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The Methodist Class organized by Rev. Headless in May, 1842, with John Eudaley as class leader, met for several years in the homes of the members. Concerning the date and location of the first church building we quote Rev. LeGrand: "There is no record available to the writer that even suggests the time and location of the first church building to house the Shiloh Class. However, according to information gathered from local sources, the first building, a log structure, was erected probably within a few years after the class was organized, near the base of the hill and just east of the Shiloh cemetery. This building served their purposes until after the Civil War," but Rev. LeGrand states "There might have been a building near the Old King place."
In 1867 John Eudaley gave two and one-half acres of land for a permanent building site and deeded the same to Methodist Church, South. Later, date not known, a church house was erected on this site, and the site continued to be the home of Shiloh Church until its final dissolution a few years ago.
Besides the services held in the homes of church members and in the church house after one was built the congregation held a revival each summer at some camp ground. The "Camp Meeting" was a great religious experience. Entire families came from many miles around and "camped out," for a period of the meeting, usually several weeks. Several camp sites were used, some of which cannot now be identified. Rev. LeGrand describes one camp ground as follows: "The Shiloh Camp Ground was equpped with necessary buildings to house and feed a very large group of families for several weeks. The cabins, made of logs, were arranged in an orderly "L" shaped fashion, so that each cabin would be facing the large community kitchen and storehouse, to which all had equal access."
According to the journal of John Eudaley, in the year 1843, the Scotts, Kearbeys, Kittrells and others started a camp ground on Ten Mile Creek on land owned by Jesse Scott. This camp was occupied for four years when the land was sold. In 1847 a date was set for a meeting on Ten Mile Creek to select a new site. In the words of John Eudaley, "The Cane Creek people found out that the principal part of the work would be done by the Cane Creek boys, so it was decided if we had to do the work we would build somewhere on Cane Creek and the Old Camp Ground was agreed upon." The meeting started August 6, 1847 with J.M. Kelly, presiding elder, and J.M. Proctor, preacher in charge. The campers were John Eudaley, John A. Walton, Heardy Box, Elijah Mays, and some others, about eight in all. Considering family sizes there could easily have been to 60 people camped.
Again we quote from Eudaley's journal, "The War commenced in 1861 and by the close of the war the camps were about all rotted down." (We interpret "camps" to mean that each family had a cabin on the camp ground and that each cabin was called a "camp".) In 1865 the hurriedly arranged after the close of the war and used a brush covered arbor and shelters of brush for the campers. Mr. Eudaley mentions that in the fall of 1866 a camp meeting was held at Three Springs on Black River because some good camps were there. Soon after this Mr. Eudaley gave the land for a permanent location and the camp meetings were held there. We do not know how many camp meetings were held but John Eudaley helped plan and participated in forty such meetings.
The preaching services in a Camp Meeting were usually under an arbor, the arbor covering supported by posts. If the covering was of brush it was called a "brush arbor." At a camp ground which was used for several years the arbor covering seems to have been more permanent than brush, probably boards or shakes. Here we quote the statement of Mr. Eudaley regarding the first arbor on the site which he had given the Church, "We put up a frame for the arbor the next fall, 1868, and Green Copeland was hired to cover the arbor and paid $50.00." Surely $50.00 would buy a substantial arbor covering in 1868. The church services in a "Camp Meeting" were explained by Rev. LeGrand: "The services were more or less informal, giving opportunity for opersonal expression of a warmed heart, from the least of them unto the greatest. Ministers came from afar and stayed throughout a part or all of the assembly. No one minister had a monopoly on the services. All were given an opportunity to preach."
The Shiloh Church lived and served its community for well over one hundred years. In 1942 it celebrated its centennial anniversary, a distinction attained by only a few churches in the Middle West. The occasion was observed by a revival meeting beginning Wednesday, July 29, and continuing through Sunday, August 9. The District Superintendent, Dr. E.H. Orear, Poplar Bluff, Missouri, appointed Rev. R.F. LeGrand to assume charge of the program. All the ministers who had gone from the church, and former pastors of the church and all presiding elders then living, were invited to attend and participate. The Sunday messages August 2, were given by Dr. E.H. Orear, District Superintendent and Rev. Albert Northdurft, pastor in charge. Dinner was served on the grounds in the old-fashioned way. The Rev. George Walker, pastor at Ellington, was speaker for the second week. He was the English boy who had worked for John Eudaley as a farm hand, united with the Shiloh Church and was there licensed to preach.
In the lifetime of Shiloh Church twenty-three of its young men graduated into the ministry of the Methodist church, a truly remarkable record, and a record not attained by many much larger churches to this day. This church has every right to proudly call itself, "Mother of Preachers." Space will not permit us to mention by name all these ministers but they included Roy F. LeGrand, author of the little booklet, "Shiloh, The Mother of Preachers', Jonathan D. King, who died in the armed forces in the Civil War; William J. Wisecarver, killed in the battle of Fredericktown, George Walker, the English boy who had come under the influence of John Eudaley. In the group John Eudaley also had a brother-in-law, Jacob H. Cox, three grandsons, Reed Steward, John L. Steward, James D. Eudaley and a son-in-law, Reuben A. Walton. Then there was Dudley C. O'Howell who rose to be Presiding Elder in the Missouri Conference.
The Shiloh church has now ceased to exist except in the hearts and minds of the men and women who came under its influence. The church building was torn down in late January 1962. The only remaining evidence of this great pioneer institution is Shiloh cemetery, the earthly resting place of many of the fine and rugged people who helped build the Butler County of today. This church died not through neglect and indifference but through changed conditions of living. As cities grew the people moved away from Cane Creek valley until it was impossible to maintain a church.
For information on Shiloh church we are indebted to Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Moore who made available to us the journal o John Eudaley and a copy of the booklet, "Shiloh, The Mother of Preachers."
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