Central United Methodist Church

The Central United Methodist Church is located at 23 East Adams Street in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1977 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The Central United Methodist Church's roots date back to 1804, when the first Methodist circuit riders came to Detroit for a brief visit. On the third visit of the Rev. Nathan Bangs that year, youth of the city put gunpowder in the candlesticks and cut the mane and tail of his horse. He left, "shaking the dust off his feet in testament against them," he wrote in his journal. After that experience no circuit rider ventured to Detroit until 1809, when the Rev. William Case arrived. Case wrote to Bishop Asbury that he found it difficult to find "any serious people" in Detroit, but did note that there were a few who wanted to form a congregation. When the next circuit rider, the Rev. William Mitchell, came in 1810, the congregation was established as the First Methodist Society of Michigan. Thus Central became the first organized Protestant congregation in what was then the Michigan Territory.

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