Picton in Prince Edward in Prince Edward County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

The “Conference Church”

Photographed by Tim Boyd, July 30, 2026

1. The “Conference Church” Marker

Inscription. In 1824, the first Methodist "Canada Conference," which resulted in the separation of the Canadian and U.S. churches, was held in a recently completed frame chapel that originally stood on this site. Built by a congregation that had been established in 1793 by Darius Dunham, an itinerant preacher from the U.S., and led by a local settler, Andrew Johnson, it was also the site for a meeting in 1831 that settled the location of a Methodist "Seminary of Learning" at Cobourg. Named the "Upper Canada Academy," this institution later developed into the present Victoria University. The present church, erected in 1898, is the third to stand on this site.

Erected 1967 by Archeological and Historic Sites Board of Ontario.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Ontario Heritage Trust series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1824.

Location. 44° 0.312′ N, 77° 8.645′ W. Marker is in Prince Edward, Ontario, in Prince Edward County. It is in Picton. It is on Chapel Street 0.1 kilometers south

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of Picton Main Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6 Chapel St, Prince Edward ON K0K 2T0, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeastern Ontario.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: John A. Macdonald in Hallowell (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Letitia Youmans 1827-1896 (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Bank of Montreal (approx. half a kilometer away); North American Hotel (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); The County Buildings (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); The Rev. William Macauley (approx. one kilometer away); The White Chapel (approx. 3.3 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map

Photographed by Tim Boyd, July 30, 2026

2. The “Conference Church” Marker

of all markers in Prince Edward.

Also see . . . Methodism (Canadian Encyclopedia).

Methodism exercised its strongest influence in Upper Canada. Methodists were among the Loyalist founders and many more among "late Loyalists" who flocked into Upper Canada before the WAR OF 1812. With them came Methodist Episcopal "saddle bag preachers," whose zeal and adaptability made them highly effective in frontier conditions. After the war, Upper Canada Methodists laboured increasingly under suspicion of being "pro-American," and in 1828 they sought a remedy by severing their American connections. In 1833 they negotiated a union with the more conservative English Methodists who had first entered the colony in 1817.

(Submitted on August 8, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario.)

Photographed by Tim Boyd, July 30, 2026

3. The “Conference Church” Marker

In front of Picton United Church

Credits. This page was last revised on August 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 8, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 11 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 8, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.