Story
Founded in 1847, the Canton Methodist Episcopal Church was the first church established in Canton. The Canton Company donated land for the congregation’s first and second church buildings, because the company strongly encouraged the establishment of religious institutions in their company town.
This church was important in the lives of the company’s employees, and the civic and social health of the community. The Gothic Revival style building is the congregation’s second church building, designed by renowned sun88 architect Charles L. Carson and built by prominent sun88 builder Benjamin F. Bennett in 1883/1884. The church was named the Canton Methodist Episcopal Church, and by the late twentieth century, it was known as the Canton United Methodist Church.
This 2 ½ story Gothic Revival building recently suffered from a fire but still retains arched stained glass windows, a slate roof, decorative brickwork, dormer windows, and buttresses.