Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1921-04-02
A Methodist Pilgrimage
Along Asbury Trails In
Wilmington Conference
Shrnes On Every Hand Tell Of Early Heroes Their Trials
And Triumphs In What Was Then Called And
Still Is A Garden Of Preachers.

can Method1N o.ters territory more
associated \ Ss.1erly Methodist his
tory in AmeriSW than the Wilmington
Conference o1NsEe Methodist Episco-
raj Church. Covering as it does the
small area OF the Eastern Shore of
Maryland and the State of Delaware,
ii serves a population Of about 400,-
COO people and 1000 square miles of
territory. To complete the decimal
system over 10000 members belong
to the Methodist Episcopal churches
served by it, while perhaps the other
branches of Nlethodsm have some 20
COO COMMUNICATE members. That is,
1000 square miles of territory have
over 10000 communicates of the
Methodist Episcopal Church in |
population OF about 100000 Another
feature of the population is that it is
not double that of 1870 years ago at
the first census in 1890.
Probably no part of the country
was better developed in the days o.
Asbury than this territory, which he
termed his preacher garden, in which
he was raising his preachers. The
ninth college in America WIS in this
territory ii his day Washington Col
lege at Che3terown, Md.-fOunded in
1882. On The very edge of this terri
To- C,rcp,,Ol,n--o
was founded Cokcsbury College-thc
first Methodist college in the New
World. The rich planters lived in
luxury for those days, and many of
their old colonial mansions still ex-
ist In this territory lived two of
Maryland's signers of the Declara-
ton of William Paca,
in Queen Ann, county, and Samuel
Chase, of Somerset, and all of the
signers for Delaware.
Nor was Methodism the only
church to first begin it's work in
America in this territory. \ hundred
years before The coming Ct Asbury
the Presbyterians were growing so
strong that the first Presbyterian
church in the United States was built
by Francis Mackenzie at Rehoboth,
Somerset county, Maryland. and the
building still remains. Although there
is some claim that the first Presby-
terrain church in America was built at
Snow Hill, Md. not far away, the fact
remains that both were built about
1852 by Francis Mackenzie.
In the very same year that the
Friends or luakers began a frame
meeting house at Easton, in Talbot
county, which still stands and probab-
ly is the oldest frame church in the
country, with ;he first weather board
ing, framing and original plan just as
built, without any rebuilding except
occasional replacing of roof. This
building was completed two years
later, in 1854.
AS IN ASBURY'S DAY.
The main roads as Travelled by AS
bury are still the main roads, widen
cd and graded and built into the
State roads system of Mary !and-one
of the first and best in in the nation.
Leaving the Washington, Balti
more and Philadelphia road at Elk
ton, in Cecil county, one heads south
for Salisbury, distance of over
hundred miles from which place he
can make short tours, and return by
way of Rehoboth, Nd, Pocomoke
City, Snow I'LL, Ocean City, and
thence north through the Delaware
section via Georgetown, Milford, Bar
rats Chapel, Dover and back to VIII
nington, Del. The total trip from
Baltimore Philadelphia road and re-
turn can be made with some 300
miles running, while good hotels and
summer boarding houses are all along
the road in the villages and towns.
Some 10 miles below Elkton the
road leads through Bohemia Manor,
in Cecil county where was establish
ed one of the first 100 Methodist
preaching places in America. Ten
miles more takes one to Galena,,
through which Lafayette passed and
is said to have stood out before his
men and raised his hat in reverence
and thankfulness to God for such
beautiful country. In the village
churchyard three preachers have been
buried over 100 years. One of these
John McClaskey-wa one of the
first men of power in Peninsula Meth
odism, though little mentioned by his
iorians. Buried in 1914, two years be-
fore Asbury's death, his grave rs
close beside The church and marked
by plain slab of marble A 15-milc
run carried enc through the heart of
the most beautiful farming country
in the world to the county seat of