7538 Main Street
Photograph of St. Paul's UMC viewed from Main Street, taken by Gate House Staff, 2025.
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
History
The congregation of St. Paul's UMC began on the Howard County side of the Patapsco River in 1878 as "St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church," part of the Patapsco Circuit of riding ministry. In the late 1800s, this circuit included Howard County sites including: St. James, Westwood, Lisbon, McKendree, Daisy, and in Carroll County: Freedom, Oakland, Mt. Pleasant and Sykesville. Methodism has a significant history within Carroll County beginning with the Strawbridge Shrine which was established in New Windsor as the first Methodist meetinghouse in America (c. 1761). You can find out more about those beginnings here: http://www.strawbridgeshrine.org/about.html
The congregation moved to this Main Street location in 1889. The church originally faced Norwood Avenue--originally a wagon road through the area--but as time progressed, the building expanded and in 1903 its entrance was changed to its present location. By the 1930s, its expansions--the first of which completed at the height of the Great Depression--made it one of the largest churches in the area, serving three hundred members weekly.
See the photos below to learn more!
Architectural Details
The building, originally constructed by Charles W. Baldwin, was relocated to its present site in 1889 onto a new foundation. Its original foundation was used for St. Luke's Church (Howard County). The original building was built of granite mined from various quarries including near Baltimore and measured 32x44 feet with stained glass windows, cupola, and bell inscribed with "Grace Scrivnor."
When the building was moved to its Main Street site, the granite walls became the foundation of the structure. The original front of the church faces Norwood Avenue, a former cart road. The property was extended in 1894 to Main Street, with a new front facing the Main Street added in 1903.
In 1916, rooms for use as a "primary room" and kitchen were added, but had been removed by 1931 for other uses. The church was completely remodeled and renovated in 1931, including expanding the church grounds by 528 square feet. This addition added additional Sunday school rooms, a new social hall, and a newer kitchen. Another 235 square feet of land was added to the property in 1953 in order to enlarge the kitchen and add a church school room. Land for the parking lot on the north side of Church Street was purchased in 1959.
Awaiting updates from the SHDC.
1931
St. Paul's Church as seen on a 1931 Church booklet in the Gate House Museum collection.
1909
This photograph from a postcard postmarked as 1909 shows St. Paul's church prior to the parking lot and street changes along Church Street.
c. 1910-1930
This photograph from an early unused post card in the Gate House Museum collection shows St. Paul's prior to improvements.
1984
This image is of the upper portion of a service leaflet from St. Paul's dated February 19, 1984.
1996
This photograph by R. Berry shows the church in 1996.
1999
This photograph taken from across Main Street shows the complete church grounds in 1999.
Site Use
Research is ongoing to confirm the historical use of this property. If you see any errors or have additional information, please contact the Museum through the methods at the bottom of the page
Confirmed Use as of September 28, 2025:
Site continues original use as St. Paul's Church.