The first recorded meeting of what is now Highland Avenue United Methodist Church was a class meeting held in the old two-room Barnesville School on May 5, 1893. The pastor in charge was E. S. Withers of the Marion Circuit, and the class leader was C. O. Parker. The first building erected during the summer and fall of 1893 was demolished in a wind storm March 20, 1894, before it was completed. The members rebuilt and the 36 foot by 70 foot frame structure was dedicated November 25, 1894, by the Rev. Dr. Norcross of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The present building was finished in 1928. S.C.
Dawson was pastor and Bishop Herbert Welch of Pittsburgh officiated at the
dedication on September 23, 1928.
Today, Highland Avenue United Methodist Church continues to serve the people of the Fairmont community. May we continue to have the same visions and dreams as our ancestors as we enter the twenty-first century.