About Us | heidelbergchurch

Our History

Soon after the Civil War, the people in the community about three miles southwest of Corydon, IN, felt a need for a church in their vicinity. On January 11, 1868, land was deeded to three trustees for the purpose of erecting a church. A building contract for $1200 was given to William Farquar (Corydon's Undertaker at the time) and the church was built being named the Heidelberg Congregation of the German Reformed Church and the Reverend Johnathon McConnel became the first pastor.

On August 13, 1870, more land was deeded to the church for the purpose of creating a cemetery. In December of 1875, Anna F. Brown, daughter of Henry and Christina Brown, was the first to be buried in the Cemetery.

On September 8, 1900, the only surviving trustee of the Heidelberg Congregation deeded the land and building to the Cedarwood Congregational Church. Then in 1908 Charles Mauck and William Grove deeded the church building and grounds to for the sum of $130.00 to George T. Fry, Charles Toler, and Warford P. Mauck who were trustees of Luther Chapel Methodist Church which was located west of Corydon on Old Leavenworth Road. The new church was Heidelberg Methodist Episcopal Church.

In the fall of 1932, the church needed some repairs and some new window sills and a new floor were installed. The work was completed on August 30, 1932. That same night at approximately 9:30 pm, the church and all of its' contents were destroyed by fire. The church met for a short time in the Fry School House located just west of the church site.

Money was scarce at the time, so people from the area donated timber and furnished free labor to help rebuild the church. On October 18, 1932, Oscar Eisenmenger set up his saw mill near the church site to cut the donated frame timber. John W. Mathes and Charles Brunner were hired at low rates to supervise the work. A mere four months later, on February 18, 1933, the building was completed debt free.

In 1947 and 1948, new Sunday School rooms were added to the west side of the church and in 1949 the congregation voted to go from being on a circuit charge to being a station church. On October 30th of that year, great efforts were made to set a Sunday School attendance record. The attendance that day was 307 and the nightly service was estimated to have about 400 in attendance.

The church built the parsonage in 1951 and the newly married Reverend Powell and his wife moved in that October.

In 1961, the church built its' first parish hall just to the west of the church building.

In 1968, the United Brethren denomination and the Methodist Episcopal Church united as one forming the United Methodist Church.

In 2005, the new fellowship hall was built on ten acres bought from Keith Toler.

in 2022 and 2023 Heidelberg split from the United Methodist and became independant, as Heidelberg Church.

We are looking forward to what the rest of our history will tell.....