Today in Wheeling History: August 4 — Ground is broken for a new brick Elm Grove Methodist church building on Kruger Street (1911).
Elm Grove United Methodist Church, at 125 Kruger Street in Wheeling’s Elm Grove neighborhood, traces its beginnings to 1896, when Rev. Kelly led a small Methodist Mission meeting in Hands Hall above a store. Services moved among homes, schools, and rented halls, showing the determination of a modest but growing congregation. In 1906, the church purchased two lots for $1,400, securing the site that still anchors the congregation. A plain wooden “Tabernacle Church” was built in 1908 and dedicated on September 2, 1910, but rapid growth soon demanded a more substantial building. Ground was broken for a new brick church on August 4, 1911, and the cornerstone—containing a Bible, New Testament, Wheeling Intelligencer copy, and member names—was laid on October 22, 1911. The sanctuary was dedicated on July 21, 1912, and Elm Grove received a full “station appointment” with its own pastor. Membership climbed to 536 by 1929 and surpassed 1,000 by the early 1960s. A parsonage was purchased on Marshall Avenue in 1921, later replaced by a new parsonage on Hurst Avenue in 1966. The sanctuary was renovated in 1936 and 1973, and a major educational wing was dedicated on January 25, 1959, followed by Newmeyer Hall and new Sunday School rooms in 1984. Youth ministries, including Epworth League and a Boy Scout troop organized in 1913, and ongoing outreach such as food assistance and community meals, continue to define Elm Grove’s mission.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library – "Elm Grove United Methodist Church: 100 Years of Service 1896–1996" (https://tinyurl.com/mr7px738), Elm Grove United Methodist Church (https://tinyurl.com/4njdp74c), Facebook - Elm Grove United Methodist Church (https://tinyurl.com/2sn63ymr)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; eBay
Elm Grove United Methodist Church, at 125 Kruger Street in Wheeling’s Elm Grove neighborhood, traces its beginnings to 1896, when Rev. Kelly led a small Methodist Mission meeting in Hands Hall above a store. Services moved among homes, schools, and rented halls, showing the determination of a modest but growing congregation. In 1906, the church purchased two lots for $1,400, securing the site that still anchors the congregation. A plain wooden “Tabernacle Church” was built in 1908 and dedicated on September 2, 1910, but rapid growth soon demanded a more substantial building. Ground was broken for a new brick church on August 4, 1911, and the cornerstone—containing a Bible, New Testament, Wheeling Intelligencer copy, and member names—was laid on October 22, 1911. The sanctuary was dedicated on July 21, 1912, and Elm Grove received a full “station appointment” with its own pastor. Membership climbed to 536 by 1929 and surpassed 1,000 by the early 1960s. A parsonage was purchased on Marshall Avenue in 1921, later replaced by a new parsonage on Hurst Avenue in 1966. The sanctuary was renovated in 1936 and 1973, and a major educational wing was dedicated on January 25, 1959, followed by Newmeyer Hall and new Sunday School rooms in 1984. Youth ministries, including Epworth League and a Boy Scout troop organized in 1913, and ongoing outreach such as food assistance and community meals, continue to define Elm Grove’s mission.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library – "Elm Grove United Methodist Church: 100 Years of Service 1896–1996" (https://tinyurl.com/mr7px738), Elm Grove United Methodist Church (https://tinyurl.com/4njdp74c), Facebook - Elm Grove United Methodist Church (https://tinyurl.com/2sn63ymr)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; eBay
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