78 and 79, published in 1948.
The complete article on the history of Hedley begins on page 68.
The Okanagan Historical Society – 1948
In the summer of 1903 Grace Methodist Church was built. This was the first, and for many years the only, permanent church building in the town. It was built mostly by volunteer labour under the enthusiastic direction of Rev. J. W. Hedley.
For many years it played a prominent role in the life of the community, serving as headquarters for the school, the Twentieth Century Club, and the library. Other early ministers were the Revs. J. E. Fleming, C. E. Docksteader, L. Thomas, R. W. Hibbert, J. J. Jones, and George Kinney. As was to be expected, Hedley was but one of the many churches served by these ministers in connection with their work elsewhere in the district.
From the Okanagan Historical Society
Early History of Hedley Camp
The first school for the children of the town was opened in September, 1903, in a room at the rear of the Methodist Church. Miss M. L. Whillans, a sister of Dr. H. A. Whillans was Hedley's first school-teacher. Under the terms of the "Public Schools Act this was known as an "assisted school, and it was administered by a board consisting of S. L. Smith (secretary), W. A. McLean, and J. Brass. When inspected on May 5, 1904, it was reported that nineteen pupils had attended irregularly throughout the year but that good work had been done. Miss Whillans resigned in June, 1904, and was replaced by Mrs. A. J. Colbeck, and in September of that year the Hedley School District was created.
From the Okanagan Historical Society