Methodism in Marlette dates back to 1851, when the first religious sermon in the county was delivered for the Methodist Society. In 1858 the Methodist Episcopalians organized as a church. Their first minister, the Reverend D. W. Hammond, came to Marlette in 1873 and started the Marlette Index newspaper five years later. The original 1871 church burned in 1901. Detroit architect Joseph Mills, who also designed the Marlette High School and the Sanilac County Courthouse, planned the Neo-Gothic-style church that was built on land purchased by the Ladies Aid Society. Dedicated on December 14, 1902, the church also burned in 1937 and in 1979, but with the exterior preserved, it remains a landmark in Marlette.