Boehm's Chapel
Pequea Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Built 1791, this "Temple of Limestone" is the oldest existing structure designed for Methodist use in Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest in the U.S. Erected on land formerly owned by Bishop Martin Boehm, co-founder of the United Brethren in Christ, it was frequently visited by Bishop Francis Asbury, "Father of American Methodism."
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Built in 1791 of local limestone, Boehm's Chapel is the oldest surviving structure designed for Methodist worship in Pennsylvania and among the oldest in the country. It rose on land once owned by Bishop Martin Boehm, a co-founder of the United Brethren in Christ, and drew visits from Bishop Francis Asbury, remembered as the father of American Methodism. The chapel dates to the very first years of the young republic, when American denominations were organizing themselves.
Why it matters
It marks a foundational site in the spread of Methodism in America, when frontier revivalism and immigrant German Protestant traditions were reshaping the nation's religious life.
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Related people
- · Martin Boehm
- · Francis Asbury
Themes & tags
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