History of the Shiloh Springs Christian Church and Cemetery
Montgomery County, Ohio

Research by Carolyn Johnson Burns


The following history and membership list was transcribed from a document titled Manual of the Shiloh Springs Christian Church, prepared in 1923 by Deacon D. W. Klepinger, Church Clerk. Some information was also obtained from other miscellaneous documents, all of which are housed in the Dayton History Room of the Dayton Metro Library, 215 E. Third Street, Dayton, OH 45402.

Shiloh Springs Christian Church was located in the northeastern part of Section 7, Harrison Township, Montgomery County, Ohio. One acre of ground was deeded for the church and graveyard by Peter Kaufman. The first interment was the young child of Jacob Heikes in January 1854.

Click on the following link to view an alphabetical list of members of The Shiloh Springs Christian Church from July 1, 1923.

Church Members

History of the Church

Organized April 24, 1853, by Elder Alexander McLain.

The church was formerly called Shiloh, later on it was called Shiloh Springs to distinguish it from Shiloh in Miami County.

The organization was effected in a log school house that stood a few rods south of the present school building of District Number One, Harrison Township, near where we worship today.

On May 28, 1853, the Christian society and a few neighbors met to take steps toward building a meeting house. At this meeting Jesse Martindale, Paul Macy, and Jacob Heikes were elected trustees. Two months later Peter Kaufman was also elected trustee.

On May 28, 1853, there was a building committee appointed. They pushed the work of building the church, and had it completed by Christmas of 1854. [Other notes indicate this date was 1853.] The dedication sermon was delivered by Rev. Nicholas Summerbell, D.D.

There was no musical instrument used in the church until the year 1864, when they purchased an organ for the Sunday-school, which was used for church services later on.

The church was remodeled in the year 1881. On February 26, 1882, the church was rededicated. Rev. H. Y. Rush, D.D., delivered the dedicatory sermon.

In the year 1867 the church purchased the triangle piece of ground across the road from the church to be used as a hitching ground. The price paid for this ground was $200.

The pastors that were employed to preach in the old church were Alexander McLain, Wm. Furnas, Wm. Jay, H. Y. Rush, J. G. Reeder, Daniel Brewer, C. W. Choate [1884], Rev. Coil, Rev. Harvey, C. B. Mell, B. F. Kemp, Prof. Wm. M. Dawson, O. P. Furnas, and Omer S. Thomas.

On April 26, 1903, the church held its fiftieth annivesary, the history of the church being read by H. Y. Rush, sermon by Rev. J. J. Summerbell, D.D.

February 8, 1912, Wm. M. Dawson called the official board together to take up the advisability of building a new church. Upon motion, and by a unanimous vote of all present, it was decided to build a new church.

A building committee was appointed: Prof. W. M. Dawson, D. W. Klepinger, J. S. Greenwald, O. C. Callison, A. L. Lambert, and F. C. Caswell as building committee.

The building committee began soliciting subscriptions for the new church. After having about $8,000.00 subscribed the committee employed an architect to draw up plans and specifications.

The old church was wrecked in the spring of 1913. The excavating for the new church was delayed a short time on account of the 1913 flood, Dayton calling all teams to clean the city streets. The new church was completed in the spring of 1914.

The dedicatory service was held August 9, 1914, Rv. William Flammer preaching the dedicatory sermon.

The pastors serving time with us at Shiloh Springs Christian Church are Prof. William M. Dawson, Henry Russell Jay, Pressley E. Zartmann, and Willoe J. Hall, under whose ardent work the church has built up to be a power in the community. May his success continue in the future as in the past. A parsonage was purchased in the summer of 1992, at a cost of $8,500, and improvements mounting to about $1,000.00 were put upon it at the time of purchase.