(New Carlisle, IN) - It took only a few hours Friday morning for an excavator to erase a piece of history from a New Carlisle street corner.
The town’s original First Methodist Church was constructed in 1858. Locals speculate that the town’s founder lived at the address before the church was built, and there are rumors that it might have even been a hideout for the Underground Railroad.
The old church stood tall longer than most, even surviving a lightning strike in 1886 which demolished its steeple. The Methodists built a new church on Timothy Road in the mid-60s.
Tim Creason and his wife have lived across the street from the church since 2001. He said a Pentecostal congregation last occupied it about twenty years ago, and offered lively services. Then the Gothic Revival building went silent. “We have, very sadly, watched it deteriorate over the last two decades,” Creason said.
Creason said multiple efforts were made by the previous owner and others to repurpose the structure at the corner of Front and Cherry Streets. None of that came to fruition and the building was condemned recently after the roof collapsed. “It’s sad because we tried to work with the owner and find some way to save this facility,” he said, “and it just didn’t happen, so it was both frustrating and sad to see it go down.”
Now all that’s left of the historic church are the eight concrete steps that led up to the front door. How many newly-weds, Sunday school children, and caskets processed through? “The place was the community’s gathering spot for many years,” said Creason.
According to Creason, the recent owner could not afford to demolish the church, so the town has taken over the property. Discussions are going on now about what to do with the empty lot. He hopes it can be turned into a park.
