Methodism in Marlette dates back to 1851 when the first religious sermon in the county was delivered for the Methodist Society. In 1858 the Methodist Episcopalians organized a church. There first minister, the Reverend D.W. Hammond, came to Marlette in 1873. He started the Marlette Indexnewspaper five years later. The original 1871 church burned in 1901. Detroit architect Joseph Mills, who designed the Marlette High School and the Sanilac County Courthouse, planned this Neo-Gothic-style church, which was built on land purchased by the Ladies Aid Society. Dedicated on December 14, 1902, this church also burned – in 1937 and in 1979. With the exterior preserved, however, the church remains a landmark in Marlette.
