List of the oldest churches in the United States

The designation of the oldest church in the United States requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest Christian church congregation. There is a distinction between old church buildings that have been in continuous use as churches, and those that have been converted to other purposes; and between buildings that have been in continuous use as churches and those that were shuttered for many decades.

Old Ship Church (1681), Hingham, Massachusetts, the only surviving 17th-century Puritan meeting house in the US, and the oldest church building in continuous ecclesiastical use in the nation

In terms of congregations, they are distinguished between early established congregations that have been in continuous existence (sometimes through great theological changes), and early congregations that ceased to exist. Some of these churches are located in areas that were part of the thirteen original colonies that made up the United States in 1776. Others were built in states and territories that were later annexed, such as Louisiana, New Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Sites on the list are generally from the First Period of American architecture or earlier.

To be listed here a site must:

  • be the oldest church in a state, territory, large city (top 50), or oldest of its type (denomination, architectural, etc.);
  • be freestanding (not a ruin or mound, as there are separate lists for those); and/or
  • be the oldest congregation of its type (denomination).

Oldest church buildings
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Cathedral of San Juan Bautista
San Juan, Puerto Rico PR 1521–1540 Roman Catholic The oldest church built in the United States and in the (non incorporated) U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. The original cathedral was constructed from wood in 1521. It was destroyed by a hurricane and the current structure constructed in 1540, being reshaped in later centuries, the last time being in 1917. Building has been within the territory of the U.S. since 1898, when Puerto Rico was annexed from Spain.[1]
Porta Coeli Church San Germán, Puerto Rico PR 1609 Roman Catholic The second oldest church structure in the United States and in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico
San Miguel Mission
Santa Fe, New Mexico NM Approximately start in 1610 or 1626 Roman Catholic The oldest church built in the continental US. The original adobe walls and altar were built by the Tlaxcalan Indians from Mexico under the orders of the Spaniards, but much of the structure was rebuilt in 1710. Building has been within the U.S. since 1848, when the US annexed New Mexico territory following the Mexican–American War.[2]
Jamestown Church Jamestown, Virginia VA 1647 (Completed) Anglican Only floor tiles and foundations remain from the first brick church (with a tower added sometime earlier or later). Oldest church in the original 13 colonies.
San Estevan Del Rey Mission Church Acoma, New Mexico NM 1649 Roman Catholic
Church of Saint Blaise of Illescas Coamo, Puerto Rico PR 1661 Roman Catholic
Old Trinity Church Church Creek, Maryland MD 1675 Episcopal Church building in continuous use; as such, oldest in the continental US.[3]
St. Mary's, Whitechapel Lancaster County, Virginia VA 1675 Episcopal
Third Haven Meeting House Talbot County, Maryland MD 1681–84 Quaker (Friends) Oldest Quaker meeting house in the United States.
Old Ship Church Hingham, Massachusetts MA 1681 Puritan, Congregational, now Unitarian Universalist Only remaining 17th-century Puritan meetinghouse in the US.[4]
St. Luke's Church Smithfield, Virginia VA 1682 Anglican, Episcopal after American Revolution, currently non-denominational and does not have a congregation. National Historic Landmark[5]
Old Indian Meeting House
Mashpee, Massachusetts MA 1684 Congregational/Native American Oldest Native American church
Church of Saint Germanus of Auxerre San Germán, Puerto Rico PR 1688 Roman Catholic
Old Quaker Meeting House Flushing, New York NY 1694 Quaker (Friends) Oldest religious building in Queens County, New York City. The only surviving example in New York State of a typical 17th-century ecclesiastical frame structure of medieval design.[6]
Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow Sleepy Hollow, New York NY 1697 (completed) Dutch Reformed Oldest church building in New York state
Grace Church Yorktown, Virginia VA 1697 Episcopal
