Free Methodist Church

Around the year 1880 the Cyrus Archer family moved from Ohio to Kansas and settled on a homestead south of Densmore.  He became a witness to Holiness, building a sod church having dirt floors, and seats and pulpit made of rough hewn logs.  A short time later the services were moved to the schoolhouse in Densmore.

The first regular appointment was in 1886 with A. S. Manning as pastor. In 1902 a limestone building was erected, as the church grew in members the building had to grow too, so in 1930 while J. T. Pyle was pastor the present brick structure was built. The church prospered, in 1935 the membership was 109. However, the depression days came and caused many to move to other parts. A new modern parsonage was built in 1958. Carl Boys was pastor in 1959 and probably the last minister before the church closed and the congregation went to the Logan Free Methodist Church.  A. J. Lunsford (husband of Lillie French) was pastor of the church in 1915-16.

To the casual observer the beginning of the Free Methodist Church at Densmore dates back to the year 1885 when the first class of five members was organized.  In reality, it began a number of years earlier than that.  It was over 70 years ago that a young couple, newly married, started their new home with a family altar, and a zeal for God's work which never wavered. Cyrus and Elizabeth Archer were born and reared in a community in south eastern Ohio where Methodism was strong and real revivals were a common thing. In 1879, this couple fired with the pioneer spirit to travel to the new western country, left their native state; loved ones and home and made the long, tiresome and hazardous journey into the west.

Arriving at their destination in Norton County, Kansas, a homestead site was found, filed upon and the erection of a house to live in was begun and in due time a sod home arose from the virgin sod of the prairie.  Along with the building of their first sod home Cyrus and Elizabeth Archer were careful not to neglect their first duty of serving their God. Neighbors with their family of young children were living nearby and a Sunday School was started being held in the various homes round about.  

In the meantime Cyrus Archer had felt the call to preach, "for necessity is laid upon me; yea woe is me, if I preach not the gospel." Soon the need of a church to worship in was beginning to be felt. Having no material or money or any means of obtaining either, this devout Christian couple selected a choice corner of their homestead and began the building of a sod church, the first church of any kind in that section of the country. It was a very humble building with dirt floors and the seats and the pulpit made of rough logs.  The little sod church was built in 1880 and the homestead on which it was located is one mile south of Densmore on the former William Harrison farm. The exact location of the church was in the northwest corner near the present highway south of town.  

In the mean time a railroad, the present one, was built a mile north and the little town of Densmore sprang up. A small frame school house was build just south of the railroad track, on land now owned by Leland Archer. In due time the sod church was abandoned and the place of worship was moved to the little white frame school house. The Missouri-Kansas Conference of the Free Methodist Church had been organized in 1870. What was known as the Norton District, covering the entire western end of the state became a part of that conference - the Densmore church eventually becoming one of the circuit. 

In 1885 the first class was organized with the following persons, five in number, as charter members: Cyrus and Elizabeth Archer, Jacob and Elizabeth Archer and their daughter Emeline Archer, grandparents and mother of H. D. Archer of Densmore and Clyde Archer of Norton, and great-grandparents of Raymond Archer, a former teacher in the Densmore Grade School.

Cyrus and Elizabeth Archer were the parents of a large family of two girls and six boys of whom the best known to the present community was the late G. J. (Garfield) Archer.

For a number of years the school house was used as a place of worship and then it was determined to build a permanent church building of native limestone.  So in 1902 or possibly 1903 work was begun on the new church, the first two loads of rock being hauled by G. J. Archer.  Again Cyrus Archer was the director of the building of the church, but the entire community was interested and all helped in one way or another.

It might be of interest to note who some of the early pastors were:  The first one there seems to be any record of was a man by the name of Woorley from Kirwin, Kansas.  He came in his bare feet, carrying his shoes that he might have them to wear when he preached.  He was followed by a United Brethren preacher by the name of Bisbee - the father of the lateCharlie Bisbee of Norton.

The Densmore Class had been on a circuit with another class but thru the years the interest was good and the church grew until it was large enough to be a circuit by itself and it became necessary to build a parsonage for the pastor. In the official minutes of September 2, 1909 it was ordered that a parsonage be built in the near future, a soliciting committee was appointed, the trustees were made a building committee and the parsonage was built. In a recent visit with Mrs. Adah Archer of Seattle, Washington, widow of the late G. J. Archer, she informed us that she was asked to be the architect to plan the building which is the present parsonage. The minutes of the official board meeting of November 2, 1909 reports the building completed except for painting.  The Rev. Jesse Crawford and wife was the first pastor to occupy the new parsonage.

In time the little rock church became too small for the congregation and plans were made for the building of the present brick structure.  Rev. J. T. Pyle was the pastor at this time and to him goes much of the credit for uniting the interest of the people of the community in getting the church built. He proposed a plan whereby a farmer might set aside an acre of more of his crop, the proceeds of which were to go the the expense of the church building - and a number of people used this method to determine their basis of giving.

At this time the Sunday School had grown until the records show close to 200 was the usual attendance, with a cradle roll of babies as high as 75 - but, about 40 on the roll was the average.

This church was built in 1930. In the spring of 1940 when the last and final note was paid off the mortgage was burned and it was dedicated with Bishop ______officiating.

Most of the older ones who were young people and children at the time these events took place have moved away or passed on from this life but the Free Methodist Church still stands as a stalwart beacon in the community to remind us that the God who honored the efforts of these humble pilgrims of the past, still is the same God and he will still honor and bless those who serve his with a whole heart.

"Behold that the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear."

PRAIRIE CHURCHES

I never saw high altars glow
With stately candles white as snow,
Nor listened to the golden sweep
of organ music full and deep.
But I have seen a little church
Set in a clump of silver birch
Beyond a wheat field, heard the strain
Of children's voices sweet as rain,
And breathed a prayer quiet as sod,
Simple as daylight, knowing that God
Who loves the gleaming sanctuary
Loves little churches on a prairie.

Written in the mid '50's.  Possibly 1959 (contributed by Rose French Gulick)
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Free Methodist Church Ministers
Rev. Ralph Helsel 1951 Densmoreland
"        "           "        1952 Densmoreland

©March 2001  Ardie Grimes
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