First Methodist Church

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

From the record

“The First Methodist Church is a historic church at the junction of Chestnut and 4th Streets, NW corner in Lewisville, Arkansas. The single-story brick building was designed by Witt, Seibert & Company of Texarkana and built in 1913.”
Wikipedia article First Methodist Church (Lewisville, Arkansas), CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 10 National Register listings published here for Lafayette County · listed in 1996 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
Address. Jct. of Chestnut and 4th Sts., NW corner, Lewisville, 71845
When was it listed? June 1996
Category. building
Also known as. Railroad Era Resources of Southwest Arkansas MPS
Township. Steel township
Architectural style. Neoclassical architecture
Architect. Witt, Seibert & Halsey
National Register reference number. 96000639 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.

Fires near this property

70 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 70 fires within 5 miles of First Methodist Church between 1997 and 2019, burning about 537 acres in total. 4 started naturally. 14 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	29
Debris and open burning	15
Arson/incendiarism	14
Natural	4
Equipment and vehicle use	4
Misuse of fire by a minor	2
Railroad operations and maintenance	1
Smoking	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
6 September 2010	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	3.0 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
5 September 2010	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	5.0 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
4 September 2002	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
23 September 2005	Arson/incendiarism	1.0 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
23 September 2005	Arson/incendiarism	99 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
12 September 2011	Equipment and vehicle use	1.0 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
11 September 2002	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
5 August 2018	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	1.0 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named

Every fire recorded in Lafayette County

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 37 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 37 workings within 5 miles of First Methodist Church: 34 past producers, 2 unknowns, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status
Wilcox Group	Clay	Unknown
Buelar Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Gifford-Hill & Co	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Unknown
Herndon & Buehler Pit No 1	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Landers Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Lewisville Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Mc Kamie	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Meriwether Sand & Gravel Co	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Newton Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Unk	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer

