Mechanicsburg Baptist Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Mechanicsburg Baptist Church
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Front and western side
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | Walnut and Sandusky Sts., Mechanicsburg, Ohio |
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| Area | Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1890 |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| MPS | Mechanicsburg MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 85001888 |
| Added to NRHP | August 29, 1985 |
The Mechanicsburg Baptist Church is a very old and important church located in the village of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, United States. It was first built in the late 1800s for a group called the Methodists. Later, another group called the Baptists started using the building. Today, it is known as a historic site because of its long history and beautiful design.
Contents
The Church's Journey
Early Days: Methodist Protestants
The first people to settle in Goshen Township arrived around 1805. The village of Mechanicsburg itself was officially started on August 6, 1814. In the very early days, there weren't many organized churches. Preachers who traveled around, called circuit riders, from the Methodist Episcopal Church started small groups that met in people's log cabins.
Mechanicsburg's first church was a Methodist group formed in 1814. By the 1880s, the village had several other churches, including Baptist, African Methodist Episcopal, and Methodist Protestant churches.
The Methodist Protestant church in Mechanicsburg began on February 13, 1853. It started with 92 members. This group was different from the Methodist Episcopal Church because they didn't agree with how much power the bishops had.
Mechanicsburg was known as a place where people helped others escape slavery through the Underground Railroad. Many members of the original Methodist Episcopal Church in Mechanicsburg were upset by problems in the national church. So, a new group of people who were against slavery formed this new Methodist Protestant congregation.
They bought land on West Sandusky Street and built a two-story brick church in 1858. The local Masonic lodge helped build it and in return, they used the second floor. In its first years, the church was not very strong, but it grew over time. By 1879, it had 308 members, and the building was updated.
By 1890, they needed a new building. They ended their agreement with the Masons, tore down the old church, and built a new one on the same spot. All the building costs were paid off by the end of 1891. The church also received gifts: one person gave their home to be used as a parsonage (a home for the minister), and another person gave money to support the church's Sunday school. By 1917, the church had over 500 members.
In 1939, the Methodist Protestant Church joined back with the Methodist Episcopal Church. This created a new group called The Methodist Church. The two local churches in Mechanicsburg also joined together. After this, the building was sold to a local Baptist group.
New Beginnings: The Baptists
Baptists were among the first settlers in Champaign County. Many important people in the county were Baptists. Kingscreek Baptist Church, founded in 1805, was one of the very first Baptist churches in Ohio. In the early years, most Baptist churches were in the countryside. So, in 1840, the Ohio Baptist Convention started trying to build churches in villages.
One such group started in Mechanicsburg in 1840. For its first seven years, it was called Goshen Baptist Church. This church built its first building on Locust Street in 1846. In the beginning, they didn't have much money, so the building was small. But the church grew, reaching 106 members by 1864.
After this, the church started to get smaller. In 1872, after a key member passed away, the building was sold. The plan was to build a better church, but it didn't happen. By 1883, only 38 members were left. Most of them left to start another Baptist church that year. The five remaining members gave the church's property to the Ohio Baptist Convention, and the church closed. The Baptist group that uses the church building today is not connected to these earlier Baptist churches.
Church Design and Style
The Mechanicsburg Baptist Church is made of brick and sits on a strong stone foundation. Its roof is made of slate. The church is built in the Gothic Revival style, which was popular for churches in the late 1800s.
This one-story building has many interesting features. You can see decorative parts on its gabled roof and special brickwork called corbelled brickwork. There's also a tall tower with a belfry (where bells are kept) at one corner. The windows are made of beautiful stained glass and are framed with stone.
Inside, the church has several Sunday school classrooms, a kitchen, a dining area, a basement, and a small side chapel. Of course, it also has a main sanctuary where services are held. When it was finished, the church had a large pipe organ and a piano. It could seat about one thousand people, which was a lot, considering the whole village only had about two thousand people at the time!
A special feature inside is a large white marble tablet. It has many names carved into it. These are the names of early members of the Methodist Protestant congregation who gave a lot of money to the church. Their names were put on this stone to remember their generosity.
A Historic Landmark
In 1985, the Mechanicsburg Baptist Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's recognized as an important historic building because of its special architecture.
Four other churches in Mechanicsburg were also added to the National Register at the same time: St. Michael's Catholic Church, Second Baptist Church, the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour, and the United Methodist Church.
Most of these churches, including the Baptist Church, were important examples of the Gothic Revival style. They were all built around 1890, when this style was very popular. All five churches were also important because they were key architectural landmarks in the village.
