1858 MEETING HOUSE EVENTS
1858 MEETING HOUSE EVENTS
Interested in renting the 1858 Meeting House for your next event? Check back soon for more information to reserve this space!
BRIEF HISTORY
The 1858 Meeting House (formerly known as the Second Baptist Church), is located at 43 E. Sandusky Street in Mechanicsburg, Ohio. It is the oldest public building in Mechanicsburg. The current brick structure was built in 1858 by the Methodist Episcopal Church of Mechanicsburg replacing the structure built in 1820, and later served as the African-American Second Baptist Church from 1894 until the early 1980s. CURRENT PROJECTS The Champaign County Preservation Alliance (CCPA) owns this 160-year-old brick Greek Revival church and is in the process of accomplishing many needed renovations. Over the summer of 2018, we installed a new, historically correct standing-seam metal roof. We have almost finished renovations on the first-floor spaces to include new dry wall and trim, plaster repairs, painting, electrical work, and rebuilding exterior windows and interior transom windows. |
The second-floor sanctuary is still undergoing renovation. Significant renovation isn’t needed in the sanctuary, although a major expense will be rebuilding the eight windows. Each of the eight windows in the sanctuary will cost approximately $2,500 to rebuild to historical specifications. We are seeking donations for this project. Donors will receive recognition with their name placed by the window to which they contributed funds for rebuilding.
WHAT WE NEED
Donations. Please consider a donation to cover the cost of one of the windows in the sanctuary.
Picture of Original Steeple. We are still in search of a picture or any rendition of the original steeple. We have been searching but have come up empty thus far. If anyone in the community has a pre-1936 picture of the church with its steeple in an old photo album, please share!
Volunteers. If you’d like to volunteer for events held at the 1858 Meeting House let us know. If you have a green thumb, we need help during the summer months to maintain the landscaping in front of the Meeting House.
FUTURE USE
It is our desire to create a place in Champaign County for community events. For the past several years, many of the activities for “Christmas in the Village” have been held at the Meeting House, including a full schedule of musical events. The acoustics in the sanctuary just might rival those at Carnegie Hall!
WHAT WE NEED
Donations. Please consider a donation to cover the cost of one of the windows in the sanctuary.
Picture of Original Steeple. We are still in search of a picture or any rendition of the original steeple. We have been searching but have come up empty thus far. If anyone in the community has a pre-1936 picture of the church with its steeple in an old photo album, please share!
Volunteers. If you’d like to volunteer for events held at the 1858 Meeting House let us know. If you have a green thumb, we need help during the summer months to maintain the landscaping in front of the Meeting House.
FUTURE USE
It is our desire to create a place in Champaign County for community events. For the past several years, many of the activities for “Christmas in the Village” have been held at the Meeting House, including a full schedule of musical events. The acoustics in the sanctuary just might rival those at Carnegie Hall!
The 1858 Meeting House is available for rent for public forums, private events, weddings, and concerts. It is a great example of how a historical building can be preserved and made useful again.