Freewill Baptist Church (New Berlin, Wisconsin)

Freewill Baptist Church (also known as Prospect Aid Meeting House and Muskego Meeting House) is a historic church at 19750 W. National Avenue in New Berlin, Wisconsin, United States. It was built in 1859 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. The hamlet of Prospect Hill (now part of New Berlin) was settled in the 1830s, mostly by Yankees from New England and New York. Rufus Cheney of New Hampshire was one of them, and in 1840 he and his wife Ruth invited two other couples to found a Freewill Baptist church, the first such church in what would become the state of Wisconsin. This denomination is a variety of General Baptists with roots in England, and Cheney came from the northern branch founded by Benjamin Randall. The congregation at Prospect Hill grew, with more families joining and with the first baptism in 1843. That same year Cheney started a school in his house for the children of members. In 1845 Cheney was recognized as pastor, though he never took payment. Not all was rosy: records show that in 1845 Cheney made visits to "delinquent" members, and the next year there was a debate about whether members should drink alcohol. Meetings were held each week in Cheney's home. The congregation grew and by 1858 had raised enough money to build a church. Quincy W. Church, a member of the congregation and son of Prospect Hill's first storekeeper, designe

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