MS-132 Fairborn United Methodist Church Records

Introduction

The records of the Fairborn Methodist Church were accessioned into the Wright State University Department of Archives and Special Collections in June of 1981. They were donated by Mrs. Dorothy Ranville, the church’s business manager. The collection is arranged into seven (7) series or record groups as follows:

Series 1: IDEAL Church Records
Series 2: Membership Records
Series 3: Financial Records
Series 4: Minutes and Reports
Series 5: Church Organizations
Series 6: Newsletters and Weekly Church Programs
Series 7: Historical Files

The papers in this collection date from 1900-1980 and fill 10 Hollinger boxes and 77 file folders. There are no restrictions on the use of this material.

Historical Sketch

In the Spring of 1831, members of a “Methodist Society” purchased ground in the Village of Fairfield for a house of worship. The Society met in various members’ homes until a building was erected in 1846. The present location of the Fairborn United Methodist Church was acquired in 1871 and construction of a red brick church building was completed in 1872.

In nearby Osborn, a Methodist-Episcopal society was formed in 1853. By 1871, the Osborn Methodists had completed a frame church building where they held services.

When the railroad came to Bath Township in the 1850’s, it bypassed Fairfield and ran through Osborn. As a consequence, by the end of the century Osborn was growing rapidly while Fairfield declined in population. In 1899, the Fairfield church closed its doors due to a lack of funds. However, it reopened in 1906 with a new minister, J.A. Huffman, who agreed to be paid only what could be raised in each week’s collection plate. Under Huffman’s leadership, the Fairfield church regained its equilibrium, paid its debts, and attracted new members. It did not suffer closure again.

In 1922, the flood prevention plans of the Miami Conservancy District called for the relocation of the Village of Osborn from its original site to one just east of Fairfield. At that time, the congregation of the two churches was consolidated into the Fairfield-Osborn Methodist Episcopal Church, with the Fairfield building as the home for the new congregation. With this consolidation and the building of Wright-Patterson Field nearby, the membership of the church steadily increased. Expansion and remodeling projects were undertaken in 1925, 1947, 1958, and 1963.

A longer, more detailed account of the development of the Fairborn church can be found in the publication, A History of the Fairborn United Methodist Church which is located in Box 10, File 1 of this collection.

Scope and Content

The papers of the Fairborn United Methodist Church contain a variety of materials. These include minutes, reports, financial records, marriage, funeral, baptismal, and membership records, weekly programs, publications, newspaper clippings, and women’s and youth organization records.

The earliest records are the IDEAL Church Records in Series 1 which are a listing of members, marriages, baptisms, and funerals for the Brandt, Palmer, Mt. Pisgah, and Wayne Methodist-Episcopal churches. These records date from 1900-1921.

The membership records in Series 2 consist of scattered membership lists and directories for the Fairborn church as well as records of marriages, baptisms, and funerals from the 1940’s and early 1950’s.

The bulk of the remaining materials fall in the 1940’s, 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. They consist mainly of minutes and reports of the Official Board, scattered financial records, and weekly church programs and newsletters. These records hold a wealth of information about the day to day concerns of the congregation. Series 5, Church Organizations, contains the records of various women’s organizations – the Ladies Aid Society (1903-1924), the Women’s Society of Christian Service (1959-1965), and the United Methodist Women (1973-1980). These records show a shift in women’s concerns from providing auxiliary services to the congregation to the social concerns of the 60’s and 70’s.

The historical materials in Series 7 consist of a file of clippings about church activities, photographs, a file of materials pertaining to the church’s 100th anniversary celebration in 1972, and a general historical file with papers and correspondence documenting the development of the church from 1934-1973. This series also contains a history of the Fairborn United Methodist Church published in 1972.

Materials within the file folders are arranged chronologically.

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