In 1863, Samuel Marks and Hyman Wollenberg purchased the town site of Canyonville at an Administrator's sale and carried on as merchants and operators of the grist mill for many years.

After purchasing the townsite in 1863, Marks and Wollenberg donated the land where the Methodist Church now stands. The main part of this building was built some time during the late 1860s, but it wasn't until the summer of 1876 that the church was finally dedicated.

From One Hundred Years in Canyonville: 1858-1958 by Bess Clough.

This Greek Revival building is the only surviving public building in Canyonville from the Marks and Wollenberg era. It is still in active use as a church.