Old Norriton Presbyterian Church Montgomery County, Pennsylvania PA 1698 Presbyterian Oldest Surviving church in Pennsylvania and oldest place of worship in Pennsylvania
Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes) Wilmington, Delaware DE 1698 Lutheran/Episcopal Oldest Swedish Church in the United States
Great Friends Meeting House Newport, Rhode Island RI 1699 Quaker (Friends) Quaker Meeting House, oldest surviving church in Rhode Island
Gloria Dei
(Old Swedes' Church)		 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania PA 1700 Lutheran/Episcopal Oldest surviving church in Philadelphia
Portsmouth Friends Meetinghouse Portsmouth, Rhode Island RI 1700 Quaker (Friends)
Six Principle Baptist Church North Kingstown, Rhode Island RI 1703 Baptist Possibly oldest surviving Baptist church building in the U.S.
St. Mary's Episcopal Church Burlington, New Jersey NJ 1703 Episcopal Oldest church in New Jersey
St. Peter's Church (Talleysville, Virginia)
New Kent County, Virginia VA 1703 Episcopal Oldest Church in the Diocese of Virginia
Makemie Memorial Presbyterian Church Snow Hill, Maryland MD 1683 Presbyterian Oldest continuously operated Presbyterian church in the United States
St. Andrews Episcopal Church Charleston, South Carolina SC 1706 Episcopal Oldest church in South Carolina
Old Narragansett Church Wickford, Rhode Island RI 1707 Episcopal Oldest surviving colonial Episcopal church in Northeastern USA
St. Michael's Church Marblehead, Massachusetts MA 1714 Episcopal Oldest surviving Episcopal church building in New England on its original foundation
Merion Friends Meeting House Merion Station, Pennsylvania PA 1715 (completed) 1695 (started) Quaker (Friends) Third oldest Friends meeting house in the United States.
Old North Church Boston, Massachusetts MA 1723 Episcopal Oldest active church building in Boston and a National Historic Landmark, the Old North Church (formal name: Christ Church in the City of Boston) is the location from which the famous signal lanterns are said to have been displayed for Paul Revere's midnight ride during the American Revolution.[7]
Trinity Church, Newport Newport, Rhode Island RI 1726 Episcopal Oldest Episcopal Parish in Rhode Island
St. John's Episcopal Church Hampton, Virginia VA 1728 Episcopal Oldest Episcopal Parish in the New World
St Francis Xavier Church Compton, Maryland MD 1731 Roman Catholic Oldest Catholic Church in original 13 colonies.
Christ Church Nanjemoy, Maryland MD 1732 Episcopal Oldest Episcopal congregation in Maryland
St. Thomas Episcopal Church Bath, North Carolina NC 1734 Episcopal Oldest church in North Carolina
Cathedral of San Fernando San Antonio, Texas TX 1738 Catholic Oldest church in Texas. Oldest RC Cathedral in contiguous United States. The church was named for Ferdinand III of Castile. In 1868, the cathedral was considerably enlarged in the Gothic style.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church Norfolk, Virginia VA 1739 Episcopal Oldest Surviving Building in The City of Norfolk.
Augustus Lutheran Church Trappe, Pennsylvania PA 1743 Lutheran Oldest unaltered Lutheran Church in use by the same congregation
King's Chapel Boston, Massachusetts MA 1754 Unitarian Christian Oldest continually used religious site in Boston, present church building 1754
St. Michael's Church Charleston, South Carolina SC 1752–1761 Episcopal Oldest church edifice in Downtown Charleston, SC
St. Paul's Chapel New York, New York NY 1766 Episcopal Oldest church building in Manhattan
St. John's Episcopal Church Fort Washington, Maryland MD 1767 Epsicopal Located in the Broad Creek Historic District. The building is the 4th iteration of the church since the original was erected in 1695.[8]
Mission San Diego de Alcala San Diego, California CA 1769 Roman Catholic First of the 21 California Missions, oldest church in use in California
The Falls Church Falls Church, Virginia VA 1769 Epsicopal First church in Falls Church, Virginia and established by the colonial Virginia Assembly in May 1732 for the land north of the Occoquan River
St. Gabriel Catholic Church St. Gabriel, Louisiana LA 1776 Roman Catholic Oldest church in the Mississippi River Valley
Barratt's Chapel Frederica, Delaware DE 1780 Methodist Second oldest Methodist church building in the U.S. built for that purpose (the oldest is St. George's in Philadelphia, PA, built in 1769)
Mission San Juan Capistrano San Juan Capistrano CA 1782 Roman Catholic
Wyandot Mission Church Upper Sandusky OH 1824 Methodist The oldest Methodist mission church in America

