The Pleasant Hill Memorial Corporation is celebrating the 50th year anniversary of its incorporation and 135th anniversary of the church building Sunday, Oct. 9, starting at 2 pm.
Pleasant Hill, located in Grant Township, was built in 1881 with authorization of the Methodist Conference. The wood frame church was used until dwindling membership led to its closure in 1952. The South Iowa Methodist Conference declared it abandoned and deeded it to the Pleasant Hill Memorial Corporation in 1966.
The celebration Oct. 9 will begin with reminiscing and honoring longtime members. Wallace Teagarden will be honored as the lone surviving charter member of the corporation. Teagarden, and attorney, and Gene Blackburn handled the articles of incorporation for the non-profit organization. Teagarden has been president of the corporation since its inception in 1966.
Another longtime member is Marian Gulardo, who joined the corporation in 1967. The Coon family has played a pivotal role in seeing that Pleasant Hill was cared for.
All are invited. Those with memories of the church and events held there are asked to share them in writing and to bring any photos they may have.
After reminiscing the program will look ahead to the next 50 years. There is much interest in seeing that Pleasant Hill become a community meeting place once again. The corporation would like to see more weddings, music events, church services and family gatherings there.
There are challenges ahead as there are repairs that need to be made to the building.
Pleasant Hill is located at 1822 Redwood Ave. From County Road E-53 turn south on County Road P-30. Redwood Ave angles off P-30 toward the southeast about 3-1/2 miles south of E-53.
