06/28/2025
The Wolf Wagon will be set up outside 1858 Meeting House this weekend -grilling up our farm fresh burgers, fresh cut fries and delicious onion rings! Come see us!! 🍔11am-4pm SAT AND SUNDAY
Historic Home and Garden Tour - June 28-29, 2025
Mechanicsburg, OH 10:00am-4:00pm daily
Tickets: $20
Ticket information available at ccpapreserveohio.org (online tickets available until midnight Friday)
Tickets available at the Welcome Tent all weekend - 60 Hight St. Mechanicsburg, OH
Tour Church in focus:
1858 Meeting House, 43 E. Sandusky St., Mechanicsburg
The history of this beautiful classic building begins in 1852, when circuit riders performed services on an irregular basis between Catawba, Hopewell, and Mechanicsburg. At the Ohio Annual Conference held that year, Rev. A.H. Bassett offered $100 to establish a mission in Mechanicsburg. As a result, the Methodist-Protestant Church was organized. Officers were elected, the church was built, dedicated in 1858. Because the church membership was small, in the early days the Masonic lodge was allowed to build a hall over the church. The exterior remained intact, but the interior was improved. Before, there were dingy oil lamps, wood burning stoves with tall pipes, and black soot streaks down the walls. The women and men sat apart, and there was a small reed organ that wasn’t used during preaching services. The last service was held in 1890, and at that time, the African-American based Second Baptist Church purchased the building for $2,850. Over the years, the first floor was remodeled with Sunday School rooms.There are two sets of stairs that lead upstairs, probably one for each s*x, and on the second floor, another set leads to the choir loft. In 1897, Reverend E.W.B. Curry established a school for African-Americans in this building, which was later moved to Urbana.
In 2002, the building was in danger of being demolished, the congregation had diminished, and the building was given to the Champaign County Preservation Alliance to preserve and protect. Thanks to their fund-raising efforts, grants, and the support of the community, the building has been stabilized and improved. A new metal roof was added in 2019, and a catering kitchen was installed in the lower level. A drop ceiling was removed in the Sanctuary and re-opened to the original choir loft. The benches in the loft are original. The Sanctuary looks like it might have when the church was dedicated in 1858. A new furnace and air conditioning were also installed. Many new windows have been re-built, along with new drywall and bathrooms. Painting and lighting were selected to compliment the history of the building.
The 1858 Meeting House is a wonderful asset to the Mechanicsburg community. In the last few years, concerts and plays have been held in the large second floor sanctuary, and the building can be rented for weddings, showers and other events. Santa always makes an appearance during Christmas in the Village, and the Ohio State Men’s Glee Club put on a wonderful performance in 2019. One of the CCPA’s goals is to make this a place where events are held to attract people to this community, and a portion of the money raised from the yearly events is dedicated to its upkeep.
