Belmont was the first town in Union Township in Belmont County. It was called Wrightstown for a number of years. Joseph Wright came from Dublin, Ireland and settled where Belmont now stands in 1802. In 1808 he laid out a town on the same plan as his native Dublin. The first school was a cabin built in 1807. The second school was hewed log structure, and the third was a frame house built in 1836, the fourth a brick building in 1861 and another in 1875.
The town prospered with a feed store starting in 1894. There was a glove and shirt factories between 1903 and 1918. There were 13 cigar factories between 1910 and 1947. Also at one time two grocery stores, two churches, a Post Office, a grade school, a high school, and a bank. Belmont poultry employed an average of a dozen people who dressed around 3,000 chickens a week. Most people in these early years were farmers, factory workers or coal miners. So the need for the Lord’s Church to be established in this thriving town was of great importance.
The church that first met at our present location was known as the Friends church, but was later disbanded. The Methodists then met at the school house located about where the Church of Christ building now stands. A small building was erected in 1888 then later was enlarged. The present building was built in 1915 with an addition being added in 1938. This building is still being used. The Articles of Incorporation are dated February 26, 1915. The signatures on it are Stephen Duren, N. M. Gregg, J. M. Hoops, W. A. Jones, and V. A. Mayhen. The congregation at Belmont was a help in the Belmont County area as the Gospel was taking roots in this part of the state. In 1948 they held a Gospel tent meeting in St. Clairsville, Ohio with A. H. Mauer of Wheeling, West Virginia and Harold Hill of Shadyside, Ohio helping with the personal calls and preaching The Word. In 1948 the brethren purchased a lot on Woodrow Street for the use of tent meetings and as a possible building sight later. They eventually did build at that location. Other locations listed for helping with tent meetings int he late 40’s and early 50’s are Flushing, New Athens, and Gnadenhutten, Ohio. Belmont is also noted for helping the Freeport Church of Christ in 1949. According to record books they held great Gospel meetings.
In 1921, D. A. Sommer conducted a three week meeting with four baptisms and 8 restorations. In 1936 a meeting was held with several speakers. They were Fred Dennis, Daniel Summus, James Gallager, Tom Butterfield, Russell Banks
and Charles Findley. It lasted through three Lord’s Days. In 1949, another
meeting took place with Brother Clifton Inman for 13 days, and a singing was
held on the afternoon of the 28th.
The congregation has had four located ministers in their history at Belmont. The first being James Gallager, beginning June 2, 1974 and continuing until October 30, 1983. The second was Amos Orrison, beginning November 9, 1983 until June 5, 1985. The third was Mike Fuchs starting June 30, 1985 until February 29, 1992. All were very credible teachers of the Word of God. Today we have Don Schuler, our Senior Evangelist, who is a 1995 graduate from the West Virginia School of Preaching. When Don was unable to teach due to work, students from the West Virginia School of Preaching were occasionally used to teach the congregation the Bible. Micha Fuchs, our Associate Evangelist since 2013, shares the pulpit with Don.