Kalamazoo in Kalamazoo County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
First United Methodist Church
By Duane Hall, May 30, 2014
1. First United Methodist Church Marker
(Side One)
In 1830 the Reverend James T. Robe, a young Methodist circuit rider, delivered the first sermon in the village of Bronson, later Kalamazoo, at the home of the town’s founder, Titus Bronson. After his appointment to the Kalamazoo Mission in 1832, Robe preached throughout a circuit that extended from Niles to Allegan. In 1833 the Reverend Richard C. Meek formed a local Society of Methodists, and this eight-member congregation became Kalamazoo’s first organized church.
(Side Two)
The Kalamazoo Methodist Society met first in the home of George Patterson and later in a schoolhouse. The congregation built its first church in 1842 at Academy and Church streets. A second church, built in 1866, burned in 1926. Ernest Batterson, a church member and architect, designed the present Late Gothic Revival building, dedicated in 1929. An educational wing was added in 1949. The congregation assisted in founding a number of area Methodist churches.
Erected 1988 by Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number L1528.)
Topics and series. This historical
By Duane Hall, May 30, 2014
2. First United Methodist Church Marker
Location. 42° 17.42′ N, 85° 35.243′ W. Marker is in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in Kalamazoo County. Marker is on S. Park Street (State Highway 331) north of W. South Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 212 S Park St, Kalamazoo MI 49007, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Lincoln at Kalamazoo (within shouting distance of this marker); First Women's Club in Michigan (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); First Baptist Church (about 500 feet away); Spanish War Veterans Monument (about 600 feet away); In Memoriam U.S.S Maine (about 600 feet away); Lincoln's August 1856 Speech in Kalamazoo (about 600 feet away); South Street Historic District (approx. 0.2 miles away); Kalamazoo Gazette (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kalamazoo.
By Duane Hall, May 30, 2014
3. First United Methodist Church
By Duane Hall, May 30, 2014
4. First United Methodist Church Marker
By Duane Hall, May 30, 2014
5. First United Methodist Church Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on June 16, 2014, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. This page has been viewed 378 times since then and 3 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 16, 2014, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas.
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