Before
the United States gained its freedom in the Revolutionary
War, pioneer settlers had already found their way to the
well-traveled intersection now known as
East Line Corners.
As noted in the book
“History of Saratoga
County” published in
1878:
“As early as
1780, long before the surrounding communities grew into
prominence, East
Line was home to churches,
stores, taverns, and municipal buildings.”
In 1800 a group formed to build the structure pictured
above, to house their young Methodist Episcopal
Congregation. The building was
completed in 1809, and for the next six decades served
the community of East
Line as a House of Worship.
By the 1870’s the congregation had for the most part
moved on to other churches, and the “old
church” was acquired by the school system and was
remodeled into a one room schoolhouse that would serve
the families of this area for the next seventy years as
school districts #3 and #8.
By the middle of the 20th Century School Centralization had
taken over, and the building became the home to
“Hulls Auction Barn”.
The Hull
family ran the auctions there for many years, and Malta
locals remember them fondly.