The First Methodist Meeting House

Petersburg County · dedicated 1984 · Green space bound by Grove Ave., Canal St., and Fleet St.

The first Methodist Meeting House in Petersburg was a theatre on West Old Street near the river rented by Gressett Davis. Robert Williams, a follower of John Wesley, came to Petersburg to preach in 1773 at the invitation of Davis and Nathaniel Young, local businessmen. From this humble beginning, Methodism became firmly established in Petersburg and spread throughout the surrounding countryside. Petersburg served as Williams' headquarters and later was made part of the Brunswick circuit.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

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under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

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The First Methodist Meeting House

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