The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-03-03
A PRECIOUS MEMORIAL.
STRAWBRIDGE'S PULPIT
USED IN BALTIMORE.
Was Used in First Methodist
Church, in This County,
Which was Built at Sans
Greek, Frederick County, in
1764

1764
An interesting reminder OF the
early DAYS of MethodiSm IN
America was used in the services
at the Straw bridge Methodist
Episcopal Church, yesterday,
says Mondays Baltimore Sun.
1t was the pulpit used by Robert
Strawbridge, the first Methodist
Episcopal preacher in America
and the founder of the first church
of that denomination in this
country-a little log church,
which is no longer standing but
which was built in 1864 at Sans
Creek. in Frederick County.
The house of John Evans, one
of the first converts at Sans
Creek. was for nearly half CEN
tury the headquarters of Method
ism in that section of the cOun-
try, and the pulpit was built by
Mr.. Evans for the preaching ser
vices and class meet ngS which
were held there by the great
pioneer preacher both before and
after his first church was built.
Robert Strawbridge died in 1881,
but the meetings were continued
for many years afterward, many
of the early leaders of the denom-
imation eSieeming it a privilege
to preach from the pulpit from
which Strawbridge had taught
the principles of MethodiSm.
Bishop Asbury was one Of that
number.
Over the top of the old pulpit
as it stood within the chancel
yesterday hung the old leathern
SaddlehagS that were used by the
great iiinerant on many preach
ing tour. The pulpit itself is a
simple structure, a mere frame
work. composed of four upright
posts about five fee; high, with a
crOSS-har at the top, and a little
platform near the bottom. on
which the preacher stood. The
whole structure is not larger than
: an ordinary reading desk. 1t is
one of the most highly priced rel
les i'll the possession Of the His
torical Society of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, and as part of
the collection is kept in the room
of lie society on Baltimore street.
1t was loaned to the Rev. DIR. F..
S. Todd, pastor Of Strawbridge
services. Though wen b 5rt2 re [,
1t Is very fragile, and was not
put to active use yesterday.
In his sermon Dir. Todd told
how Robert Strawhlidge. a
Yonng lriShman. fiery. impctuous.
FESTIVE of restraint came TO this
country in 1860. compelled to
leave his native land because Cf
the prosecutions which followed
his conversion. "There were ONLY
three millions of people on this
continent at that time, he said,
land most Of them occupied the
narrow strip along the seaboard.
The French and Indian war was
going on and the col0nists had all
they could do i'll protecting them.
selves.
There were practically no
roads and the means of coInmun.
lcatlon between the coloniSts were
scanty indeed, but soon after this
a stage coach was put on between
Philadelphia and New York.
making the distance between the
two places i'll two days, and called
on that account the flying ma.
chine. Baltimore was nothing
but little burg, a suburb of the
great city of Annapolis. Its
streets were lighted by a few oil
lamps. There was slave pen
down III one of the streets. There
were no daily papers and the com.
merce was extremely limited.
once III while a schooner SET ont
from the harbor and went as far
as Annapolis or Kent Island
"The colonies throughout were
permeated with the influence of
French intidelity. In New Eng.
land CongIegationalism had a
strong hold. Presbyterianism
and the Dutch Reformed Church
IN New York and the Quakers in
PENNSYLVANIA. These were the
conditions when Strawbridge and
his young wife reached this conn.
Try They made their way to the
western part of the State, to what
was then wilderness and is now
known as Frederick County.
"He started out to clear the
wilderness. His aim was to mako
money, but it changed when he
found around him another wilder. j
ness-that of unreclaimed sonIs
and to them he devoted the rest |
! of his life. ''
"JOhn Evans was oonvor+oa