Barratt's Chapel: Cradle of American Methodism

Barratt's Chapel, located in Frederica, Delaware, holds a significant place in American religious history as the oldest surviving church building in the United States constructed specifically for Methodists. Built in 1780 on land donated by Philip Barratt, a prominent local politician and recent convert to Methodism, the chapel served as a center for the burgeoning Methodist movement in Delaware. The chapel earned its moniker, the 'Cradle of Methodism,' due to a pivotal event in 1784. It was here that Thomas Coke, sent by John Wesley, met Francis Asbury to discuss the future of American Methodism. This meeting led to the planning of a conference in Baltimore where the Methodist Episcopal Church was officially established on Christmas Day of the same year. The chapel's exterior retains much of its original 1784 appearance, while the interior reflects renovations from around 1842. Today, Barratt's Chapel is owned and maintained by the Commission on Archives and History of the Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Thousands of visitors come to the Chapel each year. Visitors can explore the chapel and an adjacent museum with exhibits about the history of Methodism. The site also includes a cemetery, with headstones that reflect over 240 years of history.