John Wesley Methodist Church - Lewisburg, West Virginia - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The John Wesley Church was built in 1820 and is one of the oldest buildings in Lewisburg. John Weir who also constructed many of the early buildings in Lewisburg built the original church. The bricks used in the construction of the church were made on site under Mr. Weir’s direction. The original size of the church was 58’ X 47’, however the church was enlarged in 1835 under the direction of John W. Dunn.

Both the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Church South congregations used the church prior to the Civil War. Following the Civil War these two congregations united and moved to another location in Lewisburg. These congregation's either sold or gave the building to freed Negro’s who had previously worshiped in the gallery. Members of the current congregation are the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of these former slaves.

In May 1862, during the Battle of Lewisburg, the Confederate lines were just to the east of town, while the Union lines were on the hill just west of town near the current location of the Confederate Cemetery. The John Wesley Church was directly in the line of fire and was struck by a cannonball fired from the Confederate artillery stations in the hills just east of town. The cannonball struck the outer wall of the church near the gallery stairs, which were used by the Negro worshipers. Following the battle the John Wesley Church, like several other churches in the area was used as a hospital, which treated wounded from both sides.

Today, the John Wesley Church is recognized as one of the most historic building in Lewisburg and is still used as a house of worship.
Source/Credit: West Virginia Department of Historic Resources

Street address: 203 Foster Street Lewisburg, WV Unted States 24901 County / Borough / Parish: Greenbrier County Year listed: 1974 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture, Engineering Periods of significance: 1800 - 1874 Historic function: Religion, Religious Structure Current function: Religion, Religious Structure Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.