:Churchill, Renville County, Minnesota

Churchill was in Sections 26, 27, 34, and 35 of Brookfield Township. The community was located north of Hector, Minnesota on the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railway (CMStP).{{Cite web |date=1920 |title=Minnesota State Gazetteer and Business Directory |location=St. Paul, MN |url=http://archive.org/details/minnesotastatega221unse |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=Archive.org |publisher=R.L. Polk & Company}}

The area has been called both Churchill{{Cite book |last=Wedge |first=Franklyn Curtis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z0EVAAAAYAAJ&q=%2522churchill%2522&pg=PA312 |title=The History of Renville County, Minnesota |date=1916 |publisher=H.C. Cooper, Jr. & Company |volume=I |location=Chicago, IL |pages=379-380, 397-398, 408 |language=en}} and Church Hill in historic sources.

In April 1876, a Methodist Episcopal Sunday school was organized in this area, originally under the name Brookfield, the name of the township. The congregation met in local homes and schools for many years. In September 1901, the church building was dedicated. Circa 1916, the pastor for the church in nearby Hector also served as the pastor for this congregation.{{Cite book |last=Wedge |first=Franklyn Curtis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MEIVAAAAYAAJ |title=The History of Renville County, Minnesota |date=1916 |publisher=H.C. Cooper, Jr. & Company |volume=II |location=Chicago, IL |pages=1288–1289 |language=en |access-date=January 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003212036/https://books.google.com/books?id=MEIVAAAAYAAJ |archive-date=October 3, 2023 |url-status=live}} The name first appears as Churchill United Methodist Church in 1922.{{Cite web |last=Boeder |first=Thelma Ballinger |date=2018 |title=Planting United Methodist Roots In Minnesota, 1837-2018; summarizing attempts, successes, and outcomes |url=https://www.minnesotaumc.org/files/websites/www/Planting+UM+roots+in+MN.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230626093247/https://www.minnesotaumc.org/files/websites/www/Planting+UM+roots+in+MN.pdf |archive-date=June 26, 2023 |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=minnesotaumc.org}} The church was built in the Gothic Revival style.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XgjZvNoqF0QC&q=%2522churchill%2522%252B%2522renville%2520county%2522&pg=PP89 |title=Churches of Minnesota |date=2006 |publisher=Minnesota Historical Society |isbn=978-0-87351-547-4 |language=en |access-date=January 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103091133/https://books.google.com/books?id=XgjZvNoqF0QC&pg=PP89&dq=%2522churchill%2522%252B%2522renville+county%2522&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjxyauJ38CDAxUTM0QIHdBzCzMQ6AF6BAgIEAI#v=onepage&q&f=false#v=onepage&q=%2522churchill%2522%252B%2522renville%2520county%2522&f=false |archive-date=January 3, 2024 |url-status=live}}

By the early 20th century, Churchill was considered a "settlement". It was later regarded as a village: one of over a dozen small hamlets in Renville County.{{Cite book |title=Old Villages of Renville County |publisher=Renville County Historical Society |year=2006 |volume=I |location=Renville, MN |pages=7}}

Neil J. McCall, an early settler from Cornwall in Canada, helped organize the Churchill United Methodist Church; he was also involved in building the Churchill creamery. Thomas Simmons, another settler from Canada, was the secretary for the creamery. In addition to the church and creamery,{{Cite book |last=Minnesota |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mPZBAQAAMAAJ&q=%2522renville%2522%252B%2522church%2520hill%2522&pg=PA160 |title=Minnesota State Dairy and Food Commissioner, Eleventh Biennial Report |date=1907 |publisher=Harrison & Smith |location=Minneapolis |page=160 |language=en |access-date=January 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103091057/https://books.google.com/books?id=mPZBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA160&dq=%2522renville%2522%252B%2522church+hill%2522&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwie5u6x7sCDAxWIke4BHaAxCi8Q6AF6BAgMEAI#v=onepage&q&f=false#v=onepage&q=%2522renville%2522%252B%2522church%2520hill%2522&f=false |archive-date=January 3, 2024 |url-status=live}} Church Hill had a school.

