For two non-consecutive days, June 26 and June 28, 2023, the ground of Old Otterbein United Methodist Church, Baltimore, MD, was scraped back, layer by layer, to reveal what time has hidden. This archeological dig, under the direction of Matt McKnight, Chief Archaeologist with the Maryland Historic Trust (MHT), occurred because the entire property is under easement with the MHT due to its historic nature.
Old Otterbein UMC is considered the Mother Church of the United Brethren in Christ strand of our denomination. The congregation was established in 1771, and the current sanctuary building dates to 1785—the oldest building on its original foundation in the City of Baltimore, and the oldest continuously used church in Baltimore. The first gathering of preachers was at this location in 1789, and one of the two founding Bishops for the denomination, Bishop Philip William Otterbein, served this congregation for 39 years until his death in 1813. While it was initially an independent congregation, it played a significant role in the establishment of the first American-born denomination.
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