2026-05-21T14:09:08-04:00 Zend_Feed_Writer https://shenandoahstories.org/ Shenandoah Stories https://shenandoahstories.org 2016-05-24T14:38:14-04:00 2018-10-19T11:46:21-04:00 https://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/70 Shenandoah County Library In 1815 Augustine Hollar deed land for the Union Forge Church and cemetery near Edinburg Virginia. This congregation, associated with the Methodist Denomination, drew most of its membership from the workers at the nearby iron furnaces. They regularly held “Big Meetings,” also called revivals, to increase the number of attendees and to preach the gospel to influxes of immigrants who came to the area as laborers. Around 1848 the original Union Forge Church burned. A new church was completed that year and is still standing. In 1925 the building was dramatically altered when a renovation, financed by J.C. Campbell. This project saw the addition of a belfry which arrived in Edinburg via the railroad. It then travelled to the church aboard wagons. Overall, this projected shifted the character of the church from the primitive, back country meeting house of the early 19th century to a more classically defined church that was popular in the early 20th century. In the 1980s money provided by the Dirting family, financed the construction of a new Union Forge Methodist Church across the street from the historic building which was from then on used only for special occasions. For more (including 3 images), view the original article. 2016-05-24T09:52:47-04:00 2018-10-19T11:46:21-04:00 https://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/66 Shenandoah County Library In 1806 the Bishop Asbury, a noted Methodist circuit rider, preached his first sermon in Strasburg. He and other traveling ministers would visit the town numerous times over the next several decades until the number of Methodist congregants was large enough for them to form an independent congregation. The records of the Strasburg Methodist Church indicate that congregation’s first church was constructed in 1876 on the site of the existing church. Their first full time minister, Lafayette Fox, was called the following year. This original church was demolished in 1908 after the congregation had grown so large that a new building was needed. A new brick church, which still stands, was built in its place. However, this building was originally much different than it is today. A 1923 renovation saw the addition of a second floor and a large north end wing. In 1954 another construction project resulted in the building of a new education wing on the rear of the church. Today the church works hard to maintain strong connections with the community through a series of ministries that are intended to care for the needy in the area. They also host a series of social events and community dinners designed to bring the community together in the church. For more (including 3 images), view the original article. 2016-05-18T17:34:05-04:00 2018-10-19T11:46:21-04:00 https://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/60 Shenandoah County Library Methodist Francis Ausbury, one of the first two Methodist Bishops in the United States, visited this area numerous times between 1790 and 1809. At the time, Methodist ministers and pastors from other denominations spent most of their time on horseback travelling from town to town preaching sermons. Ausbury’s efforts in the Shenandoah Valley bore fruit in the Town of Woodstock. In 1808 several congregants gathered together to build a log Methodist Meeting House on the corner of High and Muhlenberg Streets. This project and the arrival of a minister, sparked new growth in the congregation. After occupying their church only 20 years, a new structure was needed. In 1830 a brick structure was completed on the same site. Twenty eight years later yet another building was begun here. It would not be completed until after the Civil War. During the conflict the basement, as well as other buildings on the block, was used as a hospital for soldiers from both sides. The current Methodist Church was dedicated in 1904. An educational wing was added in 1953 and a social hall in 1983. These reflected on the church’s growing desire to be a community as well as spiritual center. Currently a pre-school and child care center is operated in the church as a result of these efforts. Woodstock’s congregation has been associated with various Methodist denominations since it was founded. Originally the church was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. However, in 1844 it and most other congregations in the south split with their northern brethren over the issue of slavery. Most northern churches insisted that the Gospels opposed the institution, while the southern Methodists insisted it was a divine institution. This schism led to the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church-South which supported the secession movement and segregation efforts. A church of both denominations existed in Woodstock. Mt. Zion Methodist Episcopal Church, located on Church Street served a predominantly black population. Woodstock Methodist continued to serve the white population. The two groups would reunite in 1939, but racism would continue in many churches for several decades. In 1968 Woodstock became part of the United Methodist Church when the Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren Church. Since then this denomination has taught more progressive and open policies than its predecessors. However, Mt. Zion and Woodstock United Methodist Church have chosen to continue as separate congregations. For more (including 2 images), view the original article. 