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Home > Libraries > Special Collections > Teaching and Learning Resources > Exhibits > Historic West Virginia Churches

Historic West Virginia Churches

For two centuries the peal of the church bell across the hills and hollows of what is today West Virginia, has summoned the faithful to worship. As the small towns sprang up along the forks in the river, or the dirt road/turnpike in western Virginia, usually the first non-dwelling building built was a church. The first churches west of the Blue Ridge Mountains are said to have been a Presbyterian and a Baptist church in Berkeley County in the eastern panhandle. It was common for the church to serve as the first school in the area, before a school building was built. In many cases, the church sponsored the school and provided the teachers. Prior to the Civil War, the major denominations in the rural south, including Virginia, were the Presbyterians, the Methodists, and the Baptists. The Methodist Church was instrumental in the founding and survival of Marshall Academy, now Marshall University in Huntington. The church has always been the anchor of the small towns and villages of West Virginia.
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  • Four Mile Baptist Church, Four Mile Creek, Lincoln County, W.Va. by Marshall University

    Four Mile Baptist Church, Four Mile Creek, Lincoln County, W.Va.

  • Bramwell Presbyterian Church, Bramwell, Mercer County, West Virginia by Marshall University

    Bramwell Presbyterian Church, Bramwell, Mercer County, West Virginia

  • The chapel at Mount de Chantal by Marshall University

    The chapel at Mount de Chantal

  • Johnson Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Huntington, Cabell County, W. Va. by C. T. American Art

    Johnson Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Huntington, Cabell County, W. Va.

  • First Christian Church, Charleston, Kanawha County, W.Va. by Marshall University

    First Christian Church, Charleston, Kanawha County, W.Va.

  • Methodist Episcopal Church, Martinsburg, Berkeley County, W.Va. by Marshall University

    Methodist Episcopal Church, Martinsburg, Berkeley County, W.Va.

  • 1st Baptist Church, Charles Town, Jefferson County, W.Va. by Williamsport Paper Company

    1st Baptist Church, Charles Town, Jefferson County, W.Va.

  • First Methodist Episcopal Church of Huntington, Cabell County, W.Va. by Marshall University

    First Methodist Episcopal Church of Huntington, Cabell County, W.Va.

  • Lewisburg Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Lewisburg, Greenbrier County, W.Va. by Marshall University

    Lewisburg Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Lewisburg, Greenbrier County, W.Va.

  • 20th St. Baptist Church, and Sixth Ave. Church of Christ, Huntington, Cabell County, W.Va. by Marshall University

    20th St. Baptist Church, and Sixth Ave. Church of Christ, Huntington, Cabell County, W.Va.

  • 5th Avenue United Brethren Church by Marshall University

    5th Avenue United Brethren Church

  • Charleston Baptist Temple, Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia by Marshall University

    Charleston Baptist Temple, Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia

  • Southern Methodist Church, Huntington, Cabell County, W.Va. by Marshall University

    Southern Methodist Church, Huntington, Cabell County, W.Va.

  • Billy Sunday Tabernacle, Huntington, Cabell County, W.Va. by Marshall University

    Billy Sunday Tabernacle, Huntington, Cabell County, W.Va.

  • Methodist Episcopal Church, Wellsburg, Brooke County, West Virginia by Marshall University

    Methodist Episcopal Church, Wellsburg, Brooke County, West Virginia

  • First Baptist Church, Williamson, Mingo County, W.Va. by E. C. Kropp Company

    First Baptist Church, Williamson, Mingo County, W.Va.

  • Fifth Avenue Looking East from 10th Street, Showing Churches. Huntington, Cabell County, W. Va. by F. A. Kiger Company

    Fifth Avenue Looking East from 10th Street, Showing Churches. Huntington, Cabell County, W. Va.

  • Original sketch of Fifth Ave. Baptist Church, Cabell County, Huntington, W.Va. by Irvin Dugan

    Original sketch of Fifth Ave. Baptist Church, Cabell County, Huntington, W.Va.

  • Baptist Church, Ravenswood, Jackson County, W.Va. by Marshall University

    Baptist Church, Ravenswood, Jackson County, W.Va.

  • Christ Church Methodist, known as First Methodist Episcopal Church, Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia by Marshall University

    Christ Church Methodist, known as First Methodist Episcopal Church, Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia

  • Church row on Fifth Avenue, Huntington, Cabell County, W.Va. by Marshall University

    Church row on Fifth Avenue, Huntington, Cabell County, W.Va.

  • First Presbyterian Church, Huntington, Cabell County, W. Va. by Marshall University

    First Presbyterian Church, Huntington, Cabell County, W. Va.

  • Old Stone Church, Lewisburg, Greenbrier County, W.Va. by Marshall University

    Old Stone Church, Lewisburg, Greenbrier County, W.Va.

  • Sunday School Class, Peytona Baptist Church, Peytona, Boone County, W. Va. by Marshall University

    Sunday School Class, Peytona Baptist Church, Peytona, Boone County, W. Va.

  • Twentieth Street Baptist Church, Huntington, W. Va. by Marshall University

    Twentieth Street Baptist Church, Huntington, W. Va.

 
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