Wyandot Mission Church
Wyandot Mission Church | |
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| Location | East Church Street (Upper Sandusky, Ohio, U.S.) |
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| Coordinates | 40°50′10″N 83°16′43″W / 40.83611°N 83.27861°W |
| Area | 3 acres (1.2 ha) |
| Built | 1824 |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001552 |
| Added to NRHP | January 20, 1976 |
The Wyandot Mission Church is an early-19th century Methodist church in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. It was built in 1824 under the direction of Reverend James B. Finley and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.[1]
Description[edit]
The Wyandot Mission Church is located on East Church Street in the northern outskirts of Upper Sandusky, Ohio.[2][3] Surrounded by a cemetery, it is considered the first U.S. mission of the Methodist Episcopal Church.[4]
Henry Howe reported in 1847 that the church was encircled by forest and stood in a small enclosure.[2] Ron Simon of News-Journal wrote in 1973 that it "enjoys a quiet, almost melancholy setting". He claimed that "old and graceful" trees sheltered the stone and wooden church.[4]
History[edit]
In 1816, John Stewart, a Methodist son of slaves, traveled north of his home in Marietta, Ohio, after purportedly hearing a commandment from God. He met the Wyandots of Upper Sandusky, whom he began preaching and singing to in 1819. Reverend James B. Finley joined him soon after.[5] In 1824, Finley built the Wyandot Mission Church after John C. Calhoun, a secretary of war, gave him permission, and the U.S. government granted him $1,333.[6] President James Monroe suggested he used materials of such strength that the church would stand long after their deaths;[4] Finley built the church of blue limestone.[6] Over the next two decades, many Wyandots worshipped and learned at the church.[5]
As a result of the Indian Removal Act, in 1843, the Wyandots were forced west into Kansas City, Kansas. They sold 109,000 acres of Ohian land, but also deeded three acres where the cemetery sat to the Methodist Episcopal Church, requesting that they protect it from desecration.[5]
The church was restored in 1889 and designated a National Shrine of the Methodist Church in 1960. A historical marker was placed at the church in 2003 for the celebration of Ohio's bicentennial anniversary.[citation needed]
References[edit]
- ^ "The Wyandot Mission Church – Wyandotte Nation".
- ^ a b Howe 1891, p. 598.
- ^ Yonke, David (January 8, 2009). "Ohio Church Was First Methodist Mission". The Blade. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c Simon, Ron (September 2, 1973). "Old Mission Kept Alive By Church and Tourists". News-Journal. p. 13. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Lati, Marisa (September 24, 2019). "The U.S. Once Forced This Native American Tribe to Move. Now They're Getting Their Land Back". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ a b Howe 1891, pp. 597–598.
Bibliography[edit]
- Howe, Henry (1891). Historical Collections of Ohio. Vol. 3 (Ohio centennial ed.). Henry Howe & Son. OCLC 749192755.
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- Churches in Ohio
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- Buildings and structures in Wyandot County, Ohio
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