Madison County Churches

In September, 1848, occurred the first camp meeting in the County. This was held about two miles below the depot in Patterson, on the Northeast quarter of section 33, in Crawford Township. For many years this place was a noted one for outdoor meetings, political as well as religious. It was earliest known as the McGinnis and later as the Holton place. This meeting, and other meetings later on, were held under an immense black Walnut tree that was over six feet in diameter, and more than one hundred feet high. The lower limbs began about nine feet above the ground in the shade of the tree extended about eighty feet in diameter.

Typical Early Day Camp Meeting

This camp meeting was held under the direction of the Methodists and there were three preachers present; Rev. Ezra Rathburn, of Des Moines, Rev. Allen, of Linn Grove, and the other one is not remembered. People were in attendance from long distances, from miles northwest of Winterset, and from Dallas, Polk, and Warren counties. Probably over a thousand attended at one session or another. It remained in session about a week and was said to have been a successful meeting from the church standpoint. Anyhow, it drew a great crowd of sinners; and persons of various denominations, besides nearly the entire Methodist population hereabouts were present. It was the second great gathering of people in Madison County, that of July 4th that year being the first.

So great was the success of this meeting that the Methodists held another in the fall of 1849 and again in 1850. People camped as a rule in their covered wagons and most of them came on ox wagons. Tents were very scarce in those days and none were on the grounds at the first meeting. Grass water and fuel were abundant and, of course, free.¹

Although the Baptists of Madison County held the first religious meeting in the county, the Methodists quickly became the predominant denomination and remained so. In a census of church membership in Madison County in 1952, the top five were Methodist (2520), Christian (908), Catholic (590), Friends (463), and Presbyterian (388).

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Source: 1.	History of Madison County and its People, Volume 1, Herman Mueller, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1915, Chicago, Illinois