Historical Society of The United Methodist Church

05/27/2026

05/02/2026

An historic day calls for an historic event!

On May 4, join Dr. Ashley Boggan and the Rev. Dr. Emily Chastain Nelms for a special LIVE episode of "Un-Tied Methodism" to discuss the history-making events that occurred 70 years ago on this date when General Conference voted to give women full ordination rights as elders and full membership in annual conferences. The two scholars also will discuss the events that led up to this historic vote and the women who worked for decades to make it happen.

Join us at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 pm. CT on GCAH's Facebook account and GCAH's YouTube channel ().

05/01/2026

We are thrilled to announce that our latest resource is now live! "From Crown to Conferencing," is a FREE seven-part video series designed to be used by individuals, small groups, Sunday School classes, youth groups and more.

On July 4, the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Indepedence. The new videos reflect on the roles Methodists have played leading up to and after the Declaration of Independence was signed.

Check out the videos at YouTube, UM History Hub and at https://tinyurl.com/CrowntoConferencing.

Many thanks to our production partner, the New York Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church.

04/25/2026

Read all about it!

While processing collection documents recently, GCAH assistant archivist Katherine DuVal found a real treasure. In Bishop Wilbur E. Hammaker's (1876-1968) personal papers, he had an original copy of The New York Herald from April 15, 1865, announcing the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. In either 1921 or 1922, Hammaker delivered a memorial sermon on Lincoln's life and legacy; the article was in his preparatory file for that sermon.

As a means of preserving this important , Katherine will create a TIFF scan and encapsulate the paper.

Day in and day out, it's what we do at GCAH, because United Methodists make history!

04/13/2026

In three months, the United States of America celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence that marks the begininng of the nation. In a new video series coming soon, we reflect on the roles Methodists have played leading up to and after the Declaration of Independence was signed. Stay tuned for the release date of this resource being designed for use by Sunday School classes, small groups, youth groups or individual study.

"From Crown to Conferencing: Methodism and the New Republic" is a collaboration between the General Commission on Archives and History and the New York Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church.

03/27/2026

Major League Baseball's 2026 season opened yesterday with the New York Yankees winning against the San Francisco Giants in an interleague game with a score of 7-0. We celebrate MLB's Opening Day with this story about Methodism's most famous ball player, Jackie Robinson.

Read all about how this Baseball Hall of Famer held onto his Methodist faith throughout his career. https://www.umc.org/en/content/baseball-icon-jackie-robinsons-methodist-faith

03/24/2026

03/15/2026

Meet Mabel Madeline Southard, a gifted Methodist preacher, a pioneering feminist theologian and a fierce advocate for women’s ordination in the church. Though never ordained as a full elder herself, her courage and conviction paved the way for generations of women called to ordained ministry.

Learn more about Southard's impact on the denomination at the link:
https://www.umc.org/en/content/unsung-heroes-of-methodism-m-madeline-southard

03/13/2026

On March 9, 1791, one week after John Wesley died on March 2, a small group gathered at the tomb where Wesley's body was laid to rest. Beginning the service at around 5:00 a.m. helped keep the gathering intimate. Reports indicate that tens of thousands visited City Road Chapel (as Wesley's Chapel was then known) the day before to pay their last respects.

Learn more about Wesley's epitaph here: https://tinyurl.com/JWesleytomb