Otterbein United Methodist Church - near Hams Prairie, MO - This Old Church on Waymarking.com

County of church: Callaway County
Location of church: CR-403 & CR-405, 1 mile W. of MO-C, 3 miles NW of Hams Prairie
Phone: 573 642-3573

"The 1884 History of Callaway County mentions that the “United Brethren have a society at Ham’s Prairie,” which was probably the congregation that later constructed this building. A “society” was likely a small group that met in local homes or shared a building with another congregation. The current building was likely constructed sometime between 1884 and the publication of the 1897 Callaway County atlas. This atlas shows a church at the approximate location of the current building and cemetery. Little else could be found on the history of the building in readily available resources. However, the name of the church likely derives from William Otterbein, who with Martin Boehm, founded the United Brethren in Christ denomination in 1767. Though organized as a United Brethren Church, the denomination split in 1889 to become the United Brethren and the Evangelical United Brethren. Otterbein likely followed the Evangelical United Brethren as this denomination joined with the Methodist to form the United Methodist denomination in 1968, thus the change of name to Otterbein United Methodist Church.

"The church and cemetery sit at the southwest corner of two county roads. The church faces east with the cemetery located behind. The cemetery’s grave markers face east and are laid in long north-south running rows. The property is surrounded by a chain link fence and fronted by a concrete sidewalk. There are residences near the other four corners of the intersection.

"This center steeple church is frame and sits on a concrete foundation. The character defining feature of the building is its projecting three tiered steeple. Small pent roofs separate each tier. The first tier contains paired entrance doors fronted by a concrete pad. Globe lights are located to either side of the entrance. The second tier is slightly narrower and may have had fenestration or some decorative elements now covered by modern siding. The top tier extends beyond the roofline and may have once held a bell, as each side is marked by a vented opening. The tower is topped by a steeply pitched pyramidal roof and cross. On either side of the tower are narrow windows that appear to be replacements. The roof of the main building is medium pitched front gable. The long sides each have three evenly spaced windows, though there is a secondary entrance on the south elevation. Each side also has small basement windows. The basement and concrete foundation may be a later addition to the building." ~ Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Rural Churches of Callaway County, PDF page 119

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