Barratt's Chapel is a

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

located to the north of Frederica in

Kent County, Delaware Kent County is a County (United States), county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 181,851, making it the least populous county in Delaware. The county ...

. It was built in 1780 on land donated by Philip Barratt, owner of

Barratt Hall Barratt Hall, also known as the Philip Barratt House, is a historic home located near Frederica, Kent County, Delaware. It dates to the mid-18th century, and is a two-story, three-bay, center-hall plan brick dwelling in the Georgian-style. I ...

, and a prominent local landowner and political figure. Barratt, who had recently become a

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 ...

, wanted to build a center for the growing Methodist movement in

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

History

Barratt's Chapel is the oldest surviving church building in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

built by and for Methodists, but it earns its title as the "Cradle of Methodism" because of what happened there in 1784. Methodism began in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

as a movement within the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

led by John and

Charles Wesley Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788) was an English Anglican cleric and a principal leader of the Methodist movement. Wesley was a prolific hymnwriter who wrote over 6,500 hymns during his lifetime. His works include "And Can It ...

. As members of the Methodist Societies emigrated to the American

colonies A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their '' metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often or ...

, Methodism took root in the New World. Between 1768 and 1774,

John Wesley John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...

sent

Francis Asbury Francis Asbury (August 20 or 21, 1745 – March 31, 1816) was a British-American Methodist minister who became one of the first two bishop (Methodist), bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. During his 45 years in the col ...

and seven other Methodist lay preachers to the colonies to minister to the growing societies. When the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

broke out, only Asbury and James Dempster chose to remain in

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Dempster withdrew to a farm in the

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of upstate

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, where he remained for the rest of his life, preaching occasionally in the surrounding area. Asbury became the effective leader of American Methodists. In 1784, with peace returned, John Wesley sent his friend Thomas Coke to America with instructions to find Asbury and to discuss with him the future of American Methodism. Coke came to Barratt's Chapel on Sunday, November 14, 1784, expecting to find Asbury. As Wesley's personal emissary, Coke was invited to preach. During the sermon Asbury arrived. Coke came down from the

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

and embraced him. A star in the floor of the Chapel commemorates this historic meeting. During this service the sacraments of

baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

and

Holy Communion The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

were administered for the first time by ordained Methodist clergy. Following the service, Coke and Asbury adjourned to the home of Philip Barratt's widow, across the field from the Chapel. That evening they formulated plans to call all the Methodist preachers together for a meeting in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...

. At this Christmas Conference of 1784, the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

was organized. The Chapel as it appears from the outside today looks very much the way it did when Coke and Asbury met there. The interior of the Chapel has undergone several renovations. The present appearance dates from 1842. Barratt's Chapel is an officially designated Heritage Landmark of the United Methodist Church. Today it is owned and maintained by the Commission on Archives and History of the Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Several thousand people visit the Chapel each year. The Commission sponsors two major services each year at the Chapel: the Anniversary Service on the second Sunday of November, commemorating the meeting of Coke and Asbury, and a Christmas Carol Service on a Sunday in December. The Chapel is also used for many weddings, baptisms, funerals, and other special services. It 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 1972. and

Barratt's Chapel Museum

The Barratt's Chapel Museum features original furniture, religious books and artifacts about the history of Methodism on the

Delmarva Peninsula The Delmarva Peninsula, or simply Delmarva, is a peninsula on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by the majority of the state of Delaware and parts of the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Eastern Shore of Virginia. The peninsula is l ...

. There is also a video about the history of Barratt's. Guests can tour the original chapel and a reconstructed 18th century vestry. The chapel and museum are open on Saturdays and Sundays. Barratt's Chapel, Frederica, Delaware in winter.jpg , Barratt's Chapel in winter Nineteenth Century Methodist Hymnal in Barratt's Chapel Museum, Frederica, Delaware.jpg , Nineteenth Century Methodist Hymnal Nineteenth Saddlebags in Barratt's Chapel Museum, Frederica, Delaware.jpg , Nineteenth Century Saddlebags Sunday School Organ in Barratt's Chapel Museum, Frederica, Delaware.jpg , Sunday School Organ

References

External links

* * {{National Register of Historic Places in Delaware Historic American Buildings Survey in Delaware United Methodist churches in Delaware Chapels in the United States Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Delaware History of Methodism in the United States Museums in Kent County, Delaware History museums in Delaware Churches in Kent County, Delaware National Register of Historic Places in Kent County, Delaware 18th-century Methodist church buildings in the United States Methodist Episcopal churches in the United States

History

Barratt's Chapel Museum

See also

References

External links