Salisbury’s Methodist Churches
No history of Methodism in Salisbury is complete without the history of both Asbury and Trinity Churches.
Asbury was built first in 1801. This was called the “red meeting house”. A new white frame, green shuttered church was built in 1856 and outgrown by 1886. In 1872 it had been named Asbury United Methodist Church in honor of Bishop Francis Asbury, who had visited the congregation in 1805 and again in 1810. All structures have been built at the same location which is on the East side of Division Street near Broad Street.
The congregation of Trinity Methodist Church was formally organized in 1866. The secretary of this organization was Nannie Rider, who later became the wife of Elihu E. Jackson. They married in 1869 in the small chapel on what was once was the corner of Bond and Old Water Streets, where the present government office building now stands. This structure was destroyed by fire in 1884. They worshipped in the courthouse until they built a new a new church in 1886.
When Asbury built their stone church in 1886, the building committee consisted of William H. Jackson, T. H. Williams, James T. Truitt and James E. Ellegood. William H. Jackson told them if they built it out of stone he would pay for any shortfall in their building fund. This is the building that stands today, but is occupied by Faith Community Church. A new Asbury was built on Camden Avenue and has been in use since 1963.
Back to Trinity. When the church burned in 1884, they built a new church but outgrew it by 1904. Since Nannie Rider had married E.E. Jackson and he had made not only quite a name for himself but a considerable fortune, he completely paid for the building of a new church in that year. The members of Trinity continue to worship in that building to this day.
The speculation is that the wife of E. E. Jackson and the wife of William H. Jackson didn’t see eye to eye. W. H. Jackson was a leader in Asbury. The new Trinity Church was built across Division Street from Asbury.
No history of Methodism in Salisbury is complete without the history of both Asbury and Trinity Churches.
Asbury was built first in 1801. This was called the “red meeting house”. A new white frame, green shuttered church was built in 1856 and outgrown by 1886. In 1872 it had been named Asbury United Methodist Church in honor of Bishop Francis Asbury, who had visited the congregation in 1805 and again in 1810. All structures have been built at the same location which is on the East side of Division Street near Broad Street.
The congregation of Trinity Methodist Church was formally organized in 1866. The secretary of this organization was Nannie Rider, who later became the wife of Elihu E. Jackson. They married in 1869 in the small chapel on what was once was the corner of Bond and Old Water Streets, where the present government office building now stands. This structure was destroyed by fire in 1884. They worshipped in the courthouse until they built a new a new church in 1886.
When Asbury built their stone church in 1886, the building committee consisted of William H. Jackson, T. H. Williams, James T. Truitt and James E. Ellegood. William H. Jackson told them if they built it out of stone he would pay for any shortfall in their building fund. This is the building that stands today, but is occupied by Faith Community Church. A new Asbury was built on Camden Avenue and has been in use since 1963.
Back to Trinity. When the church burned in 1884, they built a new church but outgrew it by 1904. Since Nannie Rider had married E.E. Jackson and he had made not only quite a name for himself but a considerable fortune, he completely paid for the building of a new church in that year. The members of Trinity continue to worship in that building to this day.
The speculation is that the wife of E. E. Jackson and the wife of William H. Jackson didn’t see eye to eye. W. H. Jackson was a leader in Asbury. The new Trinity Church was built across Division Street from Asbury.
This is an interesting window into our past. Perhaps the writer could elaborate on the Methodist denomination's split into north and south during the Civil War. Did that effect these two congregations in the 1800s?
ReplyDeleteThe history of the Methodist church was interesting except the part of the two wives not seeing eye to eye. However family lore has it that the two Jackson men did not see eye to eye and so the second church was built. Being a member of the family this is what my Grandmother had told me.
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