OUR HISTORY

As early as 1785, the circuit riders, under Bishop Asbury, began to hold meetings in private homes, barns or in the camp meetings in the woods located where East Hook and West Hook Roads merge into Fishkill Hook Road. It was not uncommon for families to sleep over at homes near where the services was going to be held, coming at night so as not to have to travel so far the next morning. At that time the circuit included the whole of that time Dutchess County (Putnam County was part of Dutchess County at that time).

Wiccopee’s only church, the Johnsville Methodist Episcopal Church, was incorporated on November 16,1826. There were so many communities at that time with the name John at their beginning,  that the Johnsville mail was misspent and the confusion in the Johnsville Post Office prompted the name change to Wiccopee in 1900.

The present site of t he church was conveyed by Henry Brower and his wife, to Cornelius Ostrander, James Taylor and Abraham Charlock as trustees of the church, by deed dated February 10, 1825; and they at once began to raise money and build the church for the staggering figure of $2,400. During it’s early beginning it was the seat church for the circuit as early historical recordings have shown that Cornelius Van Wyck as recording secretary.

The church has been described as a “little white church with a grateful conical spire, standing solitary with old locust trees and a small burying ground beside it. It has exceptionally large windows, four on each side and two in the front.”

From 1902 to 1909, Reverend J.P. Carley served the church as Pastor and contributed greatly to the lasting beauty of the interior by wainscoting the sanctuary and nave in a simple but extraordinary design. The  congregation has been striving diligently over the years to maintain the church’s original pristine beauty.