This area had been inhabited by Creek Indians for thousands of years when Europeans first arrived in 1639 via the Chattahoochee River. 200 years later, formal settlement in this area began with a land lottery in 1827, and by 1836, all natives had been removed from this area. In 1830, Stewart County was created by the state legislature, and from 1836 to 1850, the county population exploded as droves of new settlers poured in. During this period, Stewart County became one of Georgia’s top three cotton producers. But signs of decline began to show by the 1850s when rail construction- connecting Savannah to west Georgia’s cotton producers- passed north and south of the county, but not through it.

The Civil War years and directly following brought many challenges to Stewart County but things were looking up by the 1880s as new investments in the southern railroads brought trains to Stewart County in 1885. New towns erupted over the next ten years, such as Richland as the railroad expanded. Richland was officially incorporated in 1889, however, a small community called Chisholm was here before the railroad arrived. Richland became an important stop on the Savannah-Americus-Montgomery Line and by the late 1800s, 6 passenger trains would stop here a day. As a result, Richland grew rapidly and boasted many businesses which served the region’s farmers and townspeople.

Methodism was brought to what is now known as Richland when Stewart County was part of Randolph County. Back then, church doctrine was preached by circuit-riding ministers who traveled throughout the countryside to spread the word. The first Methodist Church was organized in this area about 1834 and the first deed for the church was recorded in 1845. The first and second church buildings, which were located on the southwest corner of the old Cedarwood Cemetery, were destroyed by tornados. After the second tornado, services were discontinued for many years, until a third church was built in 1888 on the site of the original first two churches. 

Services were held in the third church building until 1912 when a new church location was selected and the third church structure was sold to a family business. The fourth and current structure was built on the corner of Phillips Street and Hamilton Avenue. The cornerstone reads: “Erected 1912 to the Glory of God. Established 1888.” In 1955, the church was expanded when an annex was added and in the 1960s and 70s, extension renovations were done to the 1912 brick structure. In 2000, additional work was completed to preserve the integrity of the building. The church still holds regular services today.