MOKE HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH

The Congregational Church in Mokelumne Hill was organized August 28, 1853, and a church was built shortly thereafter. The first Congregational Church was destroyed in a fire in 1854. The Church that stands today was constructed in 1856, and was the fifth Congregational Church organized in the state and is the oldest of that denomination in California.

The church was rebuilt by Pastor J. S. Zellie in 1856, and cost $2,700. The construction was financed by miners' donations collected every Saturday night by the ladies of the congregation. The new church was dedicated by Pastor Joseph Benton of Sacramento on March 8, 1857. The church stands on a stone foundation and was constructed of board and batten. Its windows and much of the mill work came around the Cape Horn of South America in a sailing ship. The church was incorporated as the Mokelumne Hill Community Church in 1959, when the local congregation received title to the property. The church is still in operation and visitors are welcome.