BRIAN TIERNEY PHOTOGRAPHY
Bodie Methodist Church
When you first walk into town from the parking lot, the large building on the left is the Methodist Church. The structure was built in 1882 and was one of the two churches in town. There were about 65 saloons. The last standard church service was conducted in 1932, when all but a few families had left Bodie. The small wooden structure to the front-right of the entrance is a wood shed that was added on after the church was originally built.
Between the 1940’s and 1962 (when the State Parks System took over the town) the Methodist Church was vandalized. Among other things, the original oilcloth that had the 10 commandments painted on it was torn down and stolen. Today, there’s a large-size wire-mesh fence blocking the entrance, but there’s plenty of room to easily see inside and take pictures. An old wood burning stove sits in one corner as a remind of how cold Bodie winters were (and are!)
Source: https://www.bodie.com/history/structures/methodist-church/