Methodist Episcopal Church - Bridger, MT - This Old Church on Waymarking.com

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Methodist Episcopal Church - Bridger, MT

in This Old Church

Posted by:  T0SHEA

12T E 663341 N 5017903

This little wood framed Methodist Episcopal Church, now the Bridger United Methodist Church, was the first church building to be dedicated in the Clarks Fork Valley, this coming about on May 27, 1906.

While a site for a Methodist church was donated at the time the town of Bridger was platted in 1900, excavation for a church building did not begin until March of 1905. By December the church was largely complete and the 700 pound bell was lifted to its perch in the belfry atop the steeple. The steeple and belfry were placed at the inside corner of the Ell shaped building with the belfry left open and decorated with carved wood brackets and spindles. Following the style of the time, the corner tower serves as the main entrance to the sanctuary. Originally covered in wood shingles, the spire and tower for some distance below the belfry are today clad in steel sheeting, as is the entire roof of the building. Gable ends on the building are filled with diamond and scalloped shingles with a triple Gothic arched faux window centered in each one.

With the interior being completed over the winter, on May 27, 1906 the Bridger Methodist Episcopal Church "had the distinction of being the first church building to be dedicated in the Clarks Fork Valley". In 1907 a finishing touch arrived, in the form of a stained glass window, donated to the church "by J. Thomas Brown in memory of his mother. On the top sash were the words, "Faith, Hope, and Love", and below, "Obline Ellen Brown, age 63, died November 19, 1906." This inscription can today still be read from the outside of the building.

While remaining mostly original, in 1947 a parish hall was added on to the south side of the church. "The new wing had a dining hall to serve 150 people, but at the opening banquet, 185 persons attended. On the last day of December, 1952, the congregation held a special mortgage burning celebration in honor of their completing the loan payments for this addition."

Associated with the church since its construction, the 896 square foot parsonage was built in 1911-13, less than half a decade after the church. While the church stands on a high concrete foundation, the one and a half storey parsonage rests on a sandstone foundation. It is also of wood frame construction and clad in the same beveled siding as is the church. The roof, however, remains covered with asphalt shingles, as was the church for some years.

Quotes above are from the NRHP Bridger Architectural Inventory

METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND PARSONAGE
Organization of the Bridger Methodist Episcopal Church and the Ladies Aid took place in 1899, pre-dating by one year the founding of the town itself. As in other small Montana communities, itinerant ministers like the Reverend John G. Clark served the early congregation. Services were conducted in the dining room of the Barlow Hotel or in the hall above Hiram Haskin’s hardware store. Land for the church was donated when the townsite of Bridger was platted in 1900, but ground-breaking did not take place until March of 1905. The Ladies Aid raised funds for the building by giving dinners and selling handmade quilts, clothing, and other items. Under the direction of Reverend Clark, stonemason Eric Forsman prepared the foundation, and construction began with donated materials and labor. By December the steeple was ready to receive its 700-pound bell. The community-built Methodist Episcopal Church was dedicated on May 27, 1906, the first in the Clarks Fork Valley. The Bridger landmark is a fine example of Methodist Church design, typified by the L-shaped plan, corner bell tower, and simplified Gothic windows. Fretwork in the open bell tower, decorative shingles, and stained glass enrich the basic plan. The adjacent gable-roofed parsonage, now detached from this property, was finished in 1914. Three congregations merged in 1939 to form the Methodist Church, and in 1949 an addition was completed to accommodate growing membership. Renamed the United Methodist Church in 1968, the church today represents the valley’s early religious development, and its continued use is a fitting tribute to the pioneer congregation responsible for its construction.
From the plaque at the building