Mechanicsburg United Methodist Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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United Methodist Church
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Front and northern sides of the church
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | N. Main and Race Sts., Mechanicsburg, Ohio |
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| Area | Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1893 |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| MPS | Mechanicsburg MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 85001893 |
| Added to NRHP | August 29, 1985 |
The Mechanicsburg United Methodist Church is a very old and important church in Mechanicsburg, Ohio. It started way back in the early 1800s. This makes it the oldest church in the village! The church building you see today was built in the 1890s. It has a cool Gothic Revival style and is considered a historic site.
Contents
How the Church Started
The first people settled in Goshen Township around 1805. The village of Mechanicsburg was officially created in 1814. In those early days, there were not many organized churches.
Early Days of Faith
The first churches were started by traveling preachers. These preachers were called "circuit riders" because they rode horses from town to town. They were part of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They created small groups that met in people's log cabins.
The Methodists formed Mechanicsburg's first church in 1814. Its members soon built a small log church. The church grew quickly, partly because of big outdoor meetings called "camp meetings." At these meetings, many people decided to become Christians.
Growing and Building
The first log church was replaced in 1819 by a much larger wooden church. This building was then replaced in 1839 by a brick church on the same spot. This brick building was used until 1858, when another new church was built.
A Time of Change
In 1853, the Mechanicsburg church faced a big split. The village was known for helping runaway slaves escape to freedom. This was part of the Underground Railroad. Many Methodists in the village felt strongly about ending slavery, which caused disagreements within the national church.
Another group, the Ohio Conference of the Methodist Protestant Church, saw this as a chance to grow. They sent a minister who brought together many anti-slavery Methodist families. These families formed a new church. By the 1880s, Mechanicsburg had five Protestant churches. These included the two Methodist groups, plus Baptist, black Baptist, and African Methodist Episcopal churches.
Coming Back Together
The Methodist Episcopal Church continued to do well. In 1894, they decided to build the church you see today. They sold their old church building to the Second Baptist Church. By 1917, their church had 384 members.
In 1939, the Methodist Protestant Church rejoined the Methodist Episcopal Church. They formed a new group called The Methodist Church. The two local churches in Mechanicsburg also came back together. Later, in 1968, The Methodist Church joined with another group. This created the United Methodist Church we know today.
Church Architecture
The current church building is made of brick. It has a strong stone foundation. It is two stories tall. The church has many beautiful details. These include stained glass in all the windows. There is also stone trim around the entrance and windows. A tall belfry sits on top of a large tower at the front. The church also has a central dome.
The main worship area, called the sanctuary, is on the second story. The first story has many classrooms for Sunday school. Building this church cost over $28,000 for labor, land, and materials. This was a lot of money back then!
The building's style is called Gothic Revival. This style was very popular for churches in the late 1800s. Because of their size and design, the churches are the most noticeable buildings in the village. The Methodist Church is on Main Street. This makes it an even bigger landmark. It is also the largest church in Mechanicsburg.
Recent History
The Mechanicsburg United Methodist Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. This means it is an important historic site. It was one of about twenty buildings in the village to be listed. These buildings were spread out, so they didn't form one big historic district.
Many of these twenty buildings were houses. But four were other historic churches in the village. These included the Mechanicsburg Baptist Church, St. Michael's Catholic Church, the Church of Our Saviour (Episcopalian), and Second Baptist Church. Like these other churches, the United Methodist Church was added to the Register because of its important architecture.
In 2006, the Ohio Historical Society placed a historical marker for the church. This marker is along Main Street and tells visitors about the church's history.
In 2013, the Mechanicsburg United Methodist Church was part of the Miami Valley District. This district is in the West Ohio Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. While hundreds of people attended in the past, about ninety-six people attended worship services on average in 2013.