LaMarsh Baptist Church in Mapleton Illinois was started in a barn in 1838 and built their church building later that year. In 1950 the church building was remodeled and in 1997 they had added the new church to the old church. As of October 2020 they will celebrate their 182nd anniversary. The church is still open today.


Oldest continuous church congregations
Cathedral of San Juan Bautista
San Juan, Puerto Rico PR 1521 Roman Catholic The oldest continuous church congregation in a (non incorporated) territory of the US.[1]
Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine. St. Augustine, Florida FL 1565 Roman Catholic Oldest parish in continuous existence in the United States of America. Parish established September 8, 1565, as San Agustin de La Florida, by Spanish conqueror Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles. Parish records since 1594 available in the Archives of the Diocese of St. Augustine.[9]
San Juan Bautista Church Ohkay Owingeh (formerly, San Juan Pueblo), New Mexico NM 1598 Roman Catholic Oldest Native American congregation in the United States, and one of the oldest congregations in the United States[10][11][12]
St. John's Episcopal Church (Hampton, Virginia) Hampton, Virginia VA 1610 Episcopal Oldest English-speaking parish in continuous existence in the United States of America, current building from 1728[13]
West Parish Church West Barnstable, Massachusetts MA 1616 United Church of Christ Oldest church congregation on Cape Cod. Founded in 1616 in England by Rev. Henry Jacob by breaking with the Church of England. The second Pastor, Rev. John Lothrop, and 32 followers were imprisoned in 1632 by the Crown, and then released in 1634 on condition that they leave England. In 1639 Lothrop and 22 families found the town of Barstable.[14]
First Parish Church in Plymouth Plymouth, Massachusetts MA 1620 Originally Separatist (Calvinist) Congregational, now Unitarian Universalist -
Marble Collegiate Church New York, New York NY 1628 Reformed and United Church of Christ Oldest church congregation in New York State (building from 1854)
First Church in Salem Salem, Massachusetts MA 1629 Originally Puritan (Calvinist) Congregational, now Unitarian Universalist First Puritan Church in North America and second Congregational Church in America.[15] Building constructed in 1838.
First Church in Boston Boston, Massachusetts MA 1630 Originally Puritan (Calvinist) Congregational, now Unitarian Universalist Oldest congregation in Boston, Massachusetts (building from 1968)
First Parish Watertown (Watertown, Massachusetts) Watertown, Massachusetts MA 1630 Originally Puritan (Calvinist) Congregational, now Unitarian Universalist
Christ Church Stevensville, Maryland MD 1631 Episcopal Oldest congregation in Maryland, building from 1880 pictured. (current building from 1995)
First Parish Church (Dover, New Hampshire) Dover, New Hampshire NH 1632 Congregational Oldest congregation in New Hampshire (current building from 1825).
Center Church

(The First Church of Christ in Hartford)

