22 East Liberty Street
Yorkville’s first Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1824
by Rev. William Gassaway and Rev. Joseph Holmes, according to church
history. The first congregation consisted of nine members: James
Jeffries, Mrs. Elizabeth H. Jeffries, Col. Thomas W. Williams, Dr. John E.
Jennings, John Chambers, Mrs. Margaret Chambers, Mrs. Sarah Beaty, and
Mrs. Tabitha Wilkerson. – Louise Pettus
City Directories and History: 1908 – Rev. Henry Coffin,
On your right is Trinity Methodist Church, a pivotal building. It was organized in Yorkville in 1824 by Reverend William Gassaway. It was the first denominational organization to occupy the field and the first organized Methodist Church in York County. The first house of worship for Trinity was built in 1826. The plain wooden building, with an outside entry to the gallery where the slaves entered for worship, was located on Jefferson Street where College Street now intersects. The church grew and, in 1829, established one of the first three Sunday Schools in the state. The War Between the States caused a scattering of members and a decline in membership.
By 1882 the church had recovered and outgrown its building. The congregation purchased a building formerly occupied as the Independent Presbyterian Church, located in front of Rose Hill Cemetery (#8). This building had a seating capacity of three hundred. Construction of the present church was begun in 1890 and the building was first occupied in 1891. [Courtesy of the Yorkville Historical Society – 2002]
The Yorkville Enquirer contained an ad on April 19, 1877 – For A Dwelling House / for Rent or Sale, situated near the Methodist Church. “The house is two story and has six large rooms and a basement. The lot has two acres and is enclosed. On the lot is a well, a lumber house, stable and crib.” Apply to L.M. Grist
The Yorkville Enquirer reported on Nov. 14, 1888 – “Mrs. Minter has moved from the country into the Methodist parsonage.”
The Yorkville Enquirer reported on Jan. 14, 1891 – “The Methodist congregation of Yorkville has awarded a contract to Mr. W.L. Goforth to build a neat parsonage on their church lot on Trinity Street. It will contain eight rooms.” The paper reported on Aug. 26th – “The new parsonage has been completed, and Rev. G.H. Waddell and family expect to move in next week.”
The Yorkville Enquirer as of Feb. 10, 1892 reported, “The smoke house of the Rev. L. A. Johnson was entered by thieves who stole two large hams and fifty pounds of flour.”
The Yorkville Enquirer of Feb. 15, 1893 reported, “a lecture of the Chautauqua Circle was held in Ms. Fannie Miller’s School room in the old Methodist Church building on East Liberty Street.”
Also see the More Information / DATA links under the primary image for data on T.H. Smith, one of the contractors who constructed the church.
EARLY METHODISM IN YORK DISTRICT by Louise Pettus While it is true that Scotch-Irish Presbyterians were the dominant group in early York District, the Presbyterian dominance was diminished by the effects of the revival movement known as the Great Awakening which was at its height in 1800-1802. The older well-established churches found some of their members joining many who had never known the “benefit of clergy,” in open-air week-long marathon meetings There is no record of such a revival in York District but no doubt many people from York attended the large revival at Old Waxhaw in Lancaster County and took part in the protracted meetings in neighboring counties in North Carolina. As the Presbyterians wrangled over whether to allow only psalm-singing or not, the more open churches gained numbers. In York District, the Baptists were major gainers. It would be a quarter of a century before Methodism would make any inroads in the District. Yorkville’s first Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1824 by Rev. William Gassaway and Rev. Joseph Holmes, according to church history. The first congregation consisted of nine members: James Jeffries, Mrs. Elizabeth H. Jeffries, Col. Thomas W. Williams, Dr. John E. Jennings, John Chambers, Mrs. Margaret Chambers, Mrs. Sarah Beaty, and Mrs. Tabitha Wilkerson. The first church building was erected on College Street in Yorkville in 1826. It was described as a plain wooden structure. Until 1852, there were only three church buildings in York District.Even the official histories of the Methodist Church are uncertain about a precise date for the establishment of Methodism in the District outside of the village of Yorkville. The date 1828 is most often mentioned because the minutes of the Lincolnton, North Carolina circuit listed Joseph Holmes as the minister in charge of York District. For many years most of York District was served out of North Carolina and most of the Methodist activity centered on the area from Yorkville to Kings Mountain. However, there is some evidence that the earliest York County Methodist church may have been Philadelphia Methodist in Fort Mill township. In 1815 Methodists met at Thyatyrah Society, whose leader, William Felts reported to Sugar Creek Circuit in Mecklenburg. Thyatyrah was an early name for Philadelphia. Rev. A. M. Chreitzberg, author of Early Methodism in the Carolinas, seems to support an earlier date—around 1824—based on statements made by an early minister who believed that his father-in-law, John Chambers, was preaching in the Philadelphia community at that time. By 1831 there were 15 “preaching places” listed in the Quarterly Conference minutes. These were: Yorkville, Zion, Bethel, Walnut Grove,
Schoolhouse, Unity, Siloam, Sardis, Prospect, Mrs. Howell’s, Captain Jameson’s, Ed Feamster’s, Cove Spring, Mount Hebron, and Cross Roads. All of these were in the circuit ministered to by Joseph Holmes. Joseph Holmes, and other Methodist preachers like him, rode their large circuits on horseback, carrying their sermons, bibles, and a change of clothes in their saddlebags. They were housed and fed by the Methodist brotherhood who lived along the circuit. The Methodist minister’s stipend was not known as a salary but was divided into traveling expenses, family expenses, and quarterage. As Dr. Chreitzberg described the three phases of the stipend: “the first seen at once, the second far off, and the third only in rarest instances seen at all.” When Holmes’ successor, James J. Richardson, 28 years of age, died in his first year of his ministry, his widow received $10.62. Money was scarce. Early Methodists were generally characterized as poor in worldly goods. The same could be said for their meeting houses. The land was generally donated and the first buildings were small and drafty, often with no way to heat them. More often than not, the services were held in homes or in the open. Few records survive to document the pre-Civil War history of York District Methodists. We cannot know, for instance, how many blacks in York District were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Across the state of South Carolina, the black membership outnumbered the white but York had a smaller proportion of blacks than lowcountry counties. It can be assumed that blacks attended the Methodist services with the whites just as they did at Hint Hill Baptist Church.The largest number of Methodists recorded in York District during the pre-Civil War period was 408 in 1844. (Information courtesy of and from: YCGHS – The Quarterly Magazine)
Stay Connected
Explore history, houses, and stories across S.C. Your membership provides you with updates on regional topics, information on historic research, preservation, and monthly feature articles. But remember R&R wants to hear from you and assist in preserving your own family genealogy and memorabilia.
Visit the Southern Queries – Forum to receive assistance in answering questions, discuss genealogy, and enjoy exploring preservation topics with other members. Also listed are several history and genealogical researchers for hire.
User comments welcome — post at the bottom of this page.
Please enjoy this structure and all those listed in Roots and Recall. But remember each is private property. So view them from a distance or from a public area such as the sidewalk or public road.
Do you have information to share and preserve? Family, school, church, or other older photos and stories are welcome. Send them digitally through the “Share Your Story” link, so they too might be posted on Roots and Recall.
User comments always welcome - please post at the bottom of this page.
Share Your Comments & Feedback: