GOSHEN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH - ORIGINS
The first white settlers arrived in the area now known as Goshen around 1830. In 1832, Alexander Neal and his wife Martha, along with James and Hattie Oxford, and Jack and Lydia Denton founded a church in Goshen, making it one of the oldest in the state.
During that same year, a circuit preacher, Reverend William Sherrod, moved his family to Northwest Arkansas. Reverend Sherrod farmed and served as pioneer preacher at a crude log church in the frontier settlement of Goshen.
A grandson, Reverend J. F. McCuiston, wrote of Will Sherrod: “He was a Methodist preacher for sixty years and considered the orator of his day.”
In 1851 President Millard Fillmore deeded the area of Goshen and Mayfield as a land grant to Rev. James A. Mayfield.
Both communities had acreage set aside for campgrounds shared by worshipers of the Methodist Episcopal South, Baptists, and other protestant religions. During the summer months, revivals were held at these campgrounds. These revivals often lasted three days, at the end of which all denominations held a joint baptism at Oxford Ford on Richland Creek.
Somewhere between 1851 and 1853, James A. Mayfield deeded 40 acres of land to James M. Burk and wife Sally. An indenture dated September 17, 1853, states that Mr. Burk and Sally sold 11 acres of that portion for the sum of $50 to a board of trustees consisting of Rev. Moses Dutton, Joshua Caldwell (Culwell), James Caldwell (Culwell), Stephen D. Enyart, Rev. James Mayfield.
The document goes on to say that the parcel of land belonging to the trustees and their successors in office forever in trust that by the general conference of Ministers and preachers of the said Methodist Episcopal Church South or by the Annual Conference, authorized by the said general conference to preach and expound God’s Holy Word therein.
A second deed dated June 26, 1880, states that Ben F. Clark and his wife Martha, sold property to the church board of trustees for the sum of $13.
This occurred shortly after the great cyclone (tornado) of April 18, 1880, that destroyed the log building which doubled as the Goshen church and schoolhouse. The same tornado also demolished several buildings on the Fayetteville square, including the Baum Brothers store, whose sign landed in Goshen.
Reverend James A. Mayfield’s name does not appear on the board of trustees in the 1880 deed because he was killed in 1865. He had stopped by a spring in Goff Holler to rest from hunting his stray cattle when bushwhackers who terrorized the area after the Civil War jumped him and shot him in the head.
After the 1880 tornado, a two-story wood frame structure was erected on the site. The first level being the church, the second floor housed the Masonic Hall. The total cost of the building was $1,000. The lumber was sawn at Peter Scott’s sawmill and the labor donated by members of the community, including Rev. Moses Dutton.
Upon the building’s completion 1882, a permanent preacher, Frank Naylor, was appointed to the church.
Goshen grew and by 1936 saw the need for a school in the immediate locality. The trustees of the Methodist Church deemed it their duty to furnish the land. On February 3, 1936, the trustees, G. A. Langham, Moses Dutton (either Moses E. or Moses J. – the earlier Moses Dutton died in 1897), Joe Clark, and Sam Gayer deeded a section to the directors of School District 108 of Washington County. The property was to revert to the grantors when not used for school purposes.
This wood-frame church and Masonic Hall burned in 1944 and a year later was replaced by the brick structure standing today.
An article in the Northwest Arkansas Times relating to this event reads.
“Goshen residents decided last night to rebuild the Methodist Church and Masonic Hall which were destroyed by fire a week ago. The Reverend Sam Wiggans presided, and members of the church and lodge met in joint session. A building committee was elected, composed of Ira Oliphant, Lee Culwell, G. A. Langham, Warren Cate, Ray Swope, and Sam Gayer. A church finance committee was named, composed of Sam Oliphant, W. F. Swope, and Hade Langham. Work will begin immediately, and the building will occupy practically the same location as the old structure.”
On April 19, 1947, the school closed and the board of directors of School District 108 deeded the property back to the church.
A parsonage was built in 1950 while Catherine Farrell was pastor. Some of the people who helped build the parsonage were, Paul Pray, G. A. Langham, and Chester Gayer.
The newspaper ran a story about the funding for the building. A project called “God’s Little Acre” was instituted where everyone who participated raised garden produce to be sold at an open street market in Springdale. Strawberries and tomatoes were mentioned as two of the products. It must’ve been a successful venture, for the parsonage was built and paid for with the proceeds.
On October 22, 1975, the property used by the school was deeded to the Masonic Lodge in exchange for the basement portion of the church property.
November 11, 1975, surveying of the cemetery area was started in preparation of deeding it to the Goshen Cemetery Association.
During the 1980s and 1990s, the United Methodist Women of Goshen held an annual fundraising event. These were two-day garage sales which also included crafts, breakfasts served in the basement, and the raffle of a quilt made by ladies of the church.
The raffles were discontinued when the United Methodist Conference Arkansas declared them a form of gambling.
In 2002, the church hosted a fundraiser, a crawfish boil/chicken dinner. This event was held on the lawn of the parsonage with the side dishes prepared in the kitchen and the cooking done outside. Greg Garner spearheaded the fundraiser and donated the crawfish. The chicken strips and smoke sausage were donated by Tyson Foods. Members of the church donated the side dishes and desserts. The turnout was larger than expected and revealed the need for a larger facility to hold community-wide events.
Later that year, the administrative board of the church, along with the Goshen United Methodist Women, voted to construct a large metal building next to the church, which would be called the Education Building.
A building permit was issued by the City of Goshen in 2003, and the dirt work began shortly thereafter.