 Hartford, Connecticut CT 1632 Congregational Oldest congregation in Connecticut (current building from 1807)
First Baptist Church in America Providence, Rhode Island RI 1638 Baptist First Baptist Church founded in America, oldest church congregation in Rhode Island, oldest Baptist congregation in America (building from 1775)
First Church, Sandwich Massachusetts Sandwich, Massachusetts MA 1638 Congregational church First Congregational Church founded in Cape Cod by Mayflower Pilgrims, second oldest church congregation in Cape Cod (building from 1848)
Saint Ignatius Church
Chapel Point / Port Tobacco, Maryland MD 1641 Roman Catholic Oldest continually active Roman Catholic parish in the 13 colonies. Oldest Jesuit residence in the world to have been continuously occupied by that order. Current church building constructed 1798.
First Church in Albany Albany, New York NY 1642 Reformed Established in 1642 to serve the Dutch inhabitants of the patroonship of Rensselaerswyck. (building from 1790s)
Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of the Town of Flatbush Brooklyn, New York NY 1654 Protestant
First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica New York, New York NY 1662 Presbyterian Oldest Presbyterian church congregation in continuous existence
First Congregational Church of Greenwich Greenwich, Connecticut CT 1665 Congregational Oldest congregation in Greenwich (wooden buildings in 1667, 1694, 1735 and 1835. Present stone building in 1896.)
St. Philip's Episcopal Church (Charleston, South Carolina) Charleston, South Carolina SC 1681 Episcopal Oldest Episcopal Congregation south of Virginia, present church building 1838
King's Chapel Boston, Massachusetts MA 1686 Unitarian Christian Oldest continually used religious site in Boston, present church building 1754
Brandywine Baptist Church (Chadds Ford, PA) Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania PA 1692 Baptist Oldest Baptist Church in America West of Philadelphia[16][17]
First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia Philadelphia, Pennsylvania PA 1692 Presbyterian
Christ Church, Philadelphia Philadelphia, Pennsylvania PA 1695 Episcopal Oldest Episcopal congregation in Pennsylvania
First Parish Church (Waltham, Massachusetts) Waltham, Massachusetts MA 1696 Unitarian Universalist
Trinity Church, New York New York, NY NY 1697 Episcopal Chartered by King William III in 1697.
Trinity Church, Newport Newport, Rhode Island RI 1698 Episcopal Oldest Episcopal Parish in Rhode Island
St. Thomas, Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania PA 1698 Episcopal One of the oldest Episcopal churches in the US. Current building is the fourth.
St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Perth Amboy, New Jersey) Perth Amboy, New Jersey NJ 1698 Episcopal Oldest Episcopal parish in New Jersey (current building from 1849). Graveyard contains the oldest gravestone in New Jersey
Church of the Holy Family (Cahokia, Illinois) Cahokia, Illinois IL 1699 Roman Catholic Oldest church of any denomination west of the Allegheny Mountains in the original 1783 boundaries of the USA. At the time, this territory was part of New France, and this parish was founded by missionaries from Quebec. Historic log church constructed 1786 - 1799.
Ste. Anne de Detroit, Detroit, Michigan Detroit, Michigan MI 1701 Roman Catholic Founded in 1701 two days after the founding of Detroit. Current building from 1886
Trinity Church (Swedesboro, New Jersey) Swedesboro, New Jersey NJ 1703 Episcopal (originally Swedish Lutheran) First Swedish congregation in New Jersey
Trinity Episcopal Church (Woodbridge, New Jersey) Woodbridge, New Jersey NJ 1703 Episcopal One of the 1703 Episcopal parishes in New Jersey (current building from 1861)
St. Michael's Church, Trenton, New Jersey Trenton, New Jersey NJ 1703 Episcopal One of the 1703 Episcopal parishes in New Jersey (current building from 1810)
St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Burlington, New Jersey Burlington, New Jersey NJ 1703 Episcopal One of the 1703 Episcopal parishes in New Jersey (oldest Episcopal church building in New Jersey)
Bangor Episcopal Church Churchtown, Caernarvon, PA PA 1722 Episcopal
Christ Church Savannah GA 1733 Episcopal Christ Church was the first church established in the Province of Georgia, and is referred to as "the Mother Church of Georgia". The current building was completed in 1838.
Old St. Joseph's Parish Philadelphia, Pennsylvania PA 1733 Roman Catholic Oldest Catholic congregation in Pennsylvania. Present church building opened in 1757.
Most Blessed Sacrament Parish Bally, Pennsylvania PA 1741 Roman Catholic Oldest RC Church in Pennsylvania still in continuous use in original building, originally named St. Paul's Chapel
Congaree Baptist Church (Gadsden, South Carolina) Gadsden, SC SC 1765 Baptist Second oldest Baptist congregation in South Carolina (current building constructed in 1810)
John Street Methodist Church New York City NY 1766 Methodist The congregation is the oldest Methodist congregation in North America, founded on October 12, 1766 as the Wesleyan Society in America (building built in 1841)
St. George's Methodist Church Philadelphia PA 1769 Methodist Oldest Methodist church building in continuous use in the United States (congregation founded in 1767)
Barratt's Chapel Kent County, Delaware Delaware 1780 Methodist oldest surviving church building in the United States built by and for Methodists
Chester-Bethel Church Wilmington, Delaware Delaware 1780 Methodist Oldest Methodist congregation that has continuously gathered in the state of DE (building from 1873).
Mother Bethel AME Church Philadelphia PA 1794 African Methodist Episcopal (AME) AME Church and denomination (1816) founded in Philadelphia; oldest congregation in the United States (building from 1890)
Cathedral Church of St. Paul Detroit MI 1824 Episcopal Oldest Episcopal congregation in Michigan (present building from 1907)

