As usual in most other rural districts of the State, the Methodist Episcopal Church obtained a foothold in McDonough County at an early date and now leads both as to membership and to number of church organizations. The noted PETER CARTWRIGHT is reputed in 1832 to have preached the first sermon in McDonough County by any representative of that denomination, and organized the first church there during the same year. Meetings were held in the old court house until 1835, when a brick building was erected on a site donated by HON. JAMES M. CAMPBELL. This building was demolished by a cyclone in 1847, but was rebuilt the following year, the congregation in the meantime holding services conjointly with the Presbyterians. The second church building was blown down in 1854, and was replaced by a new structure which was dedicated in 1857, services being held during the interval in the Christian church and in the court house. This church was rebuild and refitted, the dedicatory sermon on its reopening being preached by BISHOP SIMPSON. Not long after the dedication of this building the spire was blown down by a violent storm, its place being later supplied by a less pretentious cupola. The Macomb Methodist Church has been a regular station since 1858, and during its history has been presided over by some of the most noted ministers of that denomination in the capacity of pastors or Presiding Elders. Tennessee Methodist Episcopal Church dates its origin from the holding of missionary meetings in the home of JAMES FULKERSON, near Hillsgrove, in 1832, the locality being popularly known as the "Old Methodist Stamping Grounds". In 1851 a society was organized south of Tennessee at what was called the "brick school-house". A church structure was erected in that vicinity in 1864. Friendship Methodist Episcopal Church, one of the older religious organizations in the county, was organized in 1833 by REV. MR. CORD, a Methodist missionary. Meetings were held for a time at the residence of JOHN HUNT, later known as the KIRK Place, and for many years at the school-house near the present site of the church. The first camp meeting in the Military Tract was held in this locality in 1833, and is said to have attracted visitors from a wide extent of country, including Quincy, Jacksonville, Beardstown and other points equally distant. One of the oldest Methodist organizations in McDonough County, known as Pennington Point Methodist Episcopal Church, was organized at Pennington Point, New Salem Township, in 1835 or 1836, and a commodious edifice was erected there in the "sixties" or "seventies", (My note: this book was written in 1907, so the author means 1860's or 1870's) a good frame parsonage also being erected in connection with the church. What is known as Bardolph Methodist Episcopal Church wad organized in 1836 at the residence of JOSEPH KEPPLE, about a mile south of the present village of Bardolph, the first members being WILLIAM H. and ANN JACKSON, MRS. JACOB KEPPLE and MRS. CULP. Meetings were held for a time at Mr. Kepple's house, later at the residence of Mr. Jackson, and in a union church erected jointly by the Methodists and Cumberland Presbyterians. Some of the early pastors were REVS. B. E. KAUFMAN, D.S. MAIN, A.P. HULL, J. FERGUSON, JACOB MATTHEWS and J.E. TAYLOR. The present pastor is REV. MR. DYE. Other Methodist organizations which came into existence in the county previous to, or during, 1876, include the following: Stickle Methodist Episcopal Church, organized in Emmet Township, with twelve members and named in honor of ABRAHAM STICKLE. A church edifice was erected in 1854 at a cost of $1,700. Blandinsville Methodist Episcopal Church, organized by REV. BARTON CARTWRIGHT about 1848. Rock Creek Methodist Episcopal Church, organized in Hire Township in 1850, with twenty-two members; met in school-houses until 1875, when a church building was erected at a cost of $2,000. Maple Grove Methodist Episcopal Church, in Emmet Township, organized about 1850, held meetings in groves and school-houses until 1865, when it took possession of a house of worship costing $2,500. Mound Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church, organized at the residence of E. DYER in 1854, with eight or ten members. Its church building was erected in 1868 at a cost of $3,200. Pleasant Grove Methodist Episcopal Church, Industry Township, occupied a church building erected in 1857 costing $1,200. Liberty Methodist Episcopal Church, Blandinsville Township, in the early 'seventies, had one of the best rural churches in the county, costing about $2,500. Prairie City Methodist Episcopal Church, established in the 'fifties; had a church edifice erected in 1858; also had a parsonage connected with the church. REVS. JAMES HANEY, R. BERRYMAN, RICHARD HANEY, BENJAMIN APPLEBEE, JOHN MOREY, A. E. PHELPS, THOMAS KIRKPATRICK and C. HOBART were among the early preachers in this vicinity. Industry Methodist Episcopal Church, organized at the village of Industry by REV. E. MONTGOMERY in 1855, with JOHN REED and wife, HENRY ROBELY and wife, M. MERRICK and wife, MRS. VANCE, FANNY BRIDGES and POLLY SHANNON, as its first members; had a church building erected in 1866 at a cost of about $2,000. Colchester Methodist Episcopal Church, organized February 1, 1858 by REVS. H. PRESSON and B.E. KAUFMAN, with twenty-one members; held service in a school-house until 1861, when it erected a church building costing $1,200. Mound Methodist Episcopal Church, in the northwestern corner of Prairie City Township, erected a building in 1858, costing $1,400; also had a parsonage. Linn Grove Methodist Episcopal Church, Walnut Grove Township, had a church building erected in 1870 at an outlay of $2,400. Willow Grove Methodist Episcopal Church for a time held its meetings in Prosperity Hall, Emmet Township, and later in Willow Grove Church of the United Brethren. New Hope Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1866, and had a church edifice, erected during the following year, costing $1,600. Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in the same vicinity twenty-five or thirty years earlier, where a church building was erected in 1845, but was burned in 1863, having been set on fire by an incendiary. Centennial Methodist Episcopal Church, located in New Salem Township, was organized in 1871, held its meetings in a school-house for five years, and in 1876 dedicated its first church building, REV. WILLIAM J. RUTLEDGE officiating. Greenwood Methodist Episcopal Church held its meetings for several years in school-houses. In August, 1873, it was reorganized and in December, 1875, dedicated a church building erected in the northeastern part of Macomb Township, and costing $2,000. Adair Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1875, a church structure erected costing about $2,000, and dedicated in October of the same year. The Second (African) Methodist Episcopal Church, Macomb, Ill., was organized in september, 1876, with five members, but in proportion to the colored population of that city, has had a reasonable growth. For some time meetings were held in the old Baptist church, but the present location of the church is at 320 North Mechanic Street.