{"nrhp_refnum":"79003871","name":"Methodist Church, Old","other_names":["Dennis Memorial Library"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Sandusky St. and Public Sq.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fredericktown","county":"Knox County","state":"OH","lat":40.48089969400007,"lon":-82.54268129899998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-11-06","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 building on the southeast corner of Sandusky Street and the Public Square in Fredericktown, Knox County, Ohio, built in 1856-57 by George Marple.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it a remarkable example of Greek Revival architecture and one of the town's prominent landmarks. It was built for a Methodist congregation organized in 1818 and grown through revivals. It was later converted to a public library.","narrative":"Standing on the southeast corner of Sandusky Street and the Public Square in Fredericktown, this two-story brick church was built in 1856-57 by George Marple. It replaced earlier quarters for a Methodist congregation organized in 1818, whose membership grew through revivals. The Greek Revival design includes a massive entablature, tall rectangular windows and a large front entranceway. Stained glass windows were added in 1892, and the original low dome gave way to the present steeple around the same time. Inside, a pair of stairways rise to the second-floor sanctuary, which retains oak woodwork and a tin ceiling, with the pulpit at the front and a choir loft at the rear. The congregation left in 1961 for a new building, and the village bought the church for use as a library. Its prominent corner position on the square makes it one of the town's recognizable landmarks.","period_of_significance":"1856-57","architect_builder":"George Marple (contractor or builder)","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Interior and exterior in good condition; used as a library after the congregation left in 1961.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.018519-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/79003871.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003871/80e9b91cb6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003871/80e9b91cb6-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Fredericktown_Methodist_Church.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Fredericktown_Methodist_Church.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71985562","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138392123"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/knox-county/methodist-church-old-79003871/"}