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List of the oldest churches in the United States

This list of oldest churches in the United States is divided into three parts: the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest Christian church congregation, and the old church in each U.S. state. There is a distinction between old church buildings that have been in continuous use as churches, and those that have been converted to other purposes; and between buildings that have been in continuous use as churches and those that were shuttered for many decades.

In terms of congregations, they are distinguished between early established congregations that have been in continuous existence (sometimes through great theological changes), and early congregations that ceased to exist. Some of these churches are located in areas that were part of the original Thirteen Colonies that made up the United States in 1776. Others were built in states that were later annexed, such as Louisiana and New Mexico. Sites on the list are generally from the First Period of American architecture or earlier.

To be listed here a site must:

  • be the oldest church in a state, large city (top 50), or oldest of its type (denomination, architectural, etc.);
  • be freestanding (not a ruin or mound, as there are separate lists for those); and/or
  • be the oldest congregation of its type (denomination).

Oldest church buildings

Oldest continuous church congregations

By state

Alabama

Alaska

Arkansas

  • Rockport First United Methodist Church, Rockport (near Malvern), oldest continually operating congregation in the state, organized in 1816
  • Smyrna Church, Searcy, oldest church building in the state, built in 1856 (Methodist)

Arizona

California

  • Mission San Diego de Alcalá, oldest congregation, founded in 1769 (Catholic)
  • Basilica of San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo Mission (Carmel Mission), founded by Fr. Junipero Serra in 1770, making it the second of the 21 California missions.
  • Mission San Juan Capistrano, built in 1782 (Catholic)
  • First Baptist Church, San Francisco, founded in 1849, sharing oldest Protestant church congregation with Old First Presbyterian Church (Baptist)
  • Old First Presbyterian Church, San Francisco, sharing oldest Protestant church congregation with First Baptist Church, founded in 1849 (Presbyterian)
  • Emmanuel Church in Coloma, oldest Protestant church building, built in 1855 (Methodist/Episcopal)
  • Trinity+St. Peter's Church (Episcopal), San Francisco, oldest Episcopal church congregation west of the Mississippi, founded 1849 as Trinity Church (Episcopal)
  • St. John's Church in Sacramento, Built in 1867 (Evangelical Lutheran)

Colorado

  • Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Antonito, oldest church building and congregation, built in 1857 (Catholic)
  • St. James Methodist Church in Central City, oldest Protestant church in Colorado still used as a church, oldest Protestant congregation (1859) and oldest Protestant church in the state (1871) (Methodist)

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

  • Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine. Parish established September 8, 1565. Present church cornerstone laid in 1793, dedicated in 1797. Elevated to Cathedral when Diocese of St. Augustine was created in 1870. Became Basilica in 1976.
  • Trinity Episcopal Church in St. Augustine is Florida's second oldest Episcopal Church. It opened its doors in 1831. Trinity remains on its original site, and with its original steeple that was completed in 1837.
  • Memorial United Methodist Church (Fernandina Beach, Florida) Oldest continuous Methodist church in Florida. Established in 1822 by Elijah Sinclair. First building was on Broome and 6th Street in historic downtown Fernandina Beach. The congregation moved to larger, and their current, building in the 1920s at 601 Centre Street. Sister church to Trinity United Methodist Church.
  • Old Christ Church (Pensacola, Florida). Oldest church in Florida on its original foundation, incorporated by an act of the Territorial Legislature in 1829, built in 1832. The building was desecrated during the American Civil War, restored, deconsecrated in the past 20 years and is now owned and operated by The Old Christ Church Foundation and the University of West Florida Historical Trust. The congregation is now located in [new] Christ Church, 18 West Wright Street, Pensacola, built in 1905 (Episcopal).
  • Bethel Baptist Church (Lakeland, Florida) Bethel church congregation first met on this site in 1851 and has met continually since then. Performed baptisms in “Indian Pond” until the 1940s. A Sanctuary was Built in 1928. (Southern Baptist)
  • Mount Beasor Primitive Baptist Church (Sopchoppy, Florida) established in 1853 (Baptist).
  • St. John's Episcopal Church (Tallahassee, Florida). St. John's is the mother church of the Diocese of Florida. It was founded as a mission parish in 1829, and the church's first building was erected in 1837. The Diocese was organized at St. John's in 1838 and Francis Huger Rutledge, who became rector of St. John's in 1845, was consecrated the first Bishop of Florida in 1851. The original church burned in 1879; a new church was built on the same site and consecrated in 1888, and it is still the parish's principal place of worship.
  • Middleburg United Methodist Church (3925 Main Street, Middleburg, FL 32068), oldest Methodist Meeting House in the State of Florida. Historical Marker states it was founded on or before July 27, 1828, by Isaac Boring, with the first church erected in 1847. It was built mostly by slaves, who retained a pew in the back of the church. The church bell tolled for the first time on February 29, 1860.
  • Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Miami, the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida, is the oldest church in the original city limits of Miami.

