University of Virginia Library

METHODIST.

The first mention of a Methodist Church in the county
occurred in 1788 in a deed from James Harris to Thomas

Jarman, whereby seventy-five acres on the north side of
Moorman's River were conveyed, surrounding two acres
before given, on which "the Methodist Episcopal Church
stands." This was beyond question the predecessor of
Mount Moriah at Whitehall. The lot on which the latter
was built, three and three-fourths acres, was conveyed in
1834 by Daniel and Hannah Maupin to Jesse P. Key, William
Rodes, Thompson and Horace Brown and David Wiant.
Many years anterior to the date just mentioned this church
was commonly known as Maupin's Meeting House, and was
a favorite place for holding camp meetings. Henry Fry, a
former deputy Clerk of the county, speaks in his autobiography
of Bishop Asbury preaching at an early day at Tandy
Key's, who lived north of the Cove, at the junction of the
Austin Gap and Lynchburg Roads; and in that vicinity,
probably on Key's land, was located a building, which went
by the name of Key's Meeting House, but of which no trace
now remains. In 1795 Henry Austin conveyed a parcel of
land to Thomas Stribling, Samuel Wills, Joseph Hardesty,
Bernis Brown, Daniel Maupin, John Gibson, George Bingham,
William Oliver and Basil Guess, of Orange, for a
church, which was then called Austin's Meeting House, and
is no doubt the same as that now known as Bingham's
Church. In 1808 Bland Ballard donated one-fourth of an
acre for a Methodist Church, which was the old Ivy Creek
Church on the Barracks Road.

The first Methodist preacher on record was Athanasius
Thomas, who was licensed to celebrate the rites of matrimony
in 1793. This gentleman was the purchaser of several small
tracts of land in the vicinity of Mountain Plains Church,
where in all probability he made his home. In 1811 he disposed
of this property, and presumably removed to another
part of the country. Following him were Bernis Brown in
1794, John Gibson in 1797, John Goodman in 1802, and
Jacob Watts in 1806. About the beginning of the century,
there came to the county from Maryland two men, who
although laymen filled the place of local preachers, John B.
Magruder and George Jones. For many years they did a

good work, and exercised a strong influence in behalf of their
own church, and of true religion. In November 1823 a District
Conference met in Charlottesville, of which James Boyd
was President, and Walker Timberlake, Secretary.

The Charlottesville Church was established in 1834. In
June of that year William Hammett purchased from Mary
Wales, and other representatives of Thomas Bell, Lot No.
Fifty-Five, and in the ensuing October conveyed it to Gessner
Harrison, Nathan C. Goodman, Stapleton Sneed, Matthew
and Thomas F. Wingfield, Ebenezer Watts and Thomas
Pace as trustees, for a Methodist Church.

During the twelve years from 1825 to 1837 there was a
great accession of church buildings in the county. In the
first of these years were built the Charlottesville Episcopal
Church, and a Methodist Church near Hammock's Gap; in
1827, the Charlottesville Presbyterian Church; in 1828, Mount
Zion Methodist Church, and Mount Pleasant Methodist, near
Hillsboro; in 1830, the Scottsville Presbyterian Church; in
1831, the Buck Island Methodist Church; in 1832, the Scottsville
and Shiloh Methodist Churches; in 1833, Wesley Chapel,
Earlysville Free Church, and the Charlottesville and Milton
Baptist Churches; in 1834, Bethel Presbyterian, Charlottesville
and Mount Moriah Methodist, and Hardware Baptist
Churches; in 1835, Cross Roads Episcopal Church; in 1836,
Charlottesville Disciples Church; and in 1837, Free Union
Free, and Piney Grove Baptist Churches.