Wesley United Methodist

This congregation began with Methodist pioneer Francis Asbury’s visit to a gathering of farm families at the home of Abraham Harris on September 24, 1779. Harris, a prominent local landowner, later conveyed a substantial portion of the land on which the Town of Georgetown was built. For many years, the local Methodist society met in members’ homes. In April 1802, the congregation bought land on West Pine Street just east of South Lane and erected a frame house of worship known as Wesley Chapel. After fire destroyed that structure, a second building was constructed nearby on land bought in 1806 from John Russell, a site now part of the old Methodist cemetery. On July 9, 1859, the growing congregation purchased land on North Race Street south of Cooper Alley for a new church, which was completed and dedicated in 1865. By the 1890’s, the need for a larger sanctuary was clear, and under the leadership of the Rev. Charles A. Grise, the lot where the present church stands was purchased in 1896. Construction of the modified-gothic design building was completed the following year, with church treasurer William J. McNatt serving as supervising architect and John Barr as contractor, and a formal dedication service was held on March 7, 1897. The adjoining parsonage was built in 1907, the Willie M. Jones Memorial Hall in 1928, and the Education Building in 1956-57.

Georgetown, Delaware · United States