Georgia

Hawaii

  • Mokuaikaua Church, oldest church congregation and building, founded in 1820, built in 1837 (Congregational)
  • Kawaiahao Church, oldest church congregation, founded in 1820, current structure dedicated in 1842 (Congregational)
  • Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, oldest Catholic church congregation and building, founded in 1827, current structure dedicated in 1843 (Catholic)

Idaho

Illinois

  • Church of the Holy Family (Cahokia), oldest church building, built in 1799 (Catholic)
  • Flat Creek Missionary Baptist Church (East Carondelet), Established 1809. Due to its location (Flat Creek Bottom), the people in the area began referring to the church as Flat Creek Baptist Church, although the members officially named the church, "The Missionary Baptist Church of East Carondelet".
  • Shiloh United Methodist Church (Shiloh, Illinois) established 1807. Current building same location 1825.
  • Mulkeytown Christian Church, established 1818, is the oldest Independent Christian Church. It is now a part of the fellowship of Christian Churches and Churches of Christ or the "Independent Christian Church" a group which separated from the Disciples of Christ beginning in 1924. The oldest congregation still affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is Barney's Priarie in Mt. Carmel, established 1816.

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

  • White Church Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), oldest continuous church congregation, founded in 1832
  • Beecher Bible and Rifle Church, Wabaunsee, Kansas, built in 1862, possibly oldest church building

Kentucky

  • Cane Ridge Meeting House, Possibly the oldest church building, built in 1791 (Presbyterian and Disciples of Christ)
  • First Baptist Church of Somerset in Pulaksi County. Built and established in 1799.
  • Hopeful Lutheran Church, in Boone County, organized in 1806 by a group of colonists from Virginia
  • Onton United Methodist Church, Webster County, Kentucky, established 1820
  • The Basilica of Saint Joseph Proto-Cathedral in Bardstown, Kentucky. is the first Catholic Cathedral west of the Allegheny Mountains
  • Saint Charles Church in Lebanon. KY., established 1786, built in 1832.
  • Saint Augustine Church in Lebanon. KY., established 1813, built in 1821.
  • Holy Cross Church in Lebanon. KY., established 1785, built in 1823. Holy Cross, known as the birthplace of Catholicism in Kentucky
  • Saint Rose Church in Springfield KY., established 1806, built in 1855. The proto-priory remains the oldest Dominican religious house in the country.

