Pastor: Doug Miller

“The Circuit Riding Preacher used to ride across the land….”

The earliest record we have of Methodists in our area is a group who sprang up in 1812 in Boydtown, PA which was located across the river from present day Sparrowbush, NY.

The Barryville United Methodist Church was part of a Ministerial Circuit that was begun in 1830. This circuit went from Sandyston, NJ northwest to Barryville and included the towns of Lumberland Village (now Eldred), Mongaup, Gley Spey (formerly Lebanon), Eldred, Pond Eddy, Hillside and Barryville. The circuit riding preachers were assigned for a period of two years and it was a strenuous circuit.

“with a rifle in his saddle and his Bible in his hand…”

This was rough, mountainous country and it is difficult for us to know the struggles of those early preachers. They were armed with the sincere belief that God’s Word was needed in this wild country. And it was.

In the beginning, in the 1830’s the Methodists met in the (then) recently built Congregational Church up on the hill overlooking Barryville. On Christmas Eve in 1877 the Congregational Church was destroyed by fire. The Baptists offered the use of their church (just two doors down from the present site of the Barryville UMC) to the Congregationalists and to the Methodists, until the Congregationalists could rebuild.

In 1902, the Methodists felt they needed a place of their own and they built a “fine building” (on the present site) which was dedicated on November 29th, 1902.

In 1930 with the depression in full swing, the Methodist Church caught fire from the Mercantile which stood next door. The Mercantile and the church were burned to the ground. It was devastating. But the people rallied and in 1931 it was rebuilt on the same foundation – the same building we use for worship now.

The church has survived a number of floods – the flood of ’55 devastated the basements of the church and parsonage as did the flood of June of 2006. At the time of this writing (November 2007) the basements are still being rebuilt from the flood damage. (See pictures on Flood Recovery Page.)

The church has also survived the changing scene of the countryside… at first this was a place for lumbering and stone quarries in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s… with the coming of the Delaware and Hudson Canal, the little villages had more connection to the outside world. In the late 1800’s with the coming of the railroad, the towns along the river were opened up to tourists and the Era of the Boarding House came into being. As the boarding houses began to close down in the 1970’s, and the Wild and Scenic River became a reality… the area has become known for its canoe and raft liveries and many camp sites.