The first white settlers arrived in the area now known as Goshen around 1830. In 1832, Alexander Neal and his wife Martha, along with James and Hattie Oxford, and Jack and Lydia Denton founded a church in Goshen, making it one of the oldest in the state.
During that same year, a circuit preacher, Reverend William Sherrod, moved his family to Northwest Arkansas. Reverend Sherrod farmed and served as pioneer preacher at a crude log church in the frontier settlement of Goshen.
A grandson, Reverend J. F. McCuiston, wrote of Will Sherrod: “He was a Methodist preacher for sixty years and considered the orator of his day.”
In 1851 President Millard Fillmore deeded the area of Goshen and Mayfield as a land grant to Rev. James A. Mayfield.
Both communities had acreage set aside for campgrounds shared by worshipers of the Methodist Episcopal South, Baptists, and other protestant religions. During the summer months, revivals were held at these campgrounds. These revivals often lasted three days, at the end of which all denominations held a joint baptism at Oxford Ford on Richland Creek.
Somewhere between 1851 and 1853, James A. Mayfield deeded 40 acres of land to James M. Burk and wife Sally. An indenture dated September 17, 1853, states that Mr. Burk and Sally sold 11 acres of that portion for the sum of $50 to a board of trustees consisting of Rev. Moses Dutton, Joshua Caldwell (Culwell), James Caldwell (Culwell), Stephen D. Enyart, Rev. James Mayfield.
The document goes on to say that the parcel of land belonging to the trustees and their successors in office forever in trust that by the general conference of Ministers and preachers of the said Methodist Episcopal Church South or by the Annual Conference, authorized by the said general conference to preach and expound God’s Holy Word therein.
A second deed dated June 26, 1880, states that Ben F. Clark and his wife Martha, sold property to the church board of trustees for the sum of $13.
This occurred shortly after the great cyclone (tornado) of April 18, 1880, that destroyed the log building which doubled as the Goshen church and schoolhouse. The same tornado also demolished several buildings on the Fayetteville square, including the Baum Brothers store, whose sign landed in Goshen.
Reverend James A. Mayfield’s name does not appear on the board of trustees in the 1880 deed because he was killed in 1865. He had stopped by a spring in Goff Holler to rest from hunting his stray cattle when bushwhackers who terrorized the area after the Civil War jumped him and shot him in the head.
After the 1880 tornado, a two-story wood frame structure was erected on the site. The first level being the church, the second floor housed the Masonic Hall. The total cost of the building was $1,000. The lumber was sawn at Peter Scott’s sawmill and the labor donated by members of the community, including Rev. Moses Dutton.
Upon the building’s completion 1882, a permanent preacher, Frank Naylor, was appointed to the church.
Goshen grew and by 1936 saw the need for a school in the immediate locality. The trustees of the Methodist Church deemed it their duty to furnish the land. On February 3, 1936, the trustees, G. A. Langham, Moses Dutton (either Moses E. or Moses J. – the earlier Moses Dutton died in 1897), Joe Clark, and Sam Gayer deeded a section to the directors of School District 108 of Washington County. The property was to revert to the grantors when not used for school purposes.
This wood-frame church and Masonic Hall burned in 1944 and a year later was replaced by the brick structure standing today.
An article in the Northwest Arkansas Times relating to this event reads.
“Goshen residents decided last night to rebuild the Methodist Church and Masonic Hall which were destroyed by fire a week ago. The Reverend Sam Wiggans presided, and members of the church and lodge met in joint session. A building committee was elected, composed of Ira Oliphant, Lee Culwell, G. A. Langham, Warren Cate, Ray Swope, and Sam Gayer. A church finance committee was named, composed of Sam Oliphant, W. F. Swope, and Hade Langham. Work will begin immediately, and the building will occupy practically the same location as the old structure.”
On April 19, 1947, the school closed and the board of directors of School District 108 deeded the property back to the church.
A parsonage was built in 1950 while Catherine Farrell was pastor. Some of the people who helped build the parsonage were, Paul Pray, G. A. Langham, and Chester Gayer.
The newspaper ran a story about the funding for the building. A project called “God’s Little Acre” was instituted where everyone who participated raised garden produce to be sold at an open street market in Springdale. Strawberries and tomatoes were mentioned as two of the products. It must’ve been a successful venture, for the parsonage was built and paid for with the proceeds.
On October 22, 1975, the property used by the school was deeded to the Masonic Lodge in exchange for the basement portion of the church property.
November 11, 1975, surveying of the cemetery area was started in preparation of deeding it to the Goshen Cemetery Association.
During the 1980s and 1990s, the United Methodist Women of Goshen held an annual fundraising event. These were two-day garage sales which also included crafts, breakfasts served in the basement, and the raffle of a quilt made by ladies of the church.
The raffles were discontinued when the United Methodist Conference Arkansas declared them a form of gambling.
In 2002, the church hosted a fundraiser, a crawfish boil/chicken dinner. This event was held on the lawn of the parsonage with the side dishes prepared in the kitchen and the cooking done outside. Greg Garner spearheaded the fundraiser and donated the crawfish. The chicken strips and smoke sausage were donated by Tyson Foods. Members of the church donated the side dishes and desserts. The turnout was larger than expected and revealed the need for a larger facility to hold community-wide events.
Later that year, the administrative board of the church, along with the Goshen United Methodist Women, voted to construct a large metal building next to the church, which would be called the Education Building.
A building permit was issued by the City of Goshen in 2003, and the dirt work began shortly thereafter.