Old Otterbein United Methodist Church

Old Otterbein United Methodist Church is the oldest continuously used church in Baltimore. Erected in 1786, it is named after Rev. Philip William Otterbein (1723-1813), who cofounded the Christian denomination, the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, in 1800. The congregation was established in 1771 and its original name was the First German Reformed Church of Harold Hill. A local carpenter named Jacob Small designed and built the church, which is a good example of Georgian architecture. It features a square tower topped with an octagonal cupola, arched windows, and limestone belt courses. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and is a Baltimore City Landmark.

Philip William Otterbein was born in Dillenburg, Germany in 1723. He was ordained into the German Reformed Church in 1749 and immigrated to the United States in 1752 as a missionary to serve German colonists in Pennsylvania. He settled in Lancaster and began to preach around the state and in Maryland. He eventually met Mennonite Bishop Martin Boehm (1725-1812) and they would go on to form a group called the United Brethren in Christ in 1769. Two years later, the congregation's first house of worship, a temporary wood-frame chapel called the First German Reformed Church of Harold Hill, was built.

Otterbein arrived in Baltimore in 1774 to lead the congregation and remained until his death in 1813. The church came to known as "Otterbein's Church" and, since it was the first to adopt the name Otterbein, the word "Old" was added to distinguish it from the other churches. By 1800, theological differences with the Reformed Church compelled Otterbein and Boehm to establish the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and they were also elected bishops. Otterbein's interest in Methodism began in the 1780s. Boehm was drawn to it as well and as a result, the Mennonites eventually excommunicated hm. At one point, Otterbein traveled to Lancaster to hear Boehm speak and told him "we are brethren." Interestingly, Boehm never served in the United Brethren in Christ and instead served in the Methodist Episcopal Church to preach at German language mission churches. Even though Old Otterbein had a parsonage, Otterbein chose to live in his cabin. The parsonage was rented and the money was distributed to the poor.

The Church of the United Brethren in Christ merged with the Evangelical Association (another a German-language denomination) in 1946 to create the Evangelical United Brethren Church. In 1939, three other Methodist denominations founded the Methodist Church. The Evangelical United Brethren Church did not join until 1968 because the Methodist Church was segregated. Old Otterbein is now part of the United Methodist Church.

"A Brief History." Old Otterbein United Methodist Church. Accessed February 14, 2023. https://www.historicoldotterbein.com/history.html.

"Old Otterbein United Methodist Church." Federal Hill Online. Accessed February 14, 2023. http://www.federalhillonline.com/tourstop19.htm.

Parish, Preston Mrs. "Old Otterbein Evangelical United Brethren Church." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. October 28, 1969. https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/NR_PDFs/NR-31.pdf.