Methodist Episcopal Church & Parsonage

The United Methodist Church and Parsonage at 69-71 Main Street represents one of the oldest religious communities in New Jersey. In March 1772, Rev. Francis Asbury, founder of the Methodist Church in America, preached to Woodbridge Methodists in Perth Amboy while en route to New Brunswick. Prior to Methodist ownership, the property belonged to the Woodbridge Quakers, or Society of Friends, who settled in Woodbridge during the late 1600s. In 1707, the Quakers purchased half an acre of land from Mr. John Allen, a former minister at First Presbyterian Church of Woodbridge. In 1709, construction began on a Meeting House completed in 1713; a burial ground was added later, upon which the Methodist Parsonage now sits. In 1832, the Quakers sold their property to the Woodbridge Methodists. Later that year, the Methodists built a wood-frame church, dedicated September 8, 1832, by the first pastor, Rev. William Granville. The surrounding property was used as a Methodist burial ground. Notable burials upon this site include those of patriot Jennet "Janet" Pike Gage, her Loyalist husband, Philip Gage, and their young son. Headstones of the Methodist graves surrounding the present church were later removed to construct the current parking lot. To accommodate a growing congregation, a second, larger church was built in 1870 on the present church site at 69 Main Street. This Victorian style building was ravaged by fire Nov. 3, 1954 and rebuilt and rededicated Nov. 4, 1956. Built in 1882, the Methodist Parsonage is a fine example of the Victorian homes that once stood along lower Main Street. The structure once served as the residence of church pastors until 1965. In 1967, after many congregational unions, the Methodist Episcopal Church was renamed the United Methodist Church.

Woodbridge, New Jersey · United States