History of Hopewell Chapel

     The earliest official documentation of a building dedicated to the local congregation in this location is 1802 when the Hopewell Meeting House is noted as a stop on the West Wheeling [preaching] Circuit.  However, the publication Western Christian Advocate from 1839 mentions a church built in 1787 “on Winnen’s Ridge between Rush Run (now known as Co Road 4) and Short Creek in Warren township.” The congregation refers to this building as “the log cabin” and it was located on the north side of the cemetery in what is currently a unkempt meadow, there is nothing remaining of that building except a a few foundation stones.

     The most significant event in the congregation’s history is hosting the Methodist Quarterly Conference in September 1803 attended by the founder and leader of the Methodist faith in the U.S., Bishop Ashbury. This conference was hosted in the “new meeting house” recognized as the first denominational worship buildings built in the Northwest Territory. It is said amongst locals that the name “Hopewell” comes from a letter written from Bishop Ashbury to the head of the congregation with the opening line “ I hope you are well…” at about this time.

Interpretive drawing of Hopewell meeting house circa 1844

     In 1844 the 1803 building was replaced with a white clapboard one room chapel that is the basis of the building that existed up until 4 weeks ago. At that time the building was heated with two stove furnaces located on the north and south sides of the main space (as we have pealed back the layers of time we found that there was a major fire in the north-east corner of the space, still a mystery). In 1911 the clapboard one room building underwent major renovation. A foyer and steeple were added to the front, a brick veneer was added over the exterior, the whole building was elevated (or foundation walls added) to create a basement, the line of the roof was modified from a barn type structure to a gable, electricity was added (good old knob and tube), and a coal chute with chimney was built. It’s unknown if all these modifications were done at the same time or over some period of time beginning in 1911.

Drawing of Hopewell Chapel before deconstruction

    Since those renovations the electrical has been upgraded, the coal furnace replaced with modern forced air heating, and a tin ceiling added. The building has never been air conditioned because of the consistent northerly breeze moving through the building when the windows are open on both sides. Several years ago the congregation built a new building on the neighboring lot. The former chapel became a space for special services and funerals. Regular services have not been held in the chapel in 25 years. With an aging population and decreasing budget the chapel has been slowly abandoned. The HVAC and electrical had been stripped several years ago and the vacant chapel has sat as a memory of the past. In 1986 the General Commission on Archives and History of the United Methodist Church presented the Hopewell United Methodist Church with a plaque marking the church as a historic site. From 1787 till today the Hopewell congregation has had a presence in the community. The chapel located in the cemetery has had a full and wonderful life, and reached the end of its useful life. By undertaking it’s deconstruction we are hoping to retain the cultural memory of the building as well as find a new definition of the location.