Local church turns 100

SUPERIOR – A church in Mineral County is celebrating its centennial this year, just one year after the county held the same celebration.

The United Methodist Church in Superior was established just one year after Mineral County celebrated its first birthday. Opening their doors to the community of Superior starting in 1915, the church was created after a random series of events unfolded that transpired to bring to the community something one visitor felt was missing.

According to information supplied by the church and compiled by local historian Joe Magone, in the fall of 1913, Isabelle A. Reeves was passing through Superior on the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad. For unknown reasons her train was delayed and during her wait, she discovered there was no Protestant church in Superior.

On her return to Chicago, Reeves set about raising money to build the first Protestant church, a Methodist church, in Mineral County. The church is named in her honor and still stands today largely unchanged except for a few minor additions made over the years.

Built in 1915 with largely volunteer labor, the church served as classrooms for local students while the schoolhouse was being completed. The church’s first organ and bell were shipped from Chicago from Reeves.

Renovations were made in 1950 and handicap access was installed in 2001. The facade has changed over the years but the original structure remains intact and still functions as a house of worship for community members.

According to Pastor Waveland King, the significance of the centennial of the Methodist Church is what a hundred years of serving the people of Superior says about its place in the community.

“It’s been very much a part of the lives of the people in this community,” King said. “The people here have been involved in a lot of activities in the community. We think it’s meant a lot to the community and made a difference in their lives. That’s what we are celebrating.”

Superior United Methodist Church trustee Ed Heppe said, in his mind, having been around for a century and throughout most of Superior’s history meant the church had established itself as a vital part of the community.

“There’s been a lot of good things happen with this church,” Heppe said. “It’s hard to keep a church going with so few people in the county.”

Heppe said the church would host a celebration sometime in September but the specific time and date was not yet available. He said the festivities would most likely include an ice cream social and/or a barbecue. Heppe also asked for help from community members who have attended services at the church over the years in keeping the history of the site alive.

“We’d like to have people bring in photographs from their family collections of the church if they have them,” Heppe said. “We don’t have a lot of photos of this church.”