St. George's United Methodist Church, Methodist church in Old City, Philadelphia, United States.
St. George's United Methodist Church is a colonial-era brick church in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia, with white-painted walls and arched windows. It stands at the corner of 4th and New Streets and is considered one of the oldest Methodist houses of worship still standing in the United States.
The congregation was founded in 1769 and hosted the first national Methodist conferences during the 1770s. The building remained in continuous use through the American Revolution and the early decades of the new republic.
Richard Allen and Absalom Jones walked out of this congregation in 1787 after a dispute over seating, which directly led to the founding of the first independent African American church in the country. Visitors can learn about this story through the displays and guided tours available inside.
Visitors need to book a tour in advance since the building is not open daily for walk-in access. Its location in the heart of Old City makes it easy to combine with other historic sites nearby.
When the Benjamin Franklin Bridge was planned in the 1920s, engineers changed its route to avoid disturbing this building. The effect of that decision can still be read in the angle of the bridge as it crosses today.
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