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This painted medallion
depicts the houses of worship used by this congregation. The 1824 church was a small, wood
frame building located at the Barboursville Cemetery. The 1835 building was located on
Water street and had separate entrances for the men and women. The 1884 "brick
church" was located across Main Street from our present location. The current
building was built in 1924.
Methodism came to this region as the frontier expanded westward.
While the earliest of records were not preserved, we do know that in 1803, William Steele
began exploring the area an preaching under assignment by the Redstone District of
Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1813, the same year that Barboursville was incorporated as
a town and as the county seat, Thomas A Morris was preaching in the area. He was made a
bishop of the church in 1836.
Early records show that in 1824 a small church was built and used
for worship by the Methodists on the land which is now know as the "Barboursville
Cemetery." In 1835, John and Emily Samuels deeded a tract of land to the Methodist
church on what is now Water Street. The church was noted for its two entrances: one for
the women and one for the men. "Christians" were invited to sit in the front
pews while the "sinners" ere to sit in the back. With the division of the
Methodist Episcopal Church in 1844, the Methodist of Barboursville also "split,"
and this congregation became the Methodist Episcopal church, South.
In 1883 Bailey and Nettie Samuels Thornburg deeded a plot of ground
on the northeast corner of Main and Water Streets to the Methodist Episcopal church, South
for a new house of worship. The "Little Brick Church on the Hill" ws completed
in 1884. The "Little Brick Church" was used until 1922 when it was deeded to
Morris Harvey College for use as a library.
The church moved across Water Street to its present location in
1922. Formal opening services were conducted by Bishop U.V.W. Darlington on July 23 with
Dr. R.J. Yoak, pastor. Morris Harvey College shared strong ties with this congregation
until the college moved to Charleston in 1937.
While the basic structure of the present building has changed little
through the years, many renovations and improvements have been made. In the late 1960's
the front pillared porch and steeple were added. New stained glass for the upper sanctuary
windows were installed in 1993.
Through it all, the people of this First United Methodist Church
congregation have worked hard to continue the mission begun many years ago by our early
ancestors--sharing and making known the love of God in Christ for all persons in the
community of Barboursville and throughout the world.
Written
by Dr I. Mark Conner, Pastor 1988-1997
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