In October, 1808, the Western Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church sent James Gwinn, a circuit rider, to the "great bend" of the Tennessee River to formalize existing Methodist Societies. He organized the Flint Circuit to serve frontier settlers in southern Tennessee and Madison County, Mississippi Territory. The first meetings of the Shiloh Methodist Episcopal Church were held in a private home. In late 1819 legislation was enacted which permitted churches to own land and, in 1820, a one-half-acre plot of land known as Shiloh was purchased. An adjoining one-acre plot was added in 1876 to construct a new church. That building burned in the mid 1890's. Its replacement was destroyed by fire in 1931. The present edifice was then constructed. Shiloh remained as a circuit charge until 1953, when it began full-time worship services with B.M. McElroy as pastor. Shiloh provided a school for the community until 1917.