A Brief History

In 1833 Cyrus Davis came to Brattleboro to superintend the printing department of a local publishing house. An ardent Methodist, Davis lost no time in organizing a Methodist Society, which held services in a schoolhouse on Canal Street. The first house of worship was erected in 1834-37 on Canal Street near the schoolhouse. By 1842, the Society experienced problems, which led them to abandon the building. The denomination eventually reestablished itself in the new and better quarters, which they erected on School Street. The new structure was built of brick and was located directly opposite the old Estey Homestead. The building was later disposed of, and the members of the Methodist Society met in the Town Hall until 1880, when they were able to build a church free of debt on Elliot Street. The congregation used this brick edifice until 1970, when a new, modern one-floor facility was constructed on a three-acre site on Putney Road. The famous first Estey organ, Opus 1, Model A, built in 1902, and the church bell were moved to the Putney Road location. An education wing was added in 1974-75 completing the present church home. The altar, pulpit and baptismal font are made of solid Vermont white marble. During the 1980s the church was very active in Troy Conference and hosted the first Emmaus walk in this area; through this church’s ministry, a grant from Troy Conference was integral in starting and continuing to support the Brattleboro Area Drop In Center that feeds and shelters the homeless; this church was also integral in starting the Brattleboro Pastoral Counseling Center and continues to provide at least one board member of that agency.