The Church at the Gov. Bill and Vara Daniel Historic Village

When enough members of the community decided a church was needed, they would construct a building for the predominant denomination. Other denominations might also use the building. Sometimes a non-denomination building--called a union church--was constructed. Sharing a church building was a common practice in new communities. In some communities church services were held in a schoolhouse; in others, school classes met in the church until a school could be built.

As the community grew, a second church building might be built to serve another particular denomination. The original building could still serve as a union church. Many towns eventually had a building for each denomination, although some of the smaller communities never had more than one church building.

Slaves were not allowed to have their own churches but usually attended their owner's church. After emancipation, former slaves established their own churches as one of the ways of expressing their freedom. In the 1890s, churches continued to be racially segregated.

The pulpit and pews here are the last ones used in this church and were probably built by members of the congregation. The thirty-inch bell was cast by the C.S. Bell Company of Hillsboro, Ohio, and is original to this church. Hillsboro bells were offered in the Montgomery Ward catalog.

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