Ohio County, WV History
Churches
Ohio County, WV History
Churches
Third Presbyterian Church
Wheeling
[Source: "The Echoer" - transcribed here by K. Torp]
In 1848, Samuel Ott, a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Wheeling, organized a Sunday School which met in the basement of his home at 4002 Water Street. There were eight members. When the Church was organized, the Sunday School moved to the Bogg's Run School House. However, it did not become an official part of the church till 1851.
On Friday afternoon, Nov. 2, 1849 in the little schoolhouse on Boggs Run, a group of local Christians met with the representatives of Washington, Pa Presbytery, the Rev. Cyrus Dickson, D.D. & Rev. H.R. Reed, D.D> They proceeded to organize the Third Presbyterian Church, to be located in Ritchietown, then a suburb of Wheeling.
Fourteen people became charter members. From the First Presbyterian Church of Wheeling came Duncan Campbell, Margaret Campbell, Andrew Hall, Hiram Martin, Elizabeth Martin and Mary Garrison. From the Reformed Dissenting Presbyterian Church of Three ridges, Pa., came Rosanna Humes. From the Forks of Wheeling Presbyterian Church came Thomas McCombs and Elizabeth McCombs (his wife). On examination Grace Blake, Geo. Blake, William and Delilah Little, and Sarah Hintsman were received.
Andrew Hall and Thomas McCombs were elected and ordained as ruling elders, Hiram Martin and George Blake as trustees.
When the church was organized, cornfields and swamps separated the little village from the City of Wheeling. The people waded through mud to come to church.
Short Creek Methodist Episcopal Church
[Source: "A Sketch of the Early History of West Liberty and Short Creek With Special Reference to the Churches" by Rev. Jesse A. Earl in 1936, excerpted in "The Echoer" - transcribed here by K. Torp]
Short Creek Methodist Episcopal Church is the oldest Methodist Church in the northern Panhandle. The first building of this society was the old Stone Meeting House which was one of the greatest churches in the Methodist denomination when it was built.
Asbury preached here Aug. 23, 1807.
The Panhandle History (p 304) says "This church was organized so early in the history of the country that the members were obliged to carry their arms and means of defense with them to their place of worship and stack them near to protect them from a sudden onset of the savages who yet prowled over the country.
In 1785, Wilson Lee was one of the pastors of the Redstone Circuit which embraced the Monongahala, Washington, Pa and W.Va. Panhandle with headquarters at Brownsville or Uniontown, Pa. Since West Liberty was the county seat, the preachers and others who kept records, came by West Liberty and Short Creek to the Ohio River.
"John Spahr" one of the charter members according to Rev. Jacob Young, Pastor at Short Creek in 1810 "was among the first, west of the Allegheny mountains that opened their doors to receive the Methodist itinerant. His house was a preaching place for more than 20 years."
Mrs. Spahr died in 1801 according to her tombstone on the Miller farm which was the original Spahr home and site of the elm under which many sermons were preached.
The original trustees of the Short Creek church were John McColloch, John Bukey, Joseph Morgan and John Spahr Jr.
Rev. Jacob Young, minister at Short Creek in 1810 married Ruth, daughter of John and Rebecca Spahr.
Four of the charter members of the church were: John Spahr, Abraham McColloch, Joseph Morgan and Nicholas Boone.
John Spahr settled at Short Creek about 1770. He planted and raised the first crop of corn in the Ohio Valley. He was a Tory and hid during the Revolution, but no one ever knew where and he never told. He lived to be 115 years old.
A son, Joseph, became a preacher but died at the end of the first year. Three preachers married his daughters, J.Young, J. Laws and J. Conley.
Early History of West Liberty and Short Creek
[Source: "A Sketch of the Early History of West Liberty and Short Creek With Special Reference to the Churches" by Rev. Jesse A. Earl in 1936, excerpted in "The Echoer" - transcribed here by K. Torp]
In (1830?) Alexander Campbell and Walter Scott held a meeting on the Ohio River near the mouth of Short Creek, and there were 40 converts. That fall these disciples began to meet regularly at the Cherry Hill Schoolhouse. In 1831, they changed to Robert's Run School in the edge of Brooke County,. In 1833 these and the disciples on Long Run united and erected a small brick church in West Liberty. Alexander Campbell and other evangelists held meetings in the church at West Liberty. About 1870 the larger frame structure was erected.
In 1794 there was a Baptist church at Short Creek.
There was at one time a frame United Presbyterian Church on the Frank Talbert farm on the site of his barn near the intersection of the Boone and Hedges road with the Short Creek Road.
There is said to have been a log United Presbyterian Church on the site of Mrs. Hartley's home near the Post Office in W. Liberty.
Dr. Jos. Doddridge organized an Episcopal Church in 1792 at West Liberty and held services in the courthouse. The writer Callahan says no church was built.
The historic West Liberty Presbyterian Church erected its first building in 1793 which was 26 years before the first church of any denomination was built in Wheeling. Rev. John McMillan, the "Apostle of Presbyterianism in the West" preached here in 1782. He described his home thus: "But we had neither bedstead nor stool, nor table, nor chair nor bucket. We placed 2 boxes one on the other which served as a table." He was one of the principal founders of Jefferson College.
The Presbyterian Church was organized in 1788. The first pastor James Hughes was installed April 21, 1790, which was one day before the pastor was installed at the Stone Church in Elm Grove. Among those connected with the church at its organization were: Wm. McKinley, Wm. Brown, Wm. McColloch, Moses Chapline and families.
In 1836, Rev. Nathan Shotwell and his wife opened a school of academic grade in what is now known as the Doyle house in West Liberty. This is now West Liberty State College. The enrollment at the beginning was 65.