Evening star., 1942-12-27
Washington's Earliest Methodist Church
by John Clagett Proctor

..- 'ne last few decades Sixteenth
s'feet' once strictly residential thor
uehhare' has become a street OF anart-
.nene houses and churches-startinp with
..,e latter with old st. Johns EnisconaI
N'ufcn at H street on the south ana
4,ioiuolng many beautiful specimens of
'iiurcn architecture between that street
ana Kennedy street, several miles n ths
ioi ~ W. Where stands the Sixth Presby-
.eilan church on ground once. a part a,
.lie orightWood race track and not far
from the spot where once flowed the
famous Crystal Spring and, nearby, the
WOO used as picnic grounds by early
city residents y ''- y
Nearly all of these Sixteenth str.et
churches have sprung from sm.u =.
s,nninsS, and it would not be out of
pace IN some cases, to refer to their
carry places OF worship as mere shacks
Ou' 'hat' OF course, was many years ago.
~neh washington was only Capital in
emoryo and a City of Magnificent Dis
.aHces' then very appropriate name,
lnoeed, II we consider the attractive
landscape of the District when II WAS
sun quite village, with large number
OF streams coursing through it. and with
acres upon acres of virgin timber stand
Ing Where are now fine residences and
skyscrapers.
ana so 1t was at this period that
Methodlsm began to get a strong hold
IN the Federal Capital after having
existed in Georgetown as earlv as 177o
"nere 1t was introduced bv Robert Will
nams' and its first church was built
there during the pastorate of John
Cnalmers and William Hishop on Mont
gomery street now Twenty eighth street,
Inc original deed to this property,
dated March %, 1900, was from Anthony
Holmesd to Lloyd Beall Richard Par
rott and others as trustees. The church
erected about this time was replaced
aoout 1920 by more substantial build
Ing, which in time became public
school.
First NJ. E. Church
The first Methodist Episcopal Church,
established east Of Rock Creek and
known as Ebenezer M E. Church, held
It's meetings in the old Southeast section.
once known as Carrollsbure, near Green
leaf Point, as early as 1902 The build
ing, in which the first services we're
held, is said to have been located at the
intersection of South Capitol and N
streets, and was one of the so-called
Twenty Buildings" begun in 1896 but
never completed, From here, the con-
gregation moved to small frame build
ing on New Jersey avenue near D street
Sc, some time subsequent to Nav,
1907 at which date its occupant, Christ
Episcopal Church, evidently surrendered
Its control
This early church hone had previously
served as Daniel CAROLS tobacco barn,
and in pinch seems to have served for
other than farm and religious purposes,
and so We find that some time in June,
1900, Federal Lodge No. IS nov No. y,
F. A, A, NJ, held here its annual OBJ
servance of st Johns day.
In addition to the purposes men
toned the CID tobacco barn is also said
to have served as schoolhouse. How
ever II was for church purposes that
small windows were placed in the sides.
OF the building, far from the ground
Which We're protected by solid shutters.
After it ce7sed to be used as a church,
the tobacco house became a carpenters
shop conducted by James and Electius
Middleton and, according to Rev. w. M.
Ferguson 1t stood until 1917, when it
was destroyed by fire through an acci-
dent occurring while workman was
boiling glue. Thus was removed land
mark which indicated an important pc
riod in the history of two religious de-