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, USA. It's a Methodist church, which means it belongs to a Christian group called Methodists. This church started in the early 1800s. It is the oldest church in the village. Because of its long history, it has influenced other churches in Mechanicsburg. The building you see today is the fifth church building this group has used. It was built in the 1890s in a style called Gothic Revival. This beautiful building is now known as a historic site.
Contents
How the Church Started
Early Settlers and First Churches
The first people settled in Goshen Township around 1805. The village of Mechanicsburg was officially planned on August 6, 1814. In the very early days, there were not many organized churches. The first churches were started by traveling preachers called circuit riders. These preachers were from the Methodist Episcopal Church. They formed small religious groups that met in people's log cabins.
The Methodists created Mechanicsburg's first church in 1814. Its members soon built a small log church. In its early years, many people joined the church. This happened partly because of successful outdoor meetings called camp meetings. At these meetings, over a hundred people decided to become Christians for the first time.
Building New Churches Over Time
The first log church building was no longer used in 1819. A much larger frame church was built a short distance to the east. This second building was then replaced in 1839 by a brick church on the same spot. This third church building was also replaced. A fourth church was built in the village in 1858.
A Church Split and Reunion
In 1853, the Mechanicsburg church faced a challenge. The village was known for helping runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad. This caused disagreements about slavery within the national church. Many Methodists in the village were upset by this. The Ohio Conference of the Methodist Protestant Church saw this as a chance to grow. They sent a minister who gathered many Methodist families who were against slavery. These families formed a new church of their own.
By the 1880s, there were five Protestant churches in the village. These included the two Methodist groups. There was also a Baptist church, a Black Baptist church, and an African Methodist Episcopal church. The Methodist Episcopal Church continued to grow. In 1894, they decided to build another new church building. They sold their old church building to the Second Baptist Church. By 1917, the Methodist Episcopal Church had 384 members.
In 1939, the Methodist Protestant Church joined back with the Methodist Episcopal Church. This created The Methodist Church. The two local churches in Mechanicsburg also rejoined. Later, in 1968, The Methodist Church joined with the Evangelical United Brethren. This is when the church became known as the United Methodist Church.
Church Building Design
The church building you see today is made of brick. It has a stone foundation. It is two stories tall. The building has many beautiful details. All the windows have colorful stained glass. There is stone trim around the entrance and the windows. A tall belfry sits on top of a large tower at the front. There is also a dome in the center of the roof.
The main worship area, called the sanctuary, is on the second story. The first story is divided into many classrooms for Sunday school. The church congregation paid over $28,000 for the building. This cost included the labor, the land, and the materials.
This church building is a good example of its time. Other churches in Mechanicsburg built around the same time also used the Gothic Revival style. This style was very popular for church buildings in the late 1800s. Because of their size and design, the village's churches are very noticeable. The Methodist Church is on Main Street. This makes it even more of a landmark, especially since it is the largest church in the village.
Recent Church History
Historic Site Recognition
The Mechanicsburg United Methodist Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. This list recognizes important historic places. The church was one of about twenty buildings in the village added to the list. These buildings were spread out, so a large historic district was not created.
Many of the other twenty buildings were houses. But four were other historic churches in the village. These included the Mechanicsburg Baptist Church (which used to be Methodist Protestant), St. Michael's Catholic Church, the Church of Our Saviour (Episcopalian), and Second Baptist Church. Like the other four 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 on Main Street. This further recognized its historic importance.
Current Church Status
In 2013, the Mechanicsburg United Methodist Church was part of the Miami Valley District. This district is part of the West Ohio Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. In past generations, hundreds of people were members. However, by 2013, the average number of people attending worship was ninety-six.
