The Methodist Episcopal (M.E.) Church had been formed in America in 1784. In 1844 during the General Conference, the M.E. Church resolved to divide due to disagreement over various issues. It authorized the Southern Conference to organize into a spearate church. Thus, the M.E. Church, South was organized in 1845 in Louisville, Kentucky. As a result, the entire state of Texas came under the jurisdiction of the M.E. Church, South.

Rev. Charles A. Grote came to Texas in 1842. From 1851-1855 he served the M.E. South congregation in Fredericksburg, Texas. Beginning in the early 1850s, rev. Grote began forays into the Llano River Valley, Castell and beyond, ministering to the needs of the people who had settled there. He made many trips to the families to visit and pray with them. As there were no churches, the first services were held in Castell, in 1952, at the river under an oak tree at August Leifeste's home.

Soon Rev. Grote began to visit other settlements, Lower Willow Creek in 1953; then Upper Willow Creek (later known as Plehweville, now Art), Hedwigs Hill (later Beaver Creek, now Hilda) in 1856.

In 1858, a log church house was built on the east bank of Willow creek. This was used as a school and a church. This building was the first church in what would become Mason County. The original church was burned by a gang of hoodlums during the Mason County or Hoo-Doo War in 1973. In 1875, a rock structure was built to replace that earlier log church. This building, on Lower Willow creek Road, still stands and is used by the Art Community Club for a meeting house.

At Upper Willow Creek (Art) the present stone church building was built in 1890 on land donated by Ernst Jordan, a charter member, during the pastorate of Jacob bader. In August Willmann's booklet of 1958 History of the Art Methodist Church, it is noted that August Brockmann, a stonemason by trade and a charter member of the congregation, supervised the building of the walls. Richard Grosse together with John Schneider, Sr. were the builders. This church building was started in 1890 and finished in July 1891. The sandstone rocks for the church were hauled from the nearby hill to the southwest known as jordan Mountain. The stones used for the corners and keystones in the door and windows were hauled from the Anton Willmann, Sr. place 5-6 miles away. The families of F.A. Grote, Sr. and Dietrich Kothmann volunteered to haul the rocks to the building site. Other church members also assisted as needed during the entire construction process.

After the stone walls were up, Henry voldenbaumen (later changed to Vordenbaum), the son of the former pastor was appointed to oversee the carpentry work. Adolph Kothmann, Sr. and Edward Bode helped with the carpentry phase as well as other church members. Matherials for the church were brough from Burnet and Waring, the closest towns with both lumberyards and rail lines. The end cost of the church was $3,161.70 because so much of the labor and materials were donated.

The steeple was originally planned to be 20 feet higher as was Ernst Jordan's church in Wehrstedt, Germany, but the carpenters thought that was too risky. No one wanted to place the weathervane atop the steeple as it was, but finally Adolph Kothmann and a helper put in the place.

A special ceremony for the laying of the cornerstone was conducted one afternoon during a camp meeting in 1891. Behind the cornerstone was placed a small bible, a small amount of money, and some other papers.

The Art M.E. church, South remained as a two-point circuit (Art and Castell) from the time of the division until 1906. In the year the Art hurch had become strong enough to form a separate circuit. Shortly after, a two story rock parsonage was built but not occupied until 1910. Rev. Robert Moerner and family was the first pastor to live in the new home. In 1949 the old parsonage was torn down and a new one was constructed. Members brough the clay tile blocks from Elgin, Texas with their trucks.

In 1916, the Art Tabernacle was built. In early days, a large tent had been erected and used for camp meetings. One Sunday evening a large wind squall blew in and the tent was torn to shreds. Mr. Richard Grosse of R. Grosse Lumberyard, a member of the congregation, estimated the cost of the lumber at $338.02. Again, the members hauled the lumber from Llano by frieght and team. in 1952 a concrete floor was added. The members hauled fill dirt and sand from August Willmann's Fly Gap Ranch.

After the ciil War, the work of the M.E. church, South was disorganized and disrupted, so many of the German Methodists went over to the M.E. Church. In 1869, Rev. Conrad Puenneke and 69 members of the Llano circuit joined the M.E. Church. The M.E. Church was organized at Hedwig's Hill (near Beaver Creek) February 7, 1870 with Conrad Pluenneke as pastor of the newly formed circuit which was named the "Llano-Hedig's Hill circuit."

In 1893 a frame church building was constructed east of the Art "store." The land which the church was built on was donated by Mr. Heinrich Hoerster. The carpenters for the church building were brothers Herman and Otto Mebus. The cost of the church building was $2,085.

In 1939 after 95 years of the national Methodist division, the branches of Methodism finally agreed to merge. The merger occurred at Art in 1941. At that time the M.E. Church was moved intact (after removal of the steeple) across Willow Creek and butted against the stone M.E. church was moved intact (after removal of the steeple) across Willow Creek and butted against the stone M.E. Church, South. The two churches already had shared similar traditions. Also, there were the ties of common origins, history, shared blood ties and other bonds. In 1943 five classrooms, a kitchen, two restrooms, and an assembly room were constructed in the moved church building.

On Sundays, preaching lasted all day. A morning service, noon meal, afternoon service, supper and an evening service were the norm in the earlier days. Several families would often get together and build brush arbors which held a table for the meals. Later, some families would add tin roofs to these temporary structures.

On October 22, 2006 the Art United Methodist church celebrated its 150th Anniversary with an old fashion camp meeting and service. The members of the Art Church are active in the Mason county community and are known for our full scale Christmas plays, outreach to Mexico, community activities and support of those in need. May the God of our fathers ever be with us.