Alplaus is a tiny hamlet on the north side of a bend in the Mohawk River where the Alplaus Creek enters the river, across from the city of Schenectady. Originally the area was named, in Dutch, aal plaats meaning "the place of the eels." Alas, with the building of the Erie Canal and the installation of a lock system and dams on the Mohawk, no eels can now reach this place. It was from this area in 1690 that a group of French and Indians launched an attack on the stockaded Dutch settlement of Schenectady, burning the buildings and massacring most of the inhabitants. For most of its history, the area was occupied by family farms and a few camps built along the shores of the river.

On October 18, 1913, through the efforts of Rev. George C. Bain, who was then pastor of the Rexford and Grooms Methodist Churches, a meeting of the qualified voters of the Alplaus Sunday School and six members of the Rexford and Grooms Charge was held at the schoolhouse. This resulted in the chartering of the first independent church with just seven members: Leroy E. Case, Marvin DuBois, Edna DuBois, Laura Keeler, Bertha Mott, and Mr. and Mrs. Ray Valentine. The first worship service was held at the school on November 2 with preacher Mr. Ford of Ballston Spa and the Rev. George C. Bain as the first pastor. By November 30, six more had signed the rolls: Hattie Covey, Mary Gibson, Mrs. William H. Keyser, Hugh Mott, and Mr. and Mrs. Frank B. Morse.

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By 1914, a church society was formed in Alplaus with a charter membership of twenty-five, more than the mini­ mum number required by the Methodist Episcopal Church under whose governance the new church was to be. So, the church society was organized under the name of the Alplaus Union Methodist Episcopal Church, the word Union being in deference to the various denominations represented in the membership and constituency, and the Rev. G. H. C. Bain became the first pastor. To this day, many just call the church the Alplaus Church and leave off the denominational appellation since it's the only church there has ever been in the hamlet. Rev. Bain was then appointed to serve both the Alplaus and Rexford Churches.

The lot in the present location of the church on Brookside Avenue was bought from Mr. Winterton, J. Day in January 1915. In the spring of 1915, Rev. George W. May succeeded Rev. Bain as pastor, and during that year the basement of the church was built and dedicated. Several intrepid men of the congregation with picks, shovels, strong backs, and two pairs of horses pulling a drag scoop excavated a cellar hole. The next event was the laying of the cornerstone in the summer of 1915 followed by the dedication of the basement in October. The basement chapel so conveniently located was dedicated Sunday, October 31st, at which service Dr. B. A. Noble of First Church, Schenectady, preached, and Dr. Luther A. Brown presided.

Information by Pastor Carl Shepard