"Some Early History of the Covina United Methodist Church"
By Glenn Reed

Many members of our United Methodist Church well remembered Vickery Dougherty and his wife Anna. Vickery was our pastor from 1951 until 1965 and again in 1979. Not so many are aware of his family's connection with the Methodist Church. Vickery's Grandfather John Lindsay Dougherty and his grandmother Mary Octavia Dougherty came from Virginia and after staying several years in Texas arrived in California by covered wagon in 1868. With them were John's mother Rosamond Hale Dougherty who drove one of the wagons and was reputed to be the best driver at "circling the wagons" and John's Sister Margaret Virginia Dougherty (sometimes called Ginny or Jennie).

They settled in East San Gabriel Valley near present day Azusa, where they missed the religious services of the Methodist Church South of which they were members. (Like many churches and other national organizations, the Methodist Church had split during the Civil War into the Methodist Church South and the Free Methodist Church in the North.) The Dougherty's started the custom of meeting Sundays under
a brush arbor at the home of John Casey on north of Citrus avenue. On occasion, ministers from other areas would come to speak including the Reverend Butler of Downey and the Reverend Abram Adams formerly of Savannah among others. Always the minister came on Saturday and until Monday was a guest in the home of John L. Dougherty.

In 1872, the Reverend Abram Adams founded, for these pioneers, the first Protestant Church in the east area of the upper San Gabriel Valley as the Methodist Church South. Mary Dougherty was the superintendent of the Sunday school.

In 1882, the members of the congregation met in their own building, a small white church on north Citrus Avenue. The first minister was Reverend Elgin C. Knott who married Margaret "Ginny" Dougherty, Vickery's aunt. Elgin and Margaret's son Walter Knott half a century later did very well in the berry business in Buena
Park.

Meanwhile another group of Methodist, members of the Free Methodist Church sometimes called the Methodist Episcopal Church were meeting in the Covina area. According to Don Pfluger's book Covina, "The first church services in the town of Covina occurred on May 17, 1885 in, of all things the tent which housed the skating rink. Rev. B.F. Edwards and Rev. Elgin Knott conducted the services on
that occasion."

On May 15, 1886 the local newspaper, the Exponent, printed the following; "The
Trustees of the Covina Methodist Church met for organization last Saturday
evening with Rev. H.J. Crall in the chair. The Rev. B.F. Edwards was elected
Secretary and J.S. Phillips, Treasurer. All necessary steps for incorporation
according to the laws of the State have been taken. Plans for the church
building have been ordered and as soon as they are completed, work on the edifice
will be commenced. Mr. J.S. Phillips exhibited his usual generous and liberal
spirit by donating a lot and making a cash subscription of five hundred dollars."
The generous Mr. Phillips is the man who in 1883 to 1885 subdivided a part of
his land to establish the town which he named Covina.

On July 5, 1886 the Trustee met and adopted plans for a church building, 32 feet
by 50 feet, to be erected at a cost of three thousand dollars. Rev R.S. Cantine
of the First Methodist Church of Los Angeles laid the cornerstone on July 30,
1887 on two lots donated by Mr. Phillips at 133 West College, on the north side
of the street. That cornerstone may be seen today outside the entrance to
Dougherty Hall and the building is depicted in stain glass in the conference room
of our present administration building.

The bell in the belfry of the church, which was at the corner of town served as
the fire alarm for the volunteer firemen of the town.
In 1907, to accommodate a large and growing congregation the old building, which
faced to the south was moved to the back of the lot and turned to face west,
while a new building was built on the front of the lot facing south. The
cornerstone of this building is also imbedded just outside of the entrance to
Dougherty Hall. In February 1917, the rear of the church was destroyed by fire.
That had hardly been repaired when in July 1917 another fire destroyed the whole
church but again the congregation immediately rebuilt in the same location. Many
of our older members remember that church and its stone façade. This church
served until the 1950s when we moved to our present facility.

Sources: COVINA by Donald H. Pflueger
LuAnn Gallager, (daughter of Vickery Dougherty)
Steven J. Dugan, Historian for CUMC