Grace in Asheville in Buncombe County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Francis Asbury

Photographed by Mike Stroud, 2010

1. Francis Asbury Marker

Inscription.
Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 1784-1816, often visited and preached at the home of Daniel Killian which was one mile east.

Erected 1951 by Archives, Conservation and Highway Departments. (Marker Number P-33.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Francis Asbury, Traveling Methodist Preacher, and the North Carolina Division of Archives and History series lists.

Location. 35° 37.762′ N, 82° 33.148′ W. Marker is in Asheville, North Carolina, in Buncombe County. It is in Grace. It is at the intersection of Beaverdam Road (State Highway 2230) and Merrimon Avenue (U.S. 25), on the left when traveling east on Beaverdam Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Asheville NC 28804, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Mountains. It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North

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America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Joseph Lane (a few steps from this marker); David L. Swain (within shouting distance of this marker); Saint Mary's Parish - 1914 (approx. 1.3 miles away); The University of North Carolina at Asheville (approx. 1½ miles away); Battle of Asheville (approx. 1½ miles away); Buncombe Turnpike (approx. 1½ miles away); a different marker also named Battle of Asheville (approx. 1½ miles away); Zelda Fitzgerald (approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Asheville.

Regarding Francis Asbury. The Killian house stood until 1901, when it was torn down and the J. V. Baird residence built on the site. Asbury had visited the home so often that when the general conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church,

Francis Asbury Marker at Beaverdam Road and Merrimon Avenue (US 25) intersection image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, May 22, 2010

2. Francis Asbury Marker at Beaverdam Road and Merrimon Avenue (US 25) intersection

South, met at Asheville in May 1910, a piece of the banister of the old Killian home was presented to the presiding bishop.
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Asbury, born in 1745 in England, had begun missionary work in America in 1771 on behalf of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. For the next fifty years, Asbury traveled nearly 280,000 miles, preached 16,425 sermons, presided over 224 religious conferences, ordained 4,000 preachers, and helped Methodism outstrip the growth of population by nearly five to one. Known as the “Prophet of the Long Road,” Asbury became the archetypal circuit preacher, and was elected the first bishop of American Methodism.
(North Carolina Office of Archives & History)

Also see . . . Francis Asbury, Methodist on horseback. Christianity Today website entry (Submitted on June 2, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)

Francis Asbury image. Click for full size.

North Carolina Office of Archives & History — Department of Cultural Resources

3. Francis Asbury

Credits. This page was last revised on June 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 2, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,519 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 2, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.