Excerpt from The Heritage of Blue Earth County by Julie Schrader, Topic 56, available in the Research & Genealogy Center.

“On July 2, 1856, Horeb Church was organized in the same cabin home by Rev. Richard Davis of South Bend. The same persons who organized the Sunday School were the ones who also organized the church. The number of members at the organization of the church was 22. In a short time, a number of others united with the church. David P. Davis, John Walters and John Shields were chosen to look after and represent the church when the Quarterly Meeting of the Welsh Presbytery was organized. The first secretary of the church was William P. Jones and the first treasurer, David P. Davis. For two years, the church services and Sunday School was held from house to house.

“In 1858, not having a permanent place to hold meetings, this group decided to build a church adjoining the site of the present church. Its dimensions were 28×35 feet and was built by Andrew Friend, assisted by John Davis. You may be surprised to know that our first church, built back in 1858, was a frame church. What made this possible was the fact that the faithful David P. Davis brought a sawmill with him from Ohio. All the members here owned some timber and each member brought in a few logs to the mill, where they were converted to lumber, from which our first church was built. About this time a panic occurred throughout our land and the church was not completely finished for many years.”