McColley’s Chapel

McColley’s Chapel was built and dedicated in 1858 as a Methodist Church. Congregation members had previously worshipped in a small house on the opposite side of the road. James Redden, a member of the board of trustees, sold the property to the church in 1857 for one dollar. The original church building was constructed through the efforts of Reverend Truston P. McColley, a prominent farmer and businessman, who served as the first minister of the church. Initially a member of the Southern Methodist Church, McColley’s Chapel joined the Ellendale Charge in 1873. In 1898 a new chapel was constructed on the same site after a fire destroyed the original structure. The Chapel remains much the same today as when it was built. It exemplifies the stylistic expression of 19th century Colonial Revival architecture and is typical of 18th and 19th century Methodist meeting houses which were all virtually identical in size, shape, massing, and scale. The design reflects Methodist beliefs of the era that chapels should be “built plain and decent, but not more expensive than is absolutely unavoidable.” McColley’s Chapel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011 and continues to serve the spiritual needs of the community.