Thompson Disciple Church

In 1848, after years of meeting occasionally for worship at the little schoolhouse at the corner of Sidley and Thompson Roads with Jacob Norman as pastor and Paul Bower, Sr. as financial supporter, a scattered group of Disciples acquired sufficient strength to organize. Elders Turney (Madison), Veitz (Saybrook), Benjamin and Gates helped the new organization with Jacob Norman and Simon Bower as its Elders, Hiram Stephens and Paul Bower as Deacons and the following family names among the twenty-five members: Bower, Norman, Hausch, Stephens, Stevens, Nelson, Mills, Tucker, Dayton and Loomis.

In 1854 on land donated by Paul Bower, Sr., the church building was constructed. Interest, enthusiasm and membership grew and by 1874, with about 235 members, Reverend Musson as pastor, Simon Bower, Charles Foot and Henry Quayle as Elders, Paul Bower, Lewis Keener and Henry Malin as Deacons, John Hausch as Sunday School Superintendent and an average Sunday School attendance of fifty, the Church included an a capella choir singing in German.

The records show the names of twenty-five pastors: Reaves, Cooley, Ingraham, White, Kentzelmann, Musson, Moore, Cushman, Encell, Blake, Cook, Gates, Sturgeon, Saltzmann, Russel, Lillis, Hayden, Tisdell, Bower, Robinson, Allen, Wight, Atkinson, Moody and Dann.

During its history, the church had 399 members. The final five, baptized in 1918 by Reverend Huges of Geneva were: Zila Behm, Mary Binnig, Doris Leslie and Lee Osborn.

Soon after this so many of its members moved away that the few remaining transferred to neighboring churches. The building was later sold to J. G. Binnig and the "Little Germany Church" of the Disciples remains only as a memory in the hearts of the descendants of the faithful and devoted members.