Methodism in Lexington
Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Methodism in Lexington. Revs. James Haw and Benjamin Ogden were sent in 1786 to Ky. to organize Methodists. In 1789, Rev. Francis Poythress established the Lexington Society of Methodists, now the First United Methodist Church. It was the first Methodist station in Kentucky and was one of the first 100 Methodist churches in the U.S. (Reverse) First United Methodist Church- Lexington Methodists purchased this land, and, in 1840-41, built their new church. The sanctuary, built in 1907, is the 4th house of worship here. Five of its ministers were elected as bishops, including the 1st woman elected from Kentucky in 2012. It is the founding church of at least seven Methodist churches & missions & St. Paul AME Church.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
Methodist preachers James Haw and Benjamin Ogden were sent to Kentucky in 1786, and in 1789 Francis Poythress organized the Lexington Society of Methodists—the first Methodist station in the state and among the first hundred Methodist congregations in the country. Now First United Methodist Church, the society built here in 1840–41, with the present sanctuary raised in 1907. The congregation gave rise to at least seven other churches and missions, including St. Paul AME Church, and five of its ministers became bishops.
Why it matters
The marker captures the frontier spread of Methodism through traveling circuit riders, a movement that planted churches across the trans-Appalachian West as fast as settlers arrived.
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Related people
- · Francis Poythress
- · James Haw
- · Benjamin Ogden
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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