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

  • First Church in Plymouth, oldest congregation founded 1620 (building 1899), (Puritan, Congregational, now Unitarian Universalist)
  • First Church in Weymouth, gathered in 1623 (building 1833), (Puritan, Congregational)
  • First Parish Church in Dorchester, organized March 20, 1630 (originally Puritan Congregational, now Unitarian Universalist)
  • First Church in Boston, organized August 27, 1630; Church Covenant signed July 30, 1630. (Originally Puritan Congregational, now Unitarian Universalist)
  • First Congregational Church of Marshfield, gathered in 1632 (same building since 1838) (Congregational) [1<nowiki></nowiki>]
  • First Congregational Church, First Church in Roxbury, founded/built in 1632 (majorly rebuilt 4 times, but constantly in use) (Congregational, now Unitarian Universalist. Serves as headquarters for community outreach program "UU Urban Ministry"). Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry - Boston, MA
  • First Church in Charlestown, founded in 1632 as the Church of Christ in Charlestown (and continuously meeting since). Historically Congregational, now Baptist and called Christ Church Charlestown. Last remaining Trinitarian church of the original six churches of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
  • Newman Congregational Church. Founded in 1643 by the Rev. Samuel Newman in what was then Rehoboth, Massachusetts. (Now located in East Providence, Rhode Island.)
  • First Parish Congregational Church aka Stone Church by the Lake, founded in 1644, located in Wakefield. Has had 5 different meeting houses but has been continually in use.
  • First Baptist Church in Swansea, oldest Baptist congregation in MA, founded in 1663 (Baptist)
  • First Parish in Cambridge, founded on February 1, 1636, at the First Church (Evangelical, now Unitarian Universalist)
  • First Parish Church (Waltham, Massachusetts), gathered in 1696 (Unitarian Universalist)
  • St. Michael's Church (Marblehead, Massachusetts). Oldest Episcopal Church in New England on its original foundation, built 1714, and still used daily year-round. A National Historic Landmark.
  • Old North Church, Official name: Christ Church in the City of Boston. Oldest standing church building in Boston, built 1723 (Episcopal) a National Historic Landmark significant for its role in the American Revolution.
  • Old Ship Church, built in 1681, is one of the oldest buildings in America. The congregation was gathered in 1635. It was originally a Puritan, Congregationalist congregation, but is now affiliated with the Unitarian Universalists.
  • First Parish Church in Duxbury, founded in 1632 by Elder William Brewster as a Christian Separatist Church with early members coming from the First Parish Church in Plymouth.

Michigan

Minnesota

  • Saint Peter's Church (Mendota, Minnesota), oldest church in continuous use in Minnesota, built in 1853 (Catholic)
  • First Presbyterian Church (Stillwater, Minnesota), oldest Protestant congregation, founded December 8, 1849.

Missouri

  • In 1764, when Pierre Laclède and Auguste Chouteau established the city of St. Louis, they dedicated a plot of land west of Laclède's home for the purposes of the Catholic Church. The earliest Catholic records suggest that a tent was used by an itinerant priest in 1766, but by 1770 a small log house was built on the site. This building, consecrated by the Reverend Pierre Gibault, on June 24, 1770, was expanded in 1776 to include a log church. The first bishop of the Diocese of St. Louis, Joseph Rosati, began construction of a new cathedral, now the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France. The cornerstone of the church was laid by Rosati during a ceremony on August 1, 1831. It is the oldest cathedral west of the Mississippi River.
  • In 1791 St. Charles Borromeo was founded as a log cabin on the banks of the Missouri River and has been rebuilt 3 times. St. Charles Borromeo is also the namesake of St. Charles. (Catholic)
  • In 1799, the first Protestant sermon and baptism by immersion west of the Mississippi River was performed in Randol Creek near Dutchtown.
  • In 1805 or even 1804, the Tywappity Church or Tywappity Bottom Church (Baptist), named for the Scott County swamp in which it is located, was organized as the oldest Baptist Church west of the Mississippi River, but no building was erected; it was still in existence in 1837, but the congregation later united with other churches. In 1806, the Bethel (Baptist) Church was formed in Cape Girardeau County, now Jackson. Fee Fee Baptist Church in Bridgeton, oldest Protestant church congregation, founded in 1807 (Baptist)
  • Around 1816, settlers started meeting together in homes for worship on the Missouri River near the present village of Rocheport 12 years after Lewis and Clark camped there in 1804. In 1837, they were chartered as the Rocheport Christian Church. The present building, built in 1847, has been in continuous use since that time. The church building and congregation have survived Missouri River floods and infestations of termites. The congregation continues with weekly Sunday School and Holy Communion. Sunday worship is held on the first Sunday of each month. A Bluegrass Worship service is held at 5 p.m. on the First Saturday night each month. In 2015, the church was named the Missouri Rural Church of the year. (Disciples of Christ)
  • Christ Church Cathedral, St Louis, is the oldest Episcopal Church congregation in Missouri, founded in 1819 (Episcopalian)
  • St. Ferdinand's Shrine, oldest church building, built in 1821 (Catholic)
  • In 1832, The Presbyterian Church in Potosi, Missouri, the oldest Presbyterian church west of the Mississippi River to be in continuous service was organized. It is also the oldest Presbyterian church still standing west of the Mississippi River. The Whitewater Presbyterian Church in Sedgewickville, Missouri, is the oldest Presbyterian church west of the Mississippi River to be in continuous service. The Brazeau Presbyterian Church was established in 1819 with services held in a small log cabin while the current brick church was completed in 1854. (Presbyterian)

