Fincastle United Methodist Church is one of the oldest continuously meeting Methodist congregations in Virginia. We believe that the first Methodists in Fincastle began meeting for worship in area homes about 1789. Early itinerant Methodist preachers traveled to the area to preach, baptize new Christians, and conduct marriages throughout the 1790s.
Bishop Francis Asbury, “the prophet of the long road,” played a key role in organizing Fincastle Methodist Church. On May 14, 1794, he wrote in his journal of preaching in Fincastle but “had very few to hear except our own people.” The entries in 1795, 1800, and 1801 all indicate visits to our congregation. In 1801 Bishop Asbury drew the plans for the first Methodist Church building in Fincastle while he visited the home of Edward Mitchell. Henry Ogburn was the first known Botetourt Methodist minister and served Fincastle Methodist Church in the Botetourt Circuit.
The first church building was erected on the current property on Church Street in Fincastle, which was deeded to the congregation in July 1803. It was replaced by a brick sanctuary in 1840. This historic structure is still used each Sunday for worship. The architectural style of the building is Greek Revival, as evidenced in the Greek key design around the windows and door moldings and in the Doric columns supporting the gallery.
On September 15, 2002, a dedication was held for the Family Life Center, located across Church Street from the sanctuary. In this building are the church offices, adult and youth Sunday School rooms, a prayer room/library, a conference room, a fellowship hall/gym, and a kitchen.
The bronze bell in the church’s steeple, bearing a date of 1811, was cast by George Hedderly at his foundry in Philadelphia. Mr. Hedderly emigrated to America from Nottingham, England in 1794. Every New Year’s Eve since the mid-1800s the bell has been rung in a time-honored tradition with the Botetourt County Courthouse and other churches in the town of Fincastle.
The honey-locust tree in front of the church is the largest of its species in the United States. It is listed in the National Register of Champion Trees and was measured in recent years to be 121 feet tall (as tall as a ten-story building) and have a circumference of 234 inches measured at a height of 4 1/2 feet. Estimates are that the tree is over 200 years old.