Universalist Church

Mesopotamia, Ohio

Built 1846

The first known Christian Universalist to arrive in the Western Reserve was Gages Smith, who in 1805 migrated from Preston, CT to Mesopotamia. Although his religious opinions were not popular, it is said that he was well-respected by his neighbors and fervent in his convictions.

The Christian Universalists in the area around Mesopotamia began coming together in 1838. Thy were “fellowshipped” (became an official part of the Christian Universalist Church) in 1844, building a church in 1846 (some records say 1848). Wishing to exert their presence, the Universalist built the church one foot larger in every direction than the Congregational Meeting House. Although the local Christian Universalists flourished for a while, sometime in the 1850s they succumbed to Spiritualism and a general lack of interest in meeting.

Following the end of the Christian Universalist the building became the town hall After hosting over religious groups, even a roller rink for a few years in the 1870s, eventually serving as the local Grange before becoming some 50 years ago, the Mesopotamia Museum and Meeting Hall.

Although modified today, as a two-story church, the building featured 10-foot-high-windows. Today the upper floor showcases early life in, and the history of, Mesopotamia. On the ground floor, used for meetings, the remains of the rink are still visible.

Image Date: 11.14.23 Credit: Frank A. Mills

Bibliography
Robinson, Elmo Arnold, 1923, The Universalist Church in Ohio. The Ohio Universalist Convention.
[Image Date: 11.14.23]

[Church history may be updated as new information comes to light.]