news article

Upper New York United Methodist Historical Society first meeting

July 12, 2017 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

The Upper New York United Methodist Historical Society will gather for its first meeting on Saturday, June 17, 2017 at the Esperance-Sloansville United Methodist Church (Tiffany Community Room) in the village of Esperance (in the Oneonta District) in Schoharie County, New York.  It is expected that Society meetings will rotate among different areas of Upper New York Conference.

The Society meeting will start at 10:30 a.m. to set goals, etc. for the Society (such as projects, meetings, and publicity).  A spaghetti lunch at noon will be offered for a free will donation from attendees to offset costs.  A program on Methodism in Schoharie County will be presented while you are eating.  (The first Methodists came to the area in the late 1700's and the first Methodist societies were established around that time.) 

Available after lunch will be an optional free tour at around 1:00 p.m. of the historic, practically unaltered 1793 Christ Episcopal Church in Duanesburg erected by Judge James Duane. [Duane was the first Mayor of New York City after the federal constitution was ratified, when NYC was the Capitol of the U.S.  Duane donated money for the erection of Wesley Chapel (John Street Church) in NYC and sold Philip Embury the land he settled on in Camden Valley, Washington County.]                       At 2:00 p.m. will be a free tour of the 1807 Friends Meeting House in nearby Quaker Street (and home to agents on the Underground Railroad). Also open free in Esperance that day will be the 1836 Esperance Methodist Church, Esperance Museum buildings and the 1824 Old Stone Presbyterian Church where Lorenzo Dow preached while it was under construction.

The meeting is open to all and free of charge (except for a donation to cover lunch).  Attendees do not need to be members of the Society to come.  

The Esperance-Sloansville UMC is at 175 Main Street in Esperance.  Esperance is on US Route 20.  Coming from the west take I-88 to Schoharie/Central Bridge exit 23 and then Route 7 east to Route 30 North to US 20 West.  Coming from the east take the NYS Thruway to exit 25A (I-88 West) and take I-88 to Exit 24 (Duanesburg) to US 20 West to Esperance.

The Upper New York United Methodist Historical Society was organized by the Upper New York Commission on Archives and History to promote and preserve Methodist (and EUB) history within the bounds of Upper New York Conference.  Its mission is to Preserve the PAST; Inform the FUTURE.  A Society membership brochure is available at: https://www.unyumc.org/images/uploads/UNY_Historical_Society_combined_membership_Brochure.doc.pdf.

If questions, the Society President Ken Jones can be contacted at kjones8@nycap.rr.com or at 518-875-6854.