By state

Alabama

Alaska

Arkansas
  • Rockport First United Methodist Church, Rockport (near Malvern), oldest continually operating congregation in the state, organized in 1816
  • Smyrna Church, Searcy, oldest church building in the state, built in 1856 (Methodist)[19][20]

Arizona

California
  • Mission San Diego de Alcalá, oldest congregation, founded in 1769 (Roman Catholic)
  • Basilica of San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo Mission (Carmel Mission), founded by Fr. Junipero Serra in 1770, making it the second of the 21 California missions.
  • Mission San Juan Capistrano, built in 1782 (Roman Catholic)
  • First Baptist Church, San Francisco, founded in 1849, sharing oldest Protestant church congregation with Old First Presbyterian Church (Baptist)
  • Old First Presbyterian Church, San Francisco, sharing oldest Protestant church congregation with First Baptist Church, founded in 1849 (Presbyterian)
  • Emmanuel Church in Coloma, oldest Protestant church building, built in 1855 (Methodist/Episcopal)
  • Trinity+St. Peter's Church (Episcopal), San Francisco, oldest Episcopal church congregation west of the Mississippi, founded 1849 as Trinity Church (Episcopal)
  • St. John's Church in Sacramento, Built in 1867 (Evangelical Lutheran)

Colorado
  • Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Antonito, oldest church building and congregation, built in 1857 (Roman Catholic)
  • St. James Methodist Church in Central City, oldest Protestant[21] church in Colorado still used as a church, oldest Protestant congregation (1859) and oldest Protestant church in the state (1871) (Methodist)

