265 - Wilbraham Old Methodist Meeting House - Wilbraham, MA
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 42° 07.392 W 072° 25.857
18T E 712358 N 4666649
The Wilbraham Old Methodist Meeting is the oldest standing Methodist Meeting House in New England. It is located 450 Main Street in Wilbraham, MA
Waymark Code: WM17T1G
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 03/31/2023
Views: 1
In 1792 Charles Brewer became dissatisfied with some of the Calvinist doctrines of the state established Congregational Church and was going to Methodist meetings. Brewer and others withdrew from the Congregational church and started a Methodist Society that met in Brewer’s house. They built this present meetinghouse in 1793. In the 1830's Massachusetts officially separated the Congregational church from the state. Methodists were now free of harassment and were were able to sell the original meeting house for use as a house and construct a new Methodist church building in Wilbraham.
Two plaques on the front of the building testify to the buildings history. They are inscribed:
UNITED METHODIST
(EMBLEM}
HISTORIC SITE
NO. 265
and
OLDEST METHODIST
MEETING HOUSE
STANDING IN NEW ENGLAND
---
BISHOP FRANCIS ASBURY
HELD A METHODIST CONFERENCE HERE
SEPTEMBER 1794
---
FIRST NEW ENGLAND CONFERENCE HERE
SEPTEMBER, 1797
---
HOME OF WILBRAHAM METHODISTS
1973 TO 1835
---
DEDICATED JUNE 28, 1959