{"nrhp_refnum":"79002754","name":"Chesterville Methodist Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Sandusky and East Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chesterville","county":"Morrow County","state":"OH","lat":40.479593030000046,"lon":-82.68150872499996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-08-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick Greek Revival church built in 1851 on the north side of Route 95 near the eastern edge of Chesterville, Morrow County, Ohio.","why_significant":"The inventory describes it as a simple, well-proportioned Greek Revival structure that replaced an 1834 church. It is tied to the early Methodist presence in Chester Township and retains a bell cast in 1853 in Troy, New York. It was recorded as part of a survey of the historic resources of Chesterville.","narrative":"Near the eastern edge of Chesterville, Ohio, this two-story brick church was built in 1851 on a sandstone foundation. It is a Greek Revival building with a gabled roof of seamed metal, a rectangular plan and wood trim. The centered front entrance is a simple opening framed by a small entablature. Small windows on the first floor and tall windows on the second floor reflect the layout, with rooms below and the main auditorium above. A brick entablature runs along the sides and forms a pediment on the front, and a steeple crowns the building. Methodist preaching in Chester Township began with Rev. William Criste, and a first church was erected a year later, in 1834. The present building cost several thousand dollars. It originally had clear windows and a steeple topped with a polished metal ball, later replaced by the current steeple. The interior was redecorated in the 1890s, and the bell was cast in Troy, New York, in 1853. The church remains in use and is in very good condition.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still used as a church; interior and exterior condition both described as very good.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.046187-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/79002754.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002754/1eb4eb51db-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002754/1eb4eb51db-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":null,"credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chesterville-Community-Church-OH.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chesterville-Community-Church-OH.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71985965","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesterville_Community_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5093882"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/morrow-county/chesterville-methodist-church-79002754/"}