Pastor Dorothy Ellsworth     408 Mill Street, Alton, KS 67623     Email: altonksumc@gmail.com      Pastor: 620-581-7890 

We are nestled on the main street where we continue to be the hands, feet, and voice in this small community. Church History: The first sermon preached in Alton, also known as Bull City, was delivered by Rev. Jared A. Copeland in August 1872. Rev. Copeland was passing through on a weekday afternoon. The parlor of the Austin Hotel was available, so the service was held there with nine persons in attendance, as that was the population of Alton (Bull City) at the time. Transit preachers would pass through on occasion, but no regular services were held until 1880 when Rev. WA Saville was appointed to the Cedarville Circuit. Twelve members were organized in Bull City and added to this circuit. Bull City was designated the head of this Circuit in 1882, with the Hawkeye Center located (NE of town) and Spring Branch (NW of town), two country points. At the same time, in 1876, Willow Dale United Brethren Church was formed northwest of town by Rev. Boyd. They met in a dugout schoolhouse located on the Bates Homestead. In 1885, the class was moved to a schoolhouse four miles north of Alton. In 1904, the church members and the community north of Alton voted to build a new church. The new Willow Dale United Brethren Church was dedicated on January 22, 1905. Mergers occurred over the next 40 years with the Evangelical Church and the Congregational Church. By 1947, the churches joined together to become the Alton Evangelical United Brethren Church or E.U. B. The Willow Dale Church was sold to Earl Doak, and the parsonage to Ray Brent. 19 ministers filled the pulpit in those 62 years, plus Grandpa Grimes, who substituted many times. At this time in Alton, the Congregational Church was organized on December 19, 1876. Eight charter members and three more were added the following Sunday. A union Sunday school was organized, and all denominations in the community attended it, which was held in the Methodist Church. Later, the Congregationalists met in the Rink and the Austin Hotel Parlor. IN 1889, a church was built with money from the members and a donation from Dr. & Mrs. Hall in memory of their daughter, Floy Bertha Hall. This new church, dedicated as the Floy Bertha Hall Memorial Congregational Church in 1890, is the front of our present building. By 1912, a parsonage had been built, and under the guidance of Rev. & Mrs. Woodcock, the membership had grown to 125. Rev. Bessie Koontz was the last pastor of this church as the Evangelistic United Brethren and Congregationalists were merged. This church had been built onto several times by this date. 23 pastors were part of the church's founding. The Alton Methodist Church began with the first service in 1872. IN 1882, Rev. EC Cary was appointed the first resident minister of the town. A foundation and cornerstone were laid, but a lack of funds prevented completion until 1885. Services were held in the schoolhouse until the church was built. Upon completion, it was an old-fashioned rectangular building with three windows on each side, the front door facing east, and a belfry. The ministers were still on the Circuit route, traveling to Hawkeye Center and Spring Branch by horseback or in a team of horses and a wagon. One of the traveling ministers was Henry M. Mayo, the first and only graduate that year of Kansas Wesleyan College. Many pastors came and went over the years, along with changes to the building itself. At the General Conference in Dallas, TX, in May of 1968, the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren Churches were merged into the United Methodist Church of Alton. The final service at the Methodist Church was held on December 29, 1968, when Rev. Vernon Boehringer delivered the sermon “The Final Audit,” based on Luke 16:2. This church took on many names, denominations, physical changes, and locations over the years. This is a quote from the 1969 church directory: “If at any time there is a sign of failure in reaching these high goals, we need to look in the mirror. “No Church can be defeated from the Outside. We go down in defeat when we grow lax in our attitude toward God and the church.” From the first sermon in 1872 to the dugout north of town, and up to today, we celebrate our community's history of 132 years, continuing the heritage and honoring our ancestors and Jesus for the work they began for us.