1859 3rd Quarterly Methodist Conference

The Shawnee Mission (Kan.) Steward's Book contains the minutes of the earliest Methodist Conferences held in Johnson County, Kansas. The Minutes for the Third Quarterly Conference, held in Indian Creek Chapel, located in what is now Overland Park, was then part of the Shawnee Reserve, a new school district outside of the Methodist Mission or Manual Labor school.

Nathan Scarritt was responsible for the Shawnee Reserve and exhibited his new Indian Creek Chapel for this conference. The church / school became commonly known as Scarritt's Chapel. As pioneers settled in and began using the land, lack of open prairie made the trip to school much longer and Indian Creek Chapel began to wane by the late 1860s. By 1873 this community shifted to the new and more easily accessible Linwood School.

Shawnee Mission (Kan.) Steward's Book. "Third Quarterly Conference of the Shawnee Kansas Mission, Shawnee Mission, and Shawnee M. L. School Minutes," page 45. Source: Kansas State Historical Society, microfilm call number MS 1107.

Submitted by Linda K. Lewis, 29 Jan 2010.

"The Third Quarterly Conference of the Shawnee Kansas Mission, Shawnee Mission, and Shawnee M. L. School met at the Indian Creek Chapel on Saturday the 17th of June 1859.

"Members Present

Wm. Bradford P.E.
J. Spencer P.E., Shawnee Missino
N. Scarritt P.E., Shawnee Reserve
A Davidson Exhorter
Sam'l M. Cornatzer Steward
James Liggtt C. Leader"

The minutes state that N. Scarritt was elected Secretary for the conference. During the course of the meeting Scarritt gave a report of the condition of the four Conference Sabbath Schools, the Shawnee M. L. School, the Shawnee S. School, the Monticello S. School, and the Indian Creek S. School. Indian Creek had the largest number of teachers and scholars, with a reported "1 Superindentent, 6 teachers, 27 scholars, and 100 volumes in the library."

Towards the end of this Conference meeting, "N. Scarrett then nominated the following brethern as Stewards for the Shawnee Reserve; Henry Wagoner, Alex. Smith, Thos. Hawkins, Alex. S. Johnson, and William Holmes, all of whom were elected."