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida
Spanish colonists began constructing the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine in 1793
  • Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine. Parish established September 8, 1565. Present church cornerstone laid in 1793, dedicated in 1797. Elevated to Cathedral when Diocese of St. Augustine was created in 1870. Became Basilica in 1976.
  • Trinity Episcopal Church in St. Augustine is Florida's second oldest Episcopal Church. It opened its doors in 1831. Trinity remains on its original site, and with its original steeple that was completed in 1837.
  • Memorial United Methodist Church (Fernandina Beach, Florida) Oldest continuous Methodist church in Florida. Established in 1822 by Elijah Sinclair. First building was on Broome and 6th Street in historic downtown Fernandina Beach. The congregation moved to larger, and their current, building in the 1920s at 601 Centre Street. Sister church to Trinity United Methodist Church.
  • Old Christ Church (Pensacola, Florida). Oldest church in Florida on its original foundation, incorporated by an act of the Territorial Legislature in 1829, built in 1832. The building was desecrated during the American Civil War, restored, deconsecrated in the past 20 years and is now owned and operated by The Old Christ Church Foundation and the University of West Florida Historical Trust. The congregation is now located in [new] Christ Church, 18 West Wright Street, Pensacola, built in 1905 (Episcopal).
  • Bethel Baptist Church (Lakeland, Florida) Bethel church congregation first met on this site in 1851 and has met continually since then. Performed baptisms in “Indian Pond” until the 1940s. A Sanctuary was Built in 1928. (Southern Baptist)
  • Mount Beasor Primitive Baptist Church (Sopchoppy, Florida) established in 1853 (Baptist).
  • St. John's Episcopal Church (Tallahassee, Florida). St. John's is the mother church of the Diocese of Florida. It was founded as a mission parish in 1829, and the church's first building was erected in 1837. The Diocese was organized at St. John's in 1838 and Francis Huger Rutledge, who became rector of St. John's in 1845, was consecrated the first Bishop of Florida in 1851. The original church burned in 1879; a new church was built on the same site and consecrated in 1888, and it is still the parish's principal place of worship.[22]
  • Middleburg United Methodist Church (3925 Main Street, Middleburg, FL 32068), oldest Methodist Meeting House in the State of Florida. Historical Marker states it was founded on or before July 27, 1828 by Isaac Boring, with the first church erected in 1847. It was built mostly by the hands of slaves, who retained a pew in the back of the church. Services are still conducted every Sunday, and, on special occasions. Its sermons and musical sounds, and beauty, resonates from the wood planks, hand cut, and, pews hand crafted with peg and board design, and, the intricate chandeliers providing light from above. This church congregation has celebrated its 192nd. year in 2015, which dates it back to 1823...to the founding congregants. Originally, Methodist Circuit Riders would hold meetings in homes, until the original church was erected (1847). Come and listen to the glory of the church bell toll, as it did for the first time February 29, 1860, for the funeral of the son of George Branning, who had the bell shipped from where it was cast in New York. As a member, it is still a special little church on Black Creek, where you can "Come and Worship, Go and Witness."[23]
  • Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Miami, the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida, is the oldest church in the original city limits of Miami.

Georgia

Guam
  • Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica (Roman Catholic) is a structure located on the site where the first Catholic church in the United States territory of Guam was constructed in 1669. The current building was erected in 1959, after the destruction of the former church in WWII.

Hawaii
  • Mokuaikaua Church, oldest church congregation and building, founded in 1820, built in 1837 (Congregational)
  • Kawaiahao Church, oldest church congregation, founded in 1820, current structure dedicated in 1842 (Congregational)

Idaho

Illinois
The Log Church of the Church of the Holy Family in Cahokia is a well-preserved example of poteaux-sur-solle construction
  • Church of the Holy Family (Cahokia), oldest church building, built in 1799 (Roman Catholic)
  • First Baptist Church of Elizabethtown, oldest Baptist church congregation in Illinois, possibly oldest Protestant church, founded in 1806 (Baptist)
  • Flat Creek Missionary Baptist Church (East Carondelet), Established 1809. Due to its location (Flat Creek Bottom), the people in the area began referring to the church as Flat Creek Baptist Church, although the members officially named the church, "The Missionary Baptist Church of East Carondelet".
  • Shiloh United Methodist Church (Shiloh, Illinois) established 1807. Current building same location 1825.
  • Mulkeytown Christian Church, established 1818, is the oldest Independent Christian Church. It is now a part of the fellowship of Christian Churches and Churches of Christ or the "Independent Christian Church" a group which separated from the Disciples of Christ beginning in 1924. The oldest congregation still affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is Barney's Priarie in Mt. Carmel, established 1816.
  • Regular/Lighthouse Baptist Church (Griggsville) 1834
  • LaMarsh Baptist church Mapleton, Il established in 1838 was a church congregation in a barn until the church was built a year later. The church was rebuilt in the 1950s, and added the new church to the old church in 1997. As of October 27, 2020 they celebrated their 182st Anniversary.
  • Shield Chapel Methodist Church was established and built in Canton, Illinois, in 1840 and still exists today, 181 years later.