Every working recorded in Lafayette County

Storms near this property

60 of 83 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Lewisville, the town this property stands in, in 83 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 39 thunderstorm wind, 27 hail, 14 flash flood, 2 tornado. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
June 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	1 hurt, $29,000	Strong winds that roared through the county contributed to an accident on CR 5 north. According to Lafayette County Chief Deputy, the accident occurred when a 1995 Pontiac Grand Prix driven by Maxine Matlock, 40 was headed west from Highway 29 North. The strong winds caused a large tree to fall across the road near Union Hill Church. Matlock was unable to stop before branches from the large tree struck the front of the vehicle and entered the windshield. Matlcok skidded 39 feet before impact and then traveled an additional 12 feet before coming to a stop. Only one injury was reported.
April 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	$125,000	The NWS conducted a storm survey and concluded that the damage across Lafayette county was consistent with that of straight line winds produced by a bow echo. State Police estimated wind gusts to near 70 mph with the storm that knocked down numerous trees and powerlines. Other damage consisted of damaged fences, numerous garages and outbuilding damage as well as shingles of several roofs.
August 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	$80,000	Thunderstorm winds blew the roof off a mobile home, caused minor damage to a school roof and damaged two stores in town.
May 2003	Hail	Lewisville	$60,000	Hailstones ranging from dime size to baseball size fell producing thousands of dollares in damage to automobiles according to the Emergency Manager.
August 1993	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	$50,000	Thunderstorm winds downed numerous trees.
October 2001	Flash Flood	Lewisville	$30,000	Several homes were flooded in town and several county roads were closed from high waters.
May 2009	Flash Flood	Lewisville	$25,000	Several rural roads were flooded and closed across the county. Highway department reported that nearly 30 culverts were washed out and 75 to 80 percent of those will have to be repaired.
March 2007	Tornado (EF0)	Lewisville	$20,000	A line of severe thunderstorms spawned a tornado along the northern edge of the line of thunderstorms. The tornado touched down northwest of Lewisville, Arkansas with damage consisting of a chicken house and several trees that were snapped and uprooted. The tornado was rated an EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Damage Indicator (DI): Small barns or outbuildings. Degree of Damage (DOD): Loss of wood or metal roof panels.
March 1998	Hail	Lewisville	$10,000	Vehicles travelling along Hwy 79 had their windshields and antennas broken or damaged by hail.
June 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	$8,000	A tree fell on a home along Highway 29 while another home suffered wind damage. Metal poles holding bird houses were bent in half by the strong winds.
January 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	$5,000	Thunderstorm winds blew down some trees.
October 1993	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	$500	Thunderstorm winds blew down several large tree limbs.
June 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Trees downed in Lewisville.
June 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Trees and power lines downed on North Cunningham Street, North Murphy Street, and 30th Street in Lewisville.
June 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Numerous trees downed across northern parts of Lafayette County.
June 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Power lines downed on 6th Street in Lewisville.
July 2023	Flash Flood	Lewisville	-	Roads were flooded along Highway 313 just south of Lewisville.
July 2023	Heavy Rain	Lewisville	-	The storm total rainfall of 6.51 inches was measured in Lewisville.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	A tree was downed along County Road 22 just south of Lewisville.
May 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Tree reported down on Highway 29 near County Road 89 south of Lewisville.
April 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Highway 29 was blocked by a fallen tree in Lewisville.
April 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	A tree was blown down onto a home in Lewisville.
April 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	A tree was blown down blocking Highway 313 near Lewisville.
February 2020	Flash Flood	Old Lewisville	-	County Road 28 was closed due to flooding from Bodcau Creek.
August 2020	Flash Flood	Old Lewisville	-	Fullermill Road and Lafayette County Road 32 was flooded.
May 2019	Flash Flood	Lewisville	-	Numerous roads in and near Lewisville were flooded. Several school buses were forced to turn around away from these flooded roads.
May 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	A tree fell across Highway 29, damaging a vehicle.
May 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	A tree was blown down across County Road 139 on the southwest side of Lewisville.
March 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Trees and power lines down in Lewisville. The entire city was without power.
April 2016	Flash Flood	Lewisville	-	Numerous streets were flooding near Highway 82 in Lewisville.
July 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	A large tree and powerlines were downed on Spruce Street. Trees and powerlines were also downed on Hwy. 29 south of Lewisville, Arkansas.
May 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Trees were downed in Lewisville, Arkansas.
March 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Several trees and powerlines were downed throughout the entire county.
April 2012	Hail	Lewisville	-	Dime to penny sized hail reported in Lewisville, Arkansas near the intersection of Hwy. 82 and Hwy. 29.
April 2011	Flash Flood	Lewisville	-	Water covered several roadways in Lewisville, Arkansas.
May 2009	Flash Flood	Lewisville	-	High water across Hwy. 313 resulting in a road closure.
February 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Light poles and power lines were downed in the city.
June 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Trees were downed just north of town across the Wilson Cemetery Road. Trees were also downed near Hwy. 29.
January 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Trees were downed.
June 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Numerous trees were downed.
June 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Hwy 29 closed from Lewisville to Hope due to numerous downed trees. Report from State Police.
May 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Numerous trees down north and south of Highway 82.
May 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Several power lines down and numerous trees down.
May 2003	Tornado (F1)	Lewisville	-	A strong thunderstorm moved rapidly southeast across Lafayette County, AR into Columbia County, AR and eventually into Webster and Claiborne Parish, Louisiana. This fast moving thunderstorm was a cyclic tornado producer. Small trees were snapped off or blown down. No structures were in the path of the tornado even though it moved southeast across the southwest outskirts of the town of Lewisville.
December 2002	Flash Flood	Lewisville	-	Numerous county roads under water.
December 2001	Flash Flood	Lewisville	-	U.S. Highway 29 and 82 were closed from flash flooding.
February 2001	Flash Flood	Lewisville	-	Many roads and country roads closed due to flooding.
February 2001	Flash Flood	Lewisville	-	Fuller Mill Road closed due to flooding.
May 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Several trees down along State Hwy 29.
February 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Numerous trees down across Hwy 29 and CR 31.
March 1999	Flash Flood	Lewisville	-	Hwy 29 flooded from excessive rapid runoff.
January 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Numerous trees down across Hwy 29.
August 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Winds were estimated by local observer. Trees and powerlines were toppled by the winds.
January 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Thunderstorm winds downed several trees. A number of homes were also damaged.
July 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Thunderstorm winds downed several trees along Highway 29.
July 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Several trees were blown down along Highway 29 north.
August 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Lewisville	-	Some trees were blown down.
January 1994	Hail	Lewisville	-	Thunderstorm winds blew down some trees.
May 1994	Hail	Lewisville	-	The public reported a funnel cloud.
May 1994	Hail	Lewisville	-	The public reported a funnel cloud.

Every storm recorded in Lafayette County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
P.D. Burton House	under 500 feet	1998
Peoples Bank and Loan Building	0.1 miles	1996
Lafayette County Courthouse	0.1 miles	1993
Triplett Company Building	0.2 miles	1996
King-Whatley Building	0.2 miles	1978
Gulf Oil Company Filling Station	4.6 miles	2019

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 96000639 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Lafayette County	All 10 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.