The Old Rugged Cross Church

The Old Rugged Cross Church and Museum is where Rev. George Bennard first introduced the final version of his now famous hymn "The Old Rugged Cross". At that time, January of 1913, it was the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Pokagan, having been renovated from a hops barn that was built in 1862. In 1914, the congregation moved across the street into the abandoned Baptist Church and sold their church to a farmer who turned it back into a barn. It remained a barn until it deteriorated to a point of eminent collapse. In 1998 it was purchased by Bob and Molly Shaffer who formed The Old Rugged Cross Foundation, Inc., a 501 C 3 non-profit corporation, which now owns the property and, after twenty-one years, has restored it to its previous church era appearance. The church is no longer attached to any denomination and does not hold regular church services but serves the community in a variety of ways. Although there are no regular hours, tours and events are held by appointment.