The Asbury United Methodist Church is a historic
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
church on
NH 63 in
Chesterfield, New Hampshire
Chesterfield is a New England town, town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,552 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It includes the villages of Spofford, New Hampshir ...
. It has been termed the "mother church of Methodism in New Hampshire", and is home to the state's oldest continuously running Methodist congregation, organized in 1795.
[ The building, constructed in 1844, is a prominent local example of ]Greek Revival architecture
Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...
, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1983.
Description and history
The Asbury United Methodist Church is located in the town center of Chesterfield, on the east side of New Hampshire Route 63. It is a 1½-story wood-frame structure, rectangular in shape, with a gable roof, and a tower rising from its front (northwestern) facade. The main facade is divided into three bays by four pilasters, with entrances on the two outer bays and a window in the center. An uncovered porch extends across the facade, with a latticework railing and a broad centered stair. The tower is a two-stage square structure, the lower stage with corner pilasters, and the upper (which houses the belfry) with paired pilasters matching those on the facade.[
Methodism first began to be preached in southwestern New Hampshire in 1793 by Jesse Lee, and developed a following sufficient to organize a congregation by 1795. The first ]Methodist circuit
The organisation of the Methodist Church of Great Britain is based on the principle of connexionalism. This means that British Methodism, from its inception under John Wesley (1703–1791), has always laid strong emphasis on mutual support, in ...
was known as the "Chesterfield circuit" since it was based here. This organization at first met in local homes, schools, and other church buildings, prior to the construction of this church. It was built in 1844 by contractor Oscar C. Coolidge, and bears stylistic design touches characteristic of the early works of Ammi Burnham Young, a native of Lebanon, New Hampshire
Lebanon ( ) is the only city in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,282 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 13,151 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. Lebanon is in western New Hampshi ...
.[ and ]
See also
*
References
External links
Asbury United Methodist Church web site
{{NRHP in Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Methodist churches in New Hampshire
Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire
Churches completed in 1844
19th-century Methodist church buildings in the United States
Churches in Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Greek Revival church buildings in New Hampshire
National Register of Historic Places in Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Chesterfield, New Hampshire