2016-05-17T13:37:04-04:00 2018-10-19T11:46:21-04:00 https://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/56 Shenandoah County Library The early residents of the Fisher’s Hill often gathered to hold religious meetings when traveling ministers, including those of the United Brethren denomination visited. In 1846 the number of Brethren members of the community had grown and they felt called to build a new church. They named their congregation Mt. Hebron after the geographic location in Palestine. Their building would be dedicated the following year with a sermon in German and another in English. This reflects the strong German heritage of the area which continues to this day. This church was a very simple affair which was in line with the Brethren doctrine that highlighted modest living. The frame building had no ornate windows or bell tower. It did have separate entrances for men and women, whitewashed wood boards, and a single stove for heat. The community around the church grew quickly during the following decades. A Sunday School and Missionary Society, for men only, were established during the antebellum period. These groups, the church, and the Women’s Missionary Society which was founded after the war, were the center of the community. Social activities, yard parties, educational programs, and regular meetings were held in the church building. Over time the congregation became known for its food, both in quality and quantity. Several annual United Brethren Conferences were also hosted by the church. This event brought ministers and lay persons from around the country to the area for several days of meetings, worship, and socializing. During the Civil War the church continued to meet the needs of their community which included visiting soldiers. Local records indicate Confederates often camped on the church grounds and attended services. Whether Union forces were offered the same opportunity is unknown. Mt. Hebron would remain almost unchanged until the early 20th century when the congregation renovated and modernized the building. This project, completed in 1915, resulted in an addition in the rear of the church, instillation of stained glass windows, and construction of a bell tower. These changes are a marked difference from the original, humble appearance of the church. Other changes came in the later part of the century. Electricity arrived in 1941 and plumbing in 2000. The church’s denomination was altered in 1966 when the Evangelical United Brethren Church, with which the congregation had been aligned, joined with the Methodist Church to become the United Methodist Church in America. After which Mt. Hebron Brethren Church became Mt. Hebron United Methodist Church. Today the church, like many small congregations in the county, suffers from a declining congregation and support. However, they remain active in the community and regularly host social and spiritual events. For more (including 2 images), view the original article. 2016-05-16T13:29:34-04:00 2018-10-19T11:46:21-04:00 https://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/51 Shenandoah County Library On March 30, 1786 Methodist members of the community now called Mt. Jackson purchased a one acre plot of land near Red Banks for five shillings. Eventually they built a church called Bethel Ford Methodist Meeting House on this site. Over time, the congregation at Bethel grew. The Red Banks community was increasingly prosperous and populated. However the church discontinued worship at the site in the early 19th century and moved to a small building on what is now Orkney Grade. While the reasons for this move have been lost, it most likely occurred as the town of Mt. Jackson was being formed. This action resulted in the eclipse of the Red Banks community and the emergence of the town as the central location in that portion of the county. This change meant the church would have to move to preserve it place in the center of the community, and its constituents, lives. Later, the building along Orkney Grade was abandoned and the congregation began to meet in Mt. Jackson’s centrally located Union Church. This building had been constructed in 1825 to benefit all denominations in the area and the Methodists would have taken advantage of the opportunity to occupy a newer, more modern, and centrally located church. In 1884 they decided to once again build a church of their own. The structure was built on land purchased from the Triplett family on what was then Doyle Street. In the 1930s the church was able to remodel the structure and add several stained glass “memorial windows. A basement was added in the 1940s and an education wing in 1985. For more (including 3 images), view the original article. 