Mississippi

  • Woodville Baptist Church, oldest church building, built in 1809 (Baptist)
  • Jersey Settlers, Adams County, oldest Protestant congregation, 1772, Reverend Samuel Swayze
  • Salem Baptist Church, Jefferson County, oldest Baptist church congregation, 1791

Montana

  • St. Mary's Mission, oldest church congregation, founded in 1841 (Catholic)
  • First Baptist Church in Stevensville, possibly oldest Protestant church building, built in 1882 (Baptist)
  • Billings First Congregational Church, founded in 1882 (Congregational)
  • Melville Lutheran Church, founded in 1885, church building still in use (Lutheran)

Nebraska

  • First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue, oldest church building, built in 1856 (Presbyterian)
  • Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church of Fontanelle, oldest continuous Lutheran church in the US west of the Mississippi River, built in 1860 (Lutheran–ELCA)

Nevada

  • First Presbyterian Church of Carson City, oldest church building, built in 1864 (Presbyterian)

New Hampshire

  • First Parish Church in Dover, oldest congregation founded in 1632 (Congregational/United Church of Christ)
  • Newington Meeting House is the oldest church building in New Hampshire (1717, Congregational).

New Jersey

New Mexico

  • San Juan de los Caballeros/San Juan Bautista, Established 1598, second oldest foundation in the United States (Catholic)
  • First Presbyterian Church in Santa Fe, founded in 1867, oldest Protestant Church congregation in New Mexico (Presbyterian)

New York

North Carolina

  • St. James Parish (Wilmington, North Carolina), established in November 1729 (Episcopal)
  • St. Thomas Episcopal Church (Bath, North Carolina), oldest church building, built in 1734 (Episcopal)
  • Cane Creek Friends Church was established in 1751 near Snow Camp, NC.
  • Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church (Laurel Hill, North Carolina), established 1797 (Presbyterian).
  • Faith Presbyterian Church (Laurinburg, North Carolina) establishment unknown, first mentioned in 1802. (Presbyterian)
  • Bethabara Moravian Church (Winston-Salem, NC) established November 17, 1753 (Moravian), built in 1788
  • Rockfish Presbyterian Church, (Wallace, North Carolina) 1756
  • Philadelphia Evangelical Lutheran Church (Gaston County—Dallas, NC) established 1767.
  • Brook's Chapel Church (Polksville, North Carolina), established in 1869 (Methodist)
  • Wheat Swamp Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Kinston, Established 1760.
  • St. Patrick Catholic Church (Fayetteville, NC), established-parish August 6, 1821, church August 11, 1821.