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas
  • White Church Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), oldest continuously used church building, built in 1832

Kentucky
  • Cane Ridge Meeting House, Possibly the oldest church building, built in 1791 (Presbyterian and Disciples of Christ)
  • First Baptist Church of Somerset in Pulaksi County. Built and established in 1799.
  • Hopeful Lutheran Church, in Boone County, organized in 1806 by a group of colonists from Virginia
  • Onton United Methodist Church, Webster County, Kentucky, established 1820
The congregation of the St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans was founded in 1718

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan
  • La Mission Ste. Marie, Sault Sainte Marie, First Catholic congregation in the state, founded by Jacques Marquette in 1668. There have been 5 Catholic churches on this site since 1668. In 2018 St. Mary's parish celebrates its 350th anniversary.
  • Ste. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church, oldest congregation (Roman Catholic) founded 2 days after Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded Detroit in 1701.
  • Mission Church, Mackinac Island, oldest church building, built 1829-30 (Congregational)
  • Central United Methodist Church, Detroit, First Methodist and First Protestant congregation. Established 1810. Their first church building was built in 1818. In 2010 they celebrated their 200th Anniversary.[27]
  • Cathedral Church of St. Paul (Detroit). Oldest Episcopal congregation in Michigan (1824).

Minnesota
  • Saint Peter's Church (Mendota, Minnesota), oldest church in continuous use in Minnesota, built in 1853 (Roman Catholic)
  • First Presbyterian Church (Stillwater, Minnesota), oldest Protestant congregation, founded December 8, 1849.

Missouri
  • In 1791 St. Charles Borromeo was founded as a log cabin on the banks of the Missouri River and has been rebuilt 3 times. St. Charles Borromeo is also the namesake of St. Charles. (Roman Catholic)
  • In 1799, the first Protestant sermon and baptism by immersion west of the Mississippi River was performed in Randol Creek near Dutchtown.[28]
  • In 1806, the Bethel (Baptist) Church was formed in Cape Girardeau County, now Jackson.[29] Fee Fee Baptist Church in Bridgeton, oldest Protestant church congregation, founded in 1807 (Baptist)
  • Around 1816, settlers started meeting together in homes for worship on the Missouri River near the present village of Rocheport 12 years after Lewis and Clark camped there in 1804. In 1837, they were chartered as the Rocheport Christian Church. The present building, built in 1847, has been in continuous use since that time. The church building and congregation have survived Missouri River floods and infestations of termites. The congregation continues with weekly Sunday School and Holy Communion. Sunday worship is held on the first Sunday of each month. A Bluegrass Worship service is held at 5 p.m. on the First Saturday night each month. In 2015, the church was named the Missouri Rural Church of the year. (Disciples of Christ)
  • McKendree Chapel, a log cabin style chapel built in 1819 known as the oldest Protestant church standing west of the Mississippi River; the church was organized in 1809 (Methodist)
  • St. Ferdinand's Shrine, oldest church building, built in 1821 (Roman Catholic)
  • In 1832, the Whitewater Presbyterian Church in Sedgewickville, Missouri, the oldest Presbyterian church west of the Mississippi River to be in continuous service was organized.[30] (Presbyterian)
  • Christ Church Cathedral, St Louis, is the oldest Episcopal Church congregation in Missouri, founded in 1819 (Episcopalian)[31]

Mississippi
  • Woodville Baptist Church, oldest church building, built in 1809 (Baptist)
  • Jersey Settlers, Adams County, oldest Protestant congregation, 1772, Reverend Samuel Swayze
  • Salem Baptist Church, Jefferson County, oldest Baptist church congregation, 1791

Montana
The chapel of St. Mary's Mission, which was established in 1841
  • St. Mary's Mission, oldest church congregation, founded in 1841 (Roman Catholic)
  • First Baptist Church in Stevensville, possibly oldest Protestant church building, built in 1882 (Baptist)
  • Melville Lutheran Church, oldest Lutheran congregation, founded in 1885, church building still in use (Lutheran)
  • Dry Creek Bible, Belgrade, oldest continually active Protestant church, established November 1884

Nebraska
  • First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue, oldest church building, built in 1856 (Presbyterian)[32]
  • Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church of Fontanelle, oldest continuous Lutheