Bethel United Methodist Church
Bethel United Methodist Church
Bethel United Methodist ChurchBethel United Methodist Church
Charleston, SC
Hours: Open to the public
Monday - Thursday: 9:00a - 4:30p
Friday: 9:00a - 2:00p
The first Methodist congregation in Charleston purchased this parcel of land in 1795 and the Old Bethel United Methodist Church building was erected here in 1797. Bethel Methodist Church is an exceptional example of Greek Doric Temple architecture common to antebellum.
A division between black members and white members of the congregation developed in the 1830s. The original church was moved to the western portion of the lot in 1852 for the black Methodists and work soon began at the original site for the second Methodist Church for the white Methodists. The new church was completed around 1854.
Bethel was the only Methodist church in Charleston which remained open during the Civil War, and it survived the earthquake of 1886 intact. Although there have been interior alterations, the exterior has been well-preserved.
