Mary Leney. A plain wooden building was erected in 1871 and was two stories high. The present Methodist Church of brick structure was built in 1920 and dedicated in 1921. The first board of trustees included Miss Grace Alsip, J.A. Ackerman, Daniel Hahn, and others. Early roads were trails or wagon roads. When a rut became too large for comfort, all the traveler had to do was travel elsewhere in parallel lines, where mud had not been made. By repetition of this process, roads often attained great width. In 1927-29 Route 49 was paved. The first railway in the Ogden area was an east–west line with stations in Ogden, St. Joseph, Urbana, Champaign, and Mahomet. The name of this railroad line was the Champaign-Urbana, Danville Interurban. The telephone system was established in 1899 and was owned by the local farmers. Ogden's rural route was established in 1903 with Thomas Carpenter as the first postmaster. A tornado did extensive damage to the downtown area of Ogden in March 1976, and a devastating F-3 tornado with winds estimated at 170 M.P.H. hit Ogden on April 19, 1996, leaving a path of destruction from one end of town to the other. When the 1996 tornado was over, more than 200 homes received major damage, 80 homes were completely destroyed and 13 people suffered minor injuries. With help from government agencies, surrounding communities, and thousands of volunteers; Ogden recovered under the leadership of Mayor Jack Reidner. Over the years Ogden has proven itself a resilient community with supportive and caring residents. External links Government Village of Ogden website The History of Ogden, Illinois Education Praireview-Ogden Elementary and Junior High school website St. Joseph-Ogden High School Website Houses of Worship Ogden Church of Nazarene Facebook page Ogden United Methodist Church Facebook page References Villages in Champaign County, Illinois Villages in Illinois