Placerville’s M.E. Historic Church - Placerville California

The town of Placerville, California sprang up along with many others during the 1848 California Gold Rush. With the influx of so many gold seekers, there also came preachers and ministers, who felt the need to spread the word to the rough residents of the area. One of the buildings that have been restored is the M.E. Historic Church in Placerville. It has the distinction of being the oldest church in El Dorado County. It is located at 1031 Thompson Way in Placerville, California, on a small hill that overlooks the town of Placerville.

This church began in a humble way, with a building program started by Reverend Batman in 1951. The land for the church was donated by Frank Goyan, Sr. for the church and a cemetery. With that, the modest church was constructed of local hand-hewn timber and beams which can still be viewed in parts of the structure today. A bell was bought from a ship sailing to Staffordshire, and the little church was complete. The church served the community for many years, until it was outgrown, and the structure was sold as a new, bigger church was built.

This Historic Church has gone through many different uses since it was first built. In the 1920’s the original building was returned to the Federated Church, and it served as classrooms, office space and a Youth Center. Over the years, as new church buildings were built, it fell into disrepair again, with no one noticing the historical significance of the building.

However, the community discovered the historical significance of the structure, and efforts were made to restore it to its original state. In 1961, with original photos of the church having been tracked down, the members worked to make the little church resemble how it looked when it was first built in 1851. This was the first restoration effort, and over the years, many groups have contributed their time, money and efforts to restore this important building. Their many efforts have succeeded, and today the M.E. Historic Church looks and feels much like it did in 1851.

It is still in use as a small chapel, classroom space, and also a proud addition to the historic past of Placerville. Tourists can visit this church year round and see some of the original timbers that were used in the construction. They can also find out more about this charming little building that survived through many different uses and ownerships to return to its original purpose over a century later.

The M.E. Historic Church is an interesting tourist spot and is one that should not be missed during a trip to historic Placerville. It is definitely worth the time to see the oldest church in the area. 

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