Dedication of Fourth St. Methodist Church, 1870

▶  WHEELING HISTORY  ▶  PLACES  ▶  CHURCHES  ▶  FOURTH STREET METHODIST ▼ Fourth Street Methodist in Wheeling

- from the Wheeling Intelligencer, May 16, 1870

DEDICATION.

The Fourth street M. E. church was dedicated yesterday morning, at 10 1/2 o'clock, by Bishop Janes, who preached an impressive sermon from the 6th chapter of Isaiah, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th verses. The audience room was filled to overflowing, and numbers were unable to get admission.

Interesting exercises were held in the afternoon consisting of the re-union of the members and former pastors of the church.

In the evening at 7 1/2 o'clock, Rev. Dr. Bowman delivered an able and eloquent sermon from the 1st chapter of Romans, 26th verse. For an hour he kept the vast audience in fixed attention by his masterly discouse, full of the power and unction of the gospel. The Dr. has won his way to the hearts of our people no less by his well known ability, than by his genial, warm-hearted manner.

The church was crowded to its full capacity at both the afternoon and evening services.

Dr. J. H. Wilcox presided at the organ, and favored the congregation with excellent music.

The style of the architecture of the building is purely Norman, built of cut stone and presents a beautiful exterior. The main audience room is one of the finest in the West, and is capable of seating nine hundred persons, with the addition of two hundred chairs in the aisles. The room is 53 feet in width and 80 feet in depth. The large vestibule in the centre connected with the stairways, is not seated, and is 16 feet square and 35 feet high. The organ gallery, which is immediately in rear of the pulpit, is elevated 5 feet above the audience room floor, the outer arch of which is 36 feet wide, 38 feet high and 18 feet deep. The niche in which the organ stands is 24 feet wide, 26 feet high and 18 feet deep, the niche sloping gracefully backward forming a small amphitheatre and giving a fine effect to the room.

The audience room is lighted by six fifty inch reflectors of sixteen burners each, and the tower vestibule together with the main stairways have each one thrity inch reflector with nine burner each. The light produced by these reflectors is beautiful and much preferable, as it is not so strong and dazzling as that produced by the chandalier.

The ventilation of the building has received every attention possible to make it a complete success. Two ventilating flues in every every space between each window are directly connected by means of registers with the lecture and audience rooms, terminating in the loft; to which are added twelve fifty inch ventilators placed in the paneling of the ceiling. The coverings of the registers are controled by cords in the stairway halls, and also two ventilating bays in each window. The means used in the ventilation of the building has so far proved to be a success, and the largest audience that can be accommodated cannot feel the least uncomfortable to the want of a supply of pure air.

The entire building is heated by two thirty inch pyramidal furnaces. The tower is not completed except to the comb of the roof; when completed it will be 173 feet from the pavement to the vane on the spire.

The whole building is beautifully furnished and finished, and reflects great credit on the architect, C. C. Kemble, Esq. of Philadelphia.

Fourth Street Methodist  |  Churches  |  Places of Wheeling Home  |  Wheeling History Home  |  OCPL Home