Methodist Episcopal Church, Corvallis
The Reverend L. B. Stateler brought Southern Methodism to Montana when he arrived at Virginia City in 1864. First services in the valley were held in 1870 and G. O. Hilton was appointed first pastor at Corvallis in 1871. His promising tenure ended a month later when he was killed by a falling tree. E. G. Frazier then took charge of the small congregation. A remarkable revival held in the town in 1874 brought 100 new members, but building plans were not realized until 1894 with the construction of this simple Gothic style church. Graceful pointed arches are hallmarks of the style while decorative shingles and splindlework in the belltower reflect Victorian-era detailing. Inside, wooden pews and matching pulpit convey the ambience of the 1890s. The sanctuary overflowed in 1896 when a crowd of three hundred mourned the passing of the beloved Rev. Stateler who died while visiting here. The church he helped found continued to prosper, serving its members and the lay community. When the high school burned in 1932, the 1920s annex provided classroom space; for a time it housed the public library and even served as a kindergarten. The Methodist Episcopal Church South became the United Methodist Church in 1940 when the various denominations came together for the first time since the Civil War. At the 1994 centennial celebration, special graveside services honored Rev. Hilton, who helped lay the spiritual foundation for this modest frame church. Under the careful stewardship of past and present members, it symbolizes the first active Protestant organization in the Bitterroot Valley.
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