{"nrhp_refnum":"76001359","name":"West Union Presbyterian Church","other_names":["West Union United Presbyterian Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"108 S. 2nd St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"West Union","county":"Adams County","state":"OH","lat":38.79359017200005,"lon":-83.54380447099999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-11-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small stone church at 108 South Second Street in West Union, Adams County, Ohio, built in 1810 by stonemason Thomas Metcalf, with a frame annex added in 1940-41.","why_significant":"It is described as one of the oldest church buildings in Ohio and one of the few original buildings of West Union (founded 1803) still standing. It is known as the \"Church of the Governors\" because of links to Ohio governor Thomas Kirker and Thomas Metcalf, later governor of Kentucky. It also has ties to abolitionist preacher John Rankin and to Civil War soldiers quartered there.","narrative":"Built in 1810 of random ashlar stone, this church at 108 South Second Street in West Union is one of the oldest church buildings in Ohio and one of the few original structures remaining from the town's early years. Stonemason Thomas Metcalf, called \"Old Stonehammer,\" built it for $250, paid half in cash and half in goods such as cattle, wheat and a hat. Metcalf later became governor of Kentucky, and Thomas Kirker, Ohio's governor in 1807-08, started the effort to build the church, giving it the name \"The Church of the Governors.\" The stone came from a quarry about 500 feet away. Abolitionist preacher John Rankin gave an installation sermon here in April 1830, and soldiers of the 70th Ohio Volunteer Infantry were quartered inside during the Civil War. The entrance was moved from the east to the west side before 1890. A frame annex was added in 1940-41, and the open belfry dates from 1912.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Thomas Metcalf","architectural_style":"Vernacular","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as a church; the form lists its present use as religious.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.96102-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/76001359.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001359/976f189358-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001359/976f189358-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Aesopposea","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Union_Presbyterian_Church.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Aesopposea</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Union_Presbyterian_Church.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71986582","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Union_Presbyterian_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7986736"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/adams-county/west-union-presbyterian-church-76001359/"}