On August 23rd, 1904, a heavy storm hit Church Hill and surrounding areas. The sheds of the Methodist Church in Church Hill were destroyed. Nearby homes, granaries, and barns were also destroyed, as well as livestock, grain, and farming equipment. The storm was severe enough to make state news. The Minneapolis Journal wrote, "At Church Hill, the wind blew the Methodist Church sheds to pieces. Just north, John Silker's barn was blown to bits, and east, M. Southers' large barn was blown from its large foundation and twisted." At some area farms, not a single building was left. After damaging the Church Hill area, the storm moved on to Boon Lake Township, where it caused further damage.{{Cite news |date=1904-08-23 |title=ONE FARMER STRIPPED Heavy Loss to Property, but None to Life Near Hector |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/76288381/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103091027/https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/?next_url=/ezproxy/r/ezp.2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmV3c3BhcGVycy5jb20vaW1hZ2UvNzYyODgzODEv |archive-date=January 3, 2024 |access-date=2024-01-02 |work=The Minneapolis Journal |location=Minneapolis, MN |page=3}} File:Churchill, Hector, Buffalo Lake, Lakeside in Renville County, 1981.jpg, and Lakeside in Renville County, in 1981]]

In 1960, the Brookfield Township Hall, located in Churchill, burned to the ground. The town hall, which had previously served as the schoolhouse, was destroyed, but a road grader inside the structure was spared when several farmers pulled it out using a tractor.{{Cite news |date=1960-03-27 |title=Persistence Saves Road Grader in Town Hall Fire |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/183475949/ |access-date=2024-01-05 |work=Star Tribune |location=Minneapolis, MN |page=29}}

Churchill United Methodist Church held its closing service December 30, 1979. The congregation merged with the nearby Hector United Methodist Church. That year, the church was purchased by the Renville County Historical Society for $1.{{Cite news |date=2008-11-12 |title=Renville County to raze Churchill Church; building has fallen into disrepair over years |url=https://www.wctrib.com/news/renville-county-to-raze-churchill-church-building-has-fallen-into-disrepair-over-years |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101210924/https://www.wctrib.com/news/renville-county-to-raze-churchill-church-building-has-fallen-into-disrepair-over-years |archive-date=January 1, 2024 |access-date=2024-01-03 |work=West Central Tribune |location=Willmar, MN |pages=Online edition |language=en}} In 2008, the Churchill Methodist Church was featured in Churches of Minnesota, a book published by the Minnesota Historical Society.

In 2008, the Renville Historical Society announced plans to relinquish their duties as caretakers of the church building, which had fallen into disrepair. The plan was to raze the building. The Methodist Church was "the last standing structure from what once was the village of Churchill." The Churchill Methodist Church remains standing.{{Cite web |last=Hatler |first=Carrie |date=2021-12-23 |title=Churchill Methodist Church Near Brookfield |url=https://www.thehistoryhandbook.com/2021/churchill-methodist-church-near-brookfield/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101210213/https://www.thehistoryhandbook.com/2021/churchill-methodist-church-near-brookfield/ |archive-date=January 1, 2024 |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=History Handbook |language=en-US}}

In 2016, Churchill was mentioned in the Renville County Messenger, in a list of former villages of Renville County; other villages included Beaver Falls, Bechyn, and Florita, among others. The article stated that these small Renville County villages could not compete with the larger towns after the introduction of free mail delivery.{{Cite web |date=Summer 2015 |title=Renville County Messenger |url=https://cms2.revize.com/revize/renvillemn/document_center/SUM_15.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404041131/https://cms2.revize.com/revize/renvillemn/document_center/SUM_15.pdf |archive-date=April 4, 2023 |access-date=2024-01-03}}

The Minnesota Department of Transportation estimated in 2023 that Churchill has a population of 20.{{Cite web |date=2023 |title=General Highway Map - Renville County Minnesota |url=https://www.dot.state.mn.us/maps/gdma/data/maps/county/renville2.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716222357/https://dot.state.mn.us/maps/gdma/data/maps/county/renville2.pdf |archive-date=July 16, 2023 |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=Minnesota Department of Transportation}}

The Churchill Cemetery is located at {{coord|44|49|10.5|N|94|40|51.4|W}},{{Cite web |date=2019-12-03 |title=Cemeteries in Renville County, Minnesota |url=https://www.interment.net/data/us/mn/renville/cemeteries-renville-county-minnesota.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904121229/http://www.interment.net/data/us/mn/renville/cemeteries-renville-county-minnesota.pdf |archive-date=September 4, 2021 |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=Interment.net}} just west of Churchill.

• Vicksburg, Minnesota

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{{Renville County, Minnesota}}

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Category:Unincorporated communities in Renville County, Minnesota

Category:Unincorporated communities in Minnesota