To spot the First United Methodist Church, look for the tall red-brick tower with arched wooden doors and a striking white-trimmed circular stained-glass window on the front.
Standing here on 7th Street, take a moment to imagine 1821, when just seven folks gathered as the First Methodist Society and entrusted famous master builder Nathan Vaught to raise their first humble frame church nearby. But this congregation had tenacity in its bones, growing and outgrowing its homes, until Vaught himself built a bigger church on this spot in 1836. Trouble knocked in 1874-a fire swept through, turning hopes and timbers to ash. Yet, like the world’s most determined phoenix, the community rallied, brick by brick, and by 1876 you’d have found people crowding into this soaring new sanctuary, sunlight pouring through intricate stained glass. Pop inside and you might spot President James K. Polk pictured in the windows-just don’t let him hear you call him the 11th president! Back then, John Tyler was only “filling in,” or so the church thought-every congregation has its quirks! Now, this landmark stands proudly on the National Register of Historic Places, a nod to the faith and fiery perseverance that shaped Columbia’s heart.
