Methodism in Watertown dates to the very first settlers. First Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in the early nineteenth century, when Watertown and its vicinity formed a part of the circuit over which Barzilla Willey and John Husselkus traveled and preached to the scattered inhabitants.

Henry Coffeen arrived in this area in March, 1800, having come from Lowville, Lewis County, New York. He erected his homestead where Court Street now enters Public Square. His son, Henry H. Coffeen, was one of the first trustees of the First Church in Watertown.

Thomas Butterfield, who settled in Watertown in about 1800, organized a Methodist class.

First Methodist ministers visited Jefferson County in northern New York State as early as 1803. In 1803, all of the New England states and New York State were made part of the Philadelphia Conference of the fledgling American Methodist Church.

The earliest Church organization was effected about 1804 and services were steadily maintained from that time. The first Methodist Class was organized in 1804 as a class of 10 persons.

In 1805, the New York Conference was organized from a part of the Philadelphia Conference and Jefferson County was made part of the Albany District. The circuit extended from the boundaries of the Utica and Rome circuit to the St. Lawrence and had a membership of 476. In 1810, the Genesee Conference was organized and embraced Northern New York. The district was changed to Cayuga and later to Oneida. In 1818, Watertown became a station and had its own pastor. In 1825, Watertown was made part of a circuit called Leray and Watertown. In 1829, the Oneida Conference was organized and Watertown became a station of that conference. In 1836, the Black River Conference was organized and the conference held its first session in the chirch in this city. In 1873, the Northern New York Conference was organized and has remained until this day.

First United Methodist Church in Watertown

In 1818, Watertown for the first time became a separate charge, and John Dempster became the first stationed preacher.

Methodism grew rapidly in the Watertown area. The Society of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Watertown was incorporated on November 21, 1821. The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized November 27, 1821. At this meeting, it was voted that the said Society be known by the name of the First Methodist Episcopal Society of Watertown. In the same year, the society was incorporated under the laws of the state. The membership at the time was about 391. Soon after the incorporation of the society, a stone church was erected on the corner of Arsenal and Massey streets, the site of the present Arsenal Street school building.

In 1829, the Oneida Conference was formed. Watertown became a station of this conference.

In 1836 came the organization of the Black River Conference, which embraced all of northern New York east of Montgomery County. The Watertown church became the site of the first session of the new conference.

In 1848, as the result of a great revival, church membership had expanded enough to warrant the building of a second church. The Arsenal Street church became the First Methodist Church and the new church, built on State Street, became the State Street Methodist-Episcopal Church. This reduced the membership at First Methodist Church to 186. Asbury Church, formerly called State Street Church, was founded to meet the needs of additional growth. Asbury Church was located on State Street, but later moved to Park and Sterling, where the present church was erected and the present name, Asbury Methodist Church, adopted. On January 29, 1849, a considerable group withdrew from Methodist-Episcopal Church and formed the new organization, with a membership of 138.

In 1851, the First Methodist Church moved to Arsenal Street where the original Woolworth's store was later located. This church burned to the ground with contents on February 22, 1880. A new and bigger church was built on the same site in 1881.

In 1888, Bethany Church was formed to serve Methodists living on the north side of the Black River in Watertown.

On November 2, 1900, the church's board voted to sell the old parsonage, purchase a lot on Massey Avenue, and erect a new parsonage.

In 1942, the building built in 1881 was completely destroyed by fire. The congregation worshipped in other local churches until the carriage house of the Taylor mansion on Mullin Street was purchased and remodeled into a house of worship. The current church building was dedicated in 1943.

In 1958, a new sanctuary cornerstone was laid. The official opening of the current worship center was held in 1959. In 1962, the building debts were completely paid. The dedication of this new center of worship was held in 1963.

Click on thumbnail to view an enlarged photo:

Griffin Sweet and Datus Ensign	1805
Matthew VanDuzen and Luther Bishop	1808
William Jewett and Luther Bishop	1809
Joseph Willis and Chandler Lambert	1810
William Snow and Truman Gillett	1811
Joseph Kirkhead	1812
Isaac Puffer and Goodwin Stoddard	1813
C. Lambert	1814
Ira Fairbanks	1815
James Hazen	1816
Ira Fairbanks and Goodwin Stoddard	1817
John Dempster	1818
Dana Fox	1819
Israel Chamberlain	1820
John Dempster	1821-1822
B.G. Paddock	1823
Hezekiah Fields	1824
J.E. Brown J.E. Ercanbrack N. Salisbury	1825
G. Baker and N. Salisbury	1826
L. Edgarton and G. Baker	1827
W.W. Rundell and A. Hall	1828
I.S. Mitchell	1829-1830
N. Salisbury	1831-1832
V.M. Coryell	1833
S. Chase	1834
Luther Lee	1835
N. Salisbury	1836-1837
A.D. Peck	1838
S. Chase	1839-1840
L. Bowdish	1841
H. Mattison	1842-1843
William Wyatt	1844
I. Stone	1845-1846
James Irwin	1847-1848
George Gray	1849
A.J. Phelps	1850-1851
I.S Bingham	1852-1853
J.B. Foote	1854-1855
J.W. Armstrong	1856
B.I. Diefendorf	1857-1858
W.W. Hunt	1859-1860
Samuel Call	1861-1862
J.W. Armstrong	1863-1864
I.S Bingham	1865-1867
Rev. Wilbur	1867 (part)
S.R. Fuller	1868-1870
I.S Bingham	1870 (part)
Fred Widmer	1871-1873
J.C Stewart	1874
G.M. Mead	1875-1877
Alexander Bramley	1878-1880
W.F. Hemenway	1881-1883
W.H. Reese	1884-1886
J.B. Kenyon	1887-1891
A.P. Palmer	1892-1893
J.B. Hammond	1894-1898
R.E. King	1899-1901
D.F. Pierce	1902-1907
C.E. Miller	1908-1909
W.H MacClenthen	1910-1912
Cauley H. Perrin	1913-1917
Jabez Stallwood	1918-1921
A.R. Lambert	1922-1925
F.A. Miller	1926-1928
Charles Bollinger	1929-1935
Maynard Beach	1936-1937
Albert Abbott	1938-1944
Robert Anthony	1945-1948
Barber Waters	1949-1951
L. Ernest Otter	1952-1954
Charles Williams	1955-1969
John Kelly	1960-1967
Allan Dodge	1968-1972
Clyde Relyea	1973-1980
Morton Magee	1981-1986
Robert J. Notar	1987-1988
Welling R. Storch	1989-1997
Dora J. Schneider	1998-Present