Summary of Church Milestones

​

1858 - Society organized by Methodist Episcopal Circuit

1861 - Building completed as Methodist Episcopal Church

1891 - Stewartville church built as secondary site in High Forest circuit

1944 - Closed during WWII by Methodists

1945 - Purchased for $300 and established as an Independent (Non-Denominational) Bible Church

​

Original Establishment  (1858)

• Organization: The Methodist Episcopal society in High Forest was organized in 1858, shortly after the village of High Forest was platted. It was part of the "Spring Valley Circuit," which included several neighboring settlements.

• The First Building (1861): The original church building was constructed in 1861. This white frame structure served as a central landmark during the village's most prosperous years.

• Educational Hub: In 1880, the church sponsored the creation of the High Forest Seminary led by E.W. Young. It provided higher education to the area for two years before moving to Rochester to seek a larger population base. 

  ​

The "Railroad Shift" and Decline (1891–1944)

• Expansion to Stewartville: In 1891, when the Winona and Southwestern Railroad bypassed High Forest in favor of Stewartville, the High Forest pastor, Rev. Josiah Royce, oversaw the construction of a new Methodist church in Stewartville to accommodate the growing town.

• Loss of Prominence: As families moved to Stewartville to follow the railroad, the High Forest congregation began to dwindle. By the early 20th century, the church was no longer the regional powerhouse it had once been.

• Sometime between 1900-1914, the church acquired a large bell, and constructed a bell tower to house it. The same bell is still rung every Sunday as a call to worship to the community. 

• World War II Closure: The congregation faced a critical shortage of members during World War II, as many of the men from the community left for military service. The Methodist church officially closed its doors as a denominational entity in 1944. 

​

High Forest Community Church (1945–Present)

•  In 1945, the American Sunday School Union (now American Missionary Fellowship) purchased the shuttered Methodist property for just $300.

• The building was renamed the High Forest Community Church. It transitioned from a denominational Methodist church to an independent, non-denominational congregation.

• 1970s, the church finally got running water, which allowed for inside bathrooms! Before this time, an outhouse stood out back

• Around the same time, a basement was added underneath the fellowship area, and the original foundations of the sanctuary were reinforced.

• In 2023, the fellowship area underwent a cosmetic update, as well as updating the kitchen 

• In 2025, the interior of the sanctuary underwent a detailed restoration, repairing the original tin ceiling, and restoring the interior look to more closely represent it's original features of the late 1800s. While much needed repairs and updates had to be done, it was important to the congregation that the building pays homage to it's simple and established past

​