North Dakota

  • First Presbyterian Church of Bismarck, oldest congregation, founded in 1873 (Presbyterian)
  • Glencoe Presbyterian Church, oldest church building used by original congregation, built in 1885 (Presbyterian)
  • First Congregation, Assumption Catholic Church in Pembina, 1818

Ohio

  • Covenant-First Presbyterian Church, (Cincinnati, Ohio), organized October 16, 1790, is the oldest Presbyterian congregation west of the Allegheny Mountains.
  • Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, North Canton Ohio Founded in 1806. Is one of the oldest congregations in the state of Ohio that is still meeting today. The church was also mentioned in an exhibit at the McKinley Presidential Museum in North Canton, Ohio as one of the oldest churches in the state.
  • The Church in Aurora, The original church was Congregational, formed in 1809, shortly after Aurora was founded.
  • West Union Presbyterian Church, oldest church building still in use as a church, built in 1810 (Presbyterian)
  • First Church of the Resurrection founded in 1810 and was built in 1862 and still in use today (Non-Denominational)
  • Brunswick United Methodist Church (Brunswick, OH), founded in 1817 and is the oldest church in Medina County and the second oldest in the Western Reserve. It is still in use today and was expanded in 2002.
  • St. Paul's Episcopal Church, South Bass Island, oldest wooden church building still in use as a church, built in 1865 (Episcopal)
  • St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral, first Orthodox parish in Cleveland (organized in 1896)
  • Hopewell Methodist Church in Rush Run, Ohio, oldest Methodist Church in Ohio (1803), site of the first Methodist sermon preached in the Northwest Territory (1787) and the first Methodist ordination in Ohio (1803)
  • Nast Trinity United Methodist Church (Cincinnati, Ohio), built in 1881, it is the home of the first German Methodist church to be established anywhere in the world.
  • Cortland Christian Church, Disciples of Christ was founded in 1828 with the current building built in 1853. It is the second-oldest DoC church in Ohio and the 4th oldest DoC congregation in the U.S.

Oklahoma

  • Wheelock Church, oldest church building, built in 1846 (Presbyterian)
  • Ottawa Indian Baptist Church founded in March 1840, built in Oklahoma in March 1860

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

  • Sinking Creek Baptist Church, oldest church building, oldest congregation and building, founded in 1772 (Baptist)
  • Beech Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the oldest church in Middle Tennessee, Founded in 1798 by Thomas Craighead. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church, founded in 1810, constituted its first Synod there on October 5. 1813.
  • Suggs Creek Cumberland Presbyterian, First Confession of Faith of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was adopted in 1814, Suggs Creek church founded in 1800 (Cumberland Presbyterian)
  • Double Springs Baptist Church (Sullivan County), Founded in 1786 by Jonathan Mulkey
  • First Presbyterian Church (Greeneville, Tennessee), oldest congregation in Greene County, founded in 1780 by Rev. Samuel Doak
  • St. John's Cathedral (Knoxville, Tennessee) Established in 1826 (35 years after the founding of Knoxville). In May 1844, with 25 communicants, St. John's became the first mission from Eastern Tennessee to be admitted to the Diocese of Tennessee.

Texas

  • Cathedral of San Fernando, possibly oldest church building, built 1738-1750 (Catholic)
  • McMahan Chapel in St. Augustine, the oldest Protestant church congregation in Texas, founded in 1833 (Methodist)
  • Old Pilgrim Two Seed-in-the-Spirit Church, oldest Baptist Church in Texas, founded in 1834 (Baptist)
  • San Felipe United Methodist Church, the oldest Protestant church building in Texas, built in 1838 (Methodist)
  • Ysleta Mission, possibly the oldest continuous congregation, founded in 1680 (Catholic)
  • Our Lady of Loreto Chapel, at the Presidio La Bahia, Goliad, founded in 1779 (Catholic)
  • First Presbyterian Church at San Antonio, the first Protestant church in San Antonio, founded in 1846 (Presbyterian)
  • First Montgomery Baptist Church in Montgomery, Texas, founded in 1850 (Baptist)
  • Chinn Chapel United Methodist Church in Copper Canyon, founded in 1877 (Methodist)

United States Virgin Islands

  • Frederick Lutheran Church, of Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, built in 1666. It is the oldest continuous Lutheran church in the western hemisphere (Lutheran - ELCA)
  • Lord God of Sabaoth Lutheran Church, of Christiansted, St. Croix, began worshipping in 1734 and the building built in 1750 (Lutheran - ELCA)

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

  • St. John's Episcopal Church (Hampton, Virginia), oldest English-speaking parish in continuous existence in the United States of America, founded in 1610 (Episcopal)
  • St. Luke's Church, oldest surviving church building in Virginia, built 1685–1686; this date, however, is controversial. Local oral history dates the building as 1632. National Historic Landmark. (Anglican Circa 1685–1804, Episcopal Circa 1804–1836, Historic Church Museum 1953–present).
  • St. Peter's Church (New Kent, Virginia), The Episcopal parish was established in 1679, the current brick building was begun in 1701. Services were first held in the building by 1703. The "stump" tower was added by 1740 to house a bell and provide a meeting place for the Vestry,
  • Bruton Parish Church (Williamsburg, Virginia), established in 1674 by the consolidation of two previous parishes in the Virginia Colony. The church remains an active Episcopal parish. The building was constructed 1711-15 and was designated a National Historic Landmark.
  • Slash Church or Slash Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), oldest wooden frame church building in Virginia, built in 1729
  • The Falls Church, The Episcopal parish was established in 1732 and the brick meeting house preserved on site dates to 1769
  • Augusta Stone Church, (Presbyterian), oldest Presbyterian church in Virginia. The wood meeting house was built in 1740, and was replaced with the current stone church (still in use) in 1749. The stone church was used as both sanctuary and a repose from Indian attacks. It is listed in the Augusta County Historical Register.
  • Sinking Spring Presbyterian Church (Abingdon, Virginia), organized in 1772 and was founded by Rev. Charles Cummings
  • First Baptist Church (Petersburg, Virginia), contends as the oldest organized black Baptist congregation, organized 1774 (Baptist)
  • Kempsville Baptist Church (Virginia Beach, Virginia), Established with the Baptist Association on May 21, 1814
  • Old Chapel (Clarke County, Virginia) Oldest Episcopal church still in use west of the Blue Ridge Mountains; current building built 1790
  • St. John's Church (Richmond, Virginia), oldest wooden church building, built 1741
  • Jerusalem Christian Church (1791), King William Virginia, oldest congregation affiliated with the Christian Churches and churches of Christ. It was once affiliated with the Disciples of Christ.
  • Old Chapel Church also known locally as the "Snow Creek Chapel", was built in 1769 as a chapel of ease for the Church of England parish in what is today Penhook, Virginia. One of the oldest churches in the southwestern portion of the state.
  • Independence United Methodist Church, (1783), Emporia Virginia. Originally was Independence Methodist church until many of the Methodist churches joined with the Evangelical United Brethren Church in 1968.

Washington

  • Claquato Church, the oldest church in Washington State. Built in 1857. Originally housed a Methodist Episcopal congregation.
  • Tumwater Methodist Church, 219 W. B Street in Tumwater, Washington. Built in 1872 and added to the National Register in 1984. Currently houses St. James Anglican Church.
  • St. Luke's Episcopal Church, oldest Episcopal congregation, continuously from 1860

Washington, D.C.

West Virginia

  • Rehoboth Church, built in 1785 (Methodist), oldest church building west of the main range of the Allegheny Mountains.
  • Tuscarora Presbyterian Church, oldest congregation and oldest church building, founded in 1740, central building constructed by 1745.

Wisconsin

  • Methodist Episcopal Church in Mineral Point, oldest Protestant congregation in Wisconsin, founded in 1834 (Methodist)
  • St. Gabriel's Church in Prairie Du Chien, oldest church building built in Wisconsin, built in 1835 (Catholic)
  • St. Joan of Arc Chapel, oldest church building in Wisconsin, built in 15th century Chasse, France; moved to Milwaukee in 1965 (Catholic).

Wyoming

See also

References

External links