Lenora Methodist Episcopal Church is a historic church in Lenora, Minnesota, United States, an unincorporated community in Canton Township, Fillmore County. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1982.

History

The Minnesota conference of

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

was organized in 1845, well before Minnesota became a

territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

in 1849. The Reverend Benjamin Crist started visiting the Lenora area as a missionary on a circuit between Chatfield and Brownsville in 1854. In 1856 Elder John L. Dyer officially organized the congregation. He donated of land and began construction of a stone building, financed by the sale of lots in the town of Lenora. The

Panic of 1857 The Panic of 1857 was a financial crisis in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. Because of the invention of the telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission ...

thwarted the development of the area, though, and many pioneer families moved back east. Dyer left the community and moved to Colorado, where he acquired the nickname "Snowshoe Preacher". Construction on the church was stalled for the next eight years, with half-completed stone walls. In 1865 the area was seeing financial prosperity again, and a stonemason used material from the large uncompleted church to finish building it as a smaller structure. The church was opened in 1866 and dedicated by the Reverend Daniel Cobb. The area never really prospered, though, since the railroad bypassed Lenora. In the late 1920s, the Lenora church was closed as an active congregation.

Preservation

The church building has been preserved by a congregation in Newburg. It is now known as the Lenora United Methodist Pioneer Center, and is open for occasional church services, special events, and concerts. It appears much like it did in its pioneer days, with no electricity. Lighting is provided by two oil-fueled chandeliers and oil lamps in wall sconces. Heat is provided by a wood stove, and a reed

pump organ The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reed aerophone, free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ ...

and the original wooden pews are still in place.

References

External links

Historic Lenora Church in Fillmore County, Minnesota
{{National Register of Historic Places Churches completed in 1856 Buildings and structures in Fillmore County, Minnesota Methodist churches in Minnesota Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Fillmore County, Minnesota