Old St. Paul's Methodist Church (Odessa, Delaware)

 methodist church, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, 1850s construction

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New church located on Main Street

Mt. Zion of Cantwell Church began services in 1831. One year later, the church incorporated as Cantwell’s Methodist Church, Utilizing the bricks from two buildings owned by the congregation, members cleaned the bricks and constructed a small one story church called “Brick Bat Church” on land previously donated by Joseph Griffith. Designed by architect Samuel Sloan, the existing structure was built by Henry Rose for $3950. Its cornerstone was laid in 1851. The following year, the church adopted the name St. Paul’s Methodist Church. Reverend Jonathon Willis served as the first settled clergyman from 1859-1860. The Cemetery Association was incorporated in 1929. The congregation moved to a brick church on Main Street in 1957 and the old St. Paul’s building stood vacant for almost 20 years. In 1974, a member purchased the building from the Methodist Conference for $800 and sold it to the Women’s Club of Odessa for one dollar. The club continues to repair and restore the structure which was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 13, 1982. Old St. Paul’s continues to serve the area as a community center and is maintained by the Women’s Club of Odessa.

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