Constructed in 1895, this building was the home of the Methodist until Sunday, March 25, 1917.  The following day the men of the church began to remove it to make way for a grand new building.  The building stood on the northwest corner of Austin and Labadie.

The Banner Class of the church taken about 1913.  The photograph is believed to be the first pastor of the church James Collard.  Others believe that it is a photograph of Cyrus Campbell.

Mrs. Whaley’s 1912 Girls

Sunday School Class 


L-R seated: Girlie Busbee , Pauline Bills, Nettie Corbell, Mittie Tate (Bryant), Pauline Moreland (Lockhart). Standing: Stella Nance, Mary Brownlee (Underhill), Lillian Kimble, Mrs. Grace Whaley, Golda Bell, Merl Jordan, Gussie Hancock (spelled Handcock on the reverse of the photo).

Left:  The Methodist Women’s Missionary Society at a business meeting at the W.C. Streety residence on Feb. 7, 1910.   The Society had been organized on January 21, 1896 at the home of Mrs. Hanes.  The first President was Mrs. L.H. Shannon mother of Mrs. John D. Ham.

   The second Methodist Church building was completed in 1895, the year that the church was removed as a circuit church and became a full time station.  It was dedicated by E.A. Bailey who organized the church in 1876 but the actual year of the dedication is not known.

    Tradition has it that on the day of  the dedication the building was not yet paid for, and in order to give everyone the opportunity for the fullest expression of his generosity, the doors were locked and the amount needed to insure the dedication of the building was raised.

      Members who worked in constructing the building included the three Gates brothers T.L., P.A., and Charley, John J. Switzer, E.B. Walker, Dr. J.W. Roark, Dr. J.W. Warren, Dr. R. H. Rush, John W. Gorman, L.H.N. Shannon, O.E. Whaley, G.E. Garrett, Dr. C.W. Patterson, W. C. Streety, John D. Ham and James T. Ross.

     A stained glass window honoring Cyrus Campbell was placed in the church and was later transferred to the 1917 building and then to the 1965 building.





Methodist Church 1895-1916

   Pictured here ca 1934, is Earl H. Lightfoot who was born and raised in De Leon. 

   He grew up in the 1895 church and was ordained in 1918.  Upon his retirement in the early 1960s, he returned to De Leon and continued to serve in the church. 

Church photo taken during the pastorate of W.C.  Hilburn 1912-1915.  Notice the electrical line that is installed directly across the stained glass window.  Compare that to the Banner Class photo below where the line has been moved above the window.  


The individuals were identified by Edna Myrle Redden Stewart for the De Leon Centennial Book in 1981.  There was confusion in the listing in the book and corrections are made here where known.  Front row (L-R) Unknown boy, unknown man, J.D. Ham, C.W. Patterson, Baskin Nance, Rev. W.C. Hilburn, J.B. Wilson, unknown boy.  Middle Row: Mrs. S.T. Steakley, Mrs. Leona Grissom, Mrs. F.E. Carter, Mrs. J.T. Ross, possibly Mrs. E.E. Dabney, Mrs. S.G. Parks, unknown man, Mrs. W.C. Streety, Mrs. W. T. Jetton and son Connor.  To the right of Mrs. Jetton are ten women.  Mrs. J. H. Hancock, and Mrs. C.C. Morris were named in the book and are assumed to be the next two women leaving the remaining eight unidentified.  Top row: Unknown, Mrs. J.D. Ham, Mrs. C.W. Patterson, Jasper Grissom, S.T. Steakley, Alf Nabors, Will Nabors, W.W. Bender, C.R. Redden, J.T. Ross, Henry Nance, unknown, Jake Hancock.

The interior of the church photographed during a wedding in 1905.

The Church and parsonage around 1905.  Note the two people standing in front of the church and that a fence has been erected.  Electricity was first introduced to De Leon in 1906.  Notice there is no electric line going into the church near the window.  The pole is for telephone lines.