(These reports were found in the vertical files at the Longview Library  one is dated October 28, 1923---the other May
18, 1938.)

No church register, or record, can be found which gives information prior to 1895, therefore, the history preceeding that date is from memory of our older citizens.

The First Methodist Church in this community was a log building located about where Mr F T Rembert's Cotton Yard is at this time,  which is just west of the I & G N tracks, opposite the cotton compress, on or adjoining the old abandoned cemetery, known as the J W Boring Cememtery.  We have no information about this church prior to 1855.  At that time it was an old building, the property of the Methodist, and was known as the Meeting House, and other Protestant denominations worshipped  there.  It was also used as a school house and for community meetings of all kinds.  Dr Ellis, a practicing physician and local Methodist preacher, was in charge.

About 1860, Dr Job Taylor, a practicing physician and local Methodist preacher, built a Methodist Church in the community known as Earpville on the Marshall and Tyler road, known now as Marshall Avenue, between the present homes of P W Sandifer and Mrs. Willis Booth, and the old log church was abandoned.

In 1871, the Texas and Pacific Railroad built into Longview and it's terminus for a time was about where the office of the Kelly Plow Company is now located.  This road opened a rock quarry on the hill near where the standpipe of the waterworks is now.  The construction engineer or the superintendent of construction of the T & P Ry was named Long.  He and his wife were on this hill at the rock quarry and she, standing there looking south, remarked; "What a long view", and he said that shall be the name of the town here that we are planting, and that is how this city received it's name.

Soon the church at Earpville which was a frame building, was torn down and reconstructed where our present church building stands; the ground being deeded by the T & P Ry Co to B Butrill, O H Methvin, Walter Paine and Stephen May, trustees in trust for the Methodist Church.

This frame church building only stood a short period and was replaced by a brick building, which was used until the present building was built in 1901.  The Baracca Hall was built in 1909/  The leading spirit in the building of the first brick church building was J W Boring, in the present building, G A Kelly, hence the Kelly Memorial Church.

The church here was a part of a circuit until 1879.  At that time, it was made a half station and 1883, a full station.

There was a Methodist Chapel built in the Longview Junction community in 1892 on North Sixth Street to accommodate that section of the city.  It was used for Sunday School purposes and for holding protracted meetings once a year.  The use of this building was discontinued in 1901.

We are unable to name the first pastors of the church here, and the order in which they came in any degree of certainty, but among the first pastors were:  Dr. Ellis, Dr. Job Taylor, Scrivener, H. M. Parker, James Plamer, Gaskel, J. W. Clifton, J. L. Terry, H. C. Booth, W. W. Horner, B. F. Fuller, D. P. Culler, J. T. Smith, S. H. Nettles, L. A. LeClare, L. M. Fowler, and H. C. Scuddy.

Pastors here since 1895 are as follows:
J. W. Downs  1895 - 1897
A. J. Frick  1897 - 1898
W. W. Watts  1898 - 1899
C. R. Lamar  1899 - 1900
W. W. Watts  1900 - 1901
I. Alexander  1901 - 1903
C. J. Oxley  1903 - 1904
B. H. Greathouse  1904 - 1906
J. L. Massey  1906 - 1908
J. W. Bergin  1908 - 1910
H. C. Willis  1910 - 1914
Glenn Flinn  1914 - 1915
W. D. White  1915 - 1917
W. F. Andrews  1917 - 1921
H. T. Perritte  1921 - 1922
C. U. McLarty  1922 - 1923
F. E. Luker  1923 - 1925
J. Coy Williams  1925 - 1926
W. R. Swain  1926 - 1930
T. S. Barcus  1930 - 1932
L. W. Nichols  1932 - 1933
F. E. Few  1934

Some of our Presiding Elders:
Tom Smith
Dr. Godbey
R. W. Thompson (known as Uncle Dick)
Ira S. Key
John Adams
J. T. Cunningham
C. H. Thomas
J. B. Turrentine
L. M. Fowler
F. M. Boyles
C. R. Lamar
H. C. Willis
J. W. Downs
C. B. Garrett
Ellis Smith
Dr. Elrod
Guy H. Wilson

Preachers who have gone out from this church since 1880:
Alex Methvin
Ben Hines
C. L. Williams
H. T. Morgan

Three annual conferences have been entertained here.  We have had as Sunday School Superintendents:
Captain Stephen May
C. P. Carter
Sam Pround
R. M. Kelly, who was Superintendent 21 years, resigned several years ago
W. P. Carlock
Mr. H. C. McGrede
Henry L. Foster   present superintendent.