2016-05-13T12:15:30-04:00 2018-10-19T11:46:21-04:00 https://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/49 Shenandoah County Library On March 16, 1857 the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church in New Market purchased a 1/4th acre lot on the Valley Pike to build a new church building. This new church, finished in 1861, replaced their previous structure that dated to 1832 and was located on Lee Street. Built of wood, the building contained a large bell and tower. A new cupola, stained glass windows, and frescoes were added in 1898. On May 23 1907 Manor Memorial, then called the New Market M.E. Methodist Church, hosted the Shenandoah County Anti-Saloon League Convention. The group passed resolutions supporting the continued exercise of the local option law that allowed areas in the county to ban the sale of alcohol and others supporting the continued enforcement of existing dry laws. Local clergy members appear to have been the major leaders of the cause and the Rev. S.P. Fogle was president during the meeting. By 1910 the New Market Church became a regular Methodist congregation with a full time minister. 21 years later their building was completely remodeled. The exterior received a brick veneer and an educational wing was added on the rear. Financial support for this project had been provided by Annie Manor and the church was renamed Manor Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South in her honor. Additional construction occurred in 1959 when a new educational building was finished and named Farrow Hall. In 1965 the historically black Asbury Methodist Church in New Market and Calvary Methodist Church in Mt. Jackson were merged with Manor Memorial. This was a result of a declining African American population in the area and the refusal of the Mt. Jackson Methodist Church to accept members of the black congregations. By all accounts, the transition in New Market went extremely well. For more (including 2 images), view the original article. 2016-05-06T12:12:42-04:00 2023-01-18T13:13:27-05:00 https://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/31 Shenandoah County Library On July 4, 1867 a "Dr. Brown" visited Woodstock and preached at a “colored” camp meeting. This meeting laid the foundation of what is today Mt. Zion Methodist Church. The following year members of Woodstock’s African American community had raised enough money to purchase a plot of land at the intersection of Locust and Church Streets. In 1869 the congregation bought the frame work from the former St. Paul’s German Reformed church and moved it from the south end of town to their property. There they used the frame to build a church building. This building would be finished in 1887 when the inside was complete and would be renovated in 1898 when a belfry was added. The members of this church chose to affiliate themselves with what was then the African Methodist Episcopal Church. This denomination was one of the few who opposed slavery in the years before the Civil War and members of the black community in Woodstock probably would have been connected with this more liberal denomination. Until the groups merged in the 1930s, the predominantly white Woodstock Methodist Church was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church-South. Mt. Zion’s congregation supported the first African American School in Woodstock. That institution was founded under the auspice of the Freedman’s Bureau in 1865 and operated until 1870 at the church under the name the “Lincoln School.” Sponsored by the American Missionary Society, this school enrolled between 15 and 60 students for each of its terms. In 1881 the congregation took the lead in advocating for the community’s first local public school for African Americans which was built on church owned property immediately behind the church building. Members of the church strongly supported the students at those schools. Graduation, plays, spelling bees, and numerous other school events were held in the Church and often the lines between the congregation and school were blurred. Besides their support for education, the church was also known for its “Bush Meetings” and children’s services. These weekend-long affairs were held annually and featured numerous religious services and other, entertaining activities. They were primarily held outside, often on an open plot of land near Indian Springs on what is now Water Street. Black churches from around the county and the valley participated and large crowds typically gathered. In 1921 the congregation decided to replace the original church with a new building. Under the leadership of Reverend W.H. Polk they were able to raise over $1000 for the structure through a series of fundraisers. In September of 1921, the new church was completed. During the 1960s the current United Methodist denomination was formed and Mt. Zion joined. Today it is part of the Shenandoah Valley Charge which includes Woodstock and Strasburg’s Mt. Zion Methodist Churches. It also maintains Riverview Cemetery, a burial ground founded for Woodstock’s African American population in 1906. For more (including 3 images), view the original article. 2016-05-03T13:58:45-04:00 2022-04-05T15:03:28-04:00 https://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/8 Shenandoah County Library In 1916 the congregation of Edinburg’s Methodist Church demolished their church building and built a new structure. This building still stands at the corner of S. High and Piccadilly Streets in Edinburg. The Methodist Church in Edinburg dates to 1856. That year the Reverend J. Eakin began holding services in the town’s Union Church. In 1869 the congregation was large enough that they were able to construct their own sanctuary. The ten individuals who signed their charter when that church was built were all women. Today, the congregation of St. Johns Methodist Church is an active one worshipping in this church structure and a social wing added in 1960. For more, view the original article.