Armstrong Chapel United Methodist Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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United Methodist Church
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Front of the church
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | 5125 Drake Rd. |
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| Nearest city | Indian Hill, Ohio |
| Area | Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1831 |
| Architect | Samuel Earhart |
| NRHP reference No. | 75001432 |
| Added to NRHP | December 4, 1975 |
Armstrong Chapel United Methodist Church is a really old and special church located in Indian Hill, Ohio. It was built way back in 1831 and looks like a small, rectangular building with a tall tower at the front. Because it's so old and important, it was officially named a historic site in 1975.
Contents
A New Home in Ohio
Imagine moving to a new place where there are no churches! That's what happened to Nathanial and Hannah Armstrong. They moved to southwestern Ohio from Virginia in the year 1800. They quickly built a log cabin and a gristmill (a mill for grinding grain) on their land. They also started farming.
Early Worship and Community
At this time, traveling ministers, called "circuit riders," would visit the area. These ministers were part of the Methodist Episcopal Church. But there were no church buildings nearby. So, the settlers would gather and worship in each other's homes. This went on for many years.
In 1830, Nathanial Armstrong decided to help. He donated some of his best land for a church and a cemetery. This was a big gift to the growing community.
Building the Church
The church was built in the summer of 1831. A person named Samuel Earhart led the construction. The walls of the church were made from bricks. These bricks were special because they were made right there in the local area. The clay for the bricks came from Earhart's own property!
The First Burial
The cemetery next to the church was actually started even before the church was finished. The very first person buried there was Hannah Armstrong. She was Nathanial's wife, and she had passed away four years before the church was completed in the fall of 1831.
A Church for Everyone
Nathanial Armstrong wanted the church to be open to any Christian denomination. He said it should be used by the group with the most members in the area. Both then and ever since, the church has been used by Methodists.
Keeping History Alive
Not many changes have been made to the building since it was first built. A tower was added in 1890, but other repairs have been minor. The church's foundation was made of fieldstones (stones found in fields) held together by soil, not mortar. Even so, it has moved very little! A special repair project in the 1970s showed that the building had only settled (sunk slightly) about 2 inches in 140 years. That's pretty amazing!
A National Historic Site
In late 1975, Armstrong Chapel was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was listed under the name "United Methodist Church." This is a special list of places in the United States that are important to history.
Local Historic Treasures
Armstrong Chapel is one of five places in Indian Hill, Ohio that are on the National Register. The others are the Elliott House, the Jefferson Schoolhouse, the Gordon E. Pape House, and the Washington Heights School.
Why It's Important
Armstrong Chapel was chosen for the National Register for a few reasons:
- It played a big part in local history.
- It's connected to Nathanial Armstrong, an important person in the area.
- Its historic architecture is very well-preserved.
The historic site listing included both the church building and the Armstrong cemetery.
Armstrong Chapel Today
Today, Armstrong Chapel is still an active church congregation of the United Methodist Church. As more people joined the church in the early 2000s, a new building was needed. A special ceremony to start building the new structure happened in August 2009. The new building was mostly finished by October of the next year.