Members who joined this church over 55 years ago and who lived here are:
Mrs. L. D. Stansberry and Mrs Mollie Merrell.  Both are deceased now.

Over 45 years ago:
Mrs. E. R. Boring
Mrs. B. M. Catterton
both of these ladies are living.

Over 40 years ago:
Mrs. Josie Taylor
Miss Lizzie Kelly
Mrs. J. W. Yates
R. M. Kelly
Mrs. C. H. Harris
Mrs. Julia Oden
C. B. Cunningham
Mrs. C. B. Cunningham
Mrs. E. E. Crain
Mrs. R. R. Chaney
Will Stewart
Mrs. Mittie Bruce
Mrs. Molly Fambrough
Mrs. G. T. Ross
Mrs. W. R. Bass

Members of the church who are children of Preachers:
Mrs. E. R. Boring
Mrs. F. M. Simmons
Mrs. Josie Taylor
Mrs. Joe Brown
Mrs. E. E. Crain
Mrs. J. C. Sparks
Mrs. Mittie Bruce
Leroy Trice
Mrs. A. S. Ferguson
Dr. A. D. Wages
Mrs. K. S. Melton
E. J. Kennedy
Mrs. J. C. Howard
J. W. Gordon
Mrs. H. C. Bennett
J. R. Jones
Mrs. Jeptha Dalston

The first woman's society of the church was the Aid Society organized in 1885, with Mrs. D Downs as President, and with Miss Della Brown, secretary.  This organization merged into the Home and Parsonage Association in 1893.  The Woman's Foreign Missionary Society was organized March 5, 1896 with Mrs. G. A. LeClare as president.

Judging from the condition of the old log church that was discarded in 1860, account being in an unsage condition from age, we can reasonably believe that the Methodist have been at work here for 100 years.

We are indebted to Mr. T. E. Kennard, Mr. Alex Magrill, Mrs. L. E. Brown, Mrs. L. D. Stansberry, Mrs. Josie Taylor, Mrs. E. R. Boring, and others for information in preparing this paper.

Respectfully submitted,
Leroy Trice
October, 28, 1923

In November 1933, Rev. L. W. Nichols became pastor of the church and during this two years the church grew very rapidly.  During this time, there was much discussion of a new educational building.

In November 1934, Rev. Fred Few was appointed pastor of this church.  During his pastorate our new $60,000 educational buiding was built and two mission churches--Wesley Mission and Sixth Street Mission.  At our annual conference in November 1937 Wesley Mission was made a separate church with Rev. Bill Dickinson as pastor.

During Brother Few's pastorate there has been 1118 members received into this church.  When he became pastor of this church, Rev. Ira  S. Key was serving his third year as presiding elder.  And he was succeeded in 1935 by Rev. Guy H. Wilson, our present presiding elder.

After Rev. Few became pastor the following person were hired on the staff in addition to Miss Reba Moore who served as secretary for four years.  Rev. C. E. Clark, associate pastor and city missionary, since 1935. Melvin Munn, church secretary; Mrs. Helen Boring, choir director since 1926;  Mrs. George Ballard, organist since the resignation of Mrs. Roland Bodenheim in 1935; Conception Lopez has been our faithful janitor since 1931.

Others who have worked under Rev. Few are:  Rev. Fred Walker, Rev. John Cannon and Miss Bobbie Chunn.  The present staff includes:
Rev. Harry Rankin, Associate Pastor
Miss Mary Frederick, Church Secretary
Mr. M. D. Abernathy, Chairman of Board of Stewards
Mr. H. L. Foster, Superintendent of Church School

The next annual conference, which is to be held in November, will be in this church.

Submitted,
May 18, 1938