History Of Poughkeepsie United Methodist Church

Methodism did not "take well" immediately in Poughkeepsie. Freeborn Garretson preached here in 1793 at the Reformed Church on Main Street but it was not until 1804-05 that a class of five members was established after two unsuccessful attempts. From this, the first house of worship was built on Jefferson Street in 1805. Deconstructed and rebuilt, it became the Washington Street Church.

The Second Methodist Episcopal Church, incorporated in 1843, occupied several sites in the downtown area and finally built on Cannon Street on the site that later became the Masonic Temple. In 1891, this group built on Montgomery Street, becoming Trinity M. E. Church.

The Washington Street Church grew and a group left there to form the Hedding M. E. Church in 1853.

In 1939, the M. E. Church, the M. E. Church South and the Methodist Protestant Church united to become the Methodist Church.

The African M. E. Zion Church of Poughkeepsie was founded in 1837, and the German M. E. Church in 1847. The German Church was the E. U. B. Church and this national group merged with the Methodist Church to become the United Methodist Church in 1968.

In 1960, the Washington and Hedding churches merged becoming Community Methodist and in 1963, relocated to the current location in the Town of Poughkeepsie. In 1995, the much dwindled congregation of Trinity Church sought to merge with Community. This happened in 1996 to become the Poughkeepsie United Methodist Church.

Presently, A. M. E. Zion is the only Methodist presence in the City of Poughkeepsie.