employed pastor, who came there and took charge in the year 1840. Soon afterwards the church and congregation was moved to the City of Clarksville.

Prior to this time, a Protestant church claims to have been organized and built at old Jonesboro on Red River. However, I think the mistake was made as to the organization of the Methodist Church at Jonesboro as early as 1815 to 1820. The Rev. Henry Stevenson of Missouri, a Methodist missionary, organized a class of Methodism. Rev. John H. McLean, a Methodist minister, later preached at old Jonesboro, as he states in his "Reminiscences", published in 1918. There was a community church building erected at old Jonesboro subsequent to 1824 and any minister who chose to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ was permitted to preach in that community church building. We have been reliably informed that Benjamin Clark, the father of the founder of Clarksville, was a Methodist in belief and that he frequently preached at this old community church.

Methodism in this part of the State really reached its zenith under Rev. John McKenzie. McKenzie was originally sent as a missionary to the Choctaw tribe of Indians who were removed from east of the Mississippi River to their new reservation. About the year 1836 Rev. McKenzie's health failed him and he came to Red River County, and erected his famous school, the McKenzie College. Associated with Rev. McKenzie