Although this charming church in Richburg was built in 1851, its roots go back to an earlier time when people of various denominations gathered in a log structure called Union Church in recognition of its diverse membership. After the log church burned, worshipers dispersed and established separate sanctuaries according to their faiths. Mount Prospect was born of this dispersal.
Captain John Backstrom donated 15 acres of land surrounding the present church, and local Methodists gathered here to worship beneath a brush arbor. The property was also used for camp meetings, or “great revivals,” in which people periodically gathered to listen to sermons delivered by circuit preaches.
When this meeting house-style church was built, giving local Methodists their own place of worship, it included a slave gallery. Since then, the historic building has received modern updates, including the removal of the slave gallery, and it continues to serve members of Mount Prospect United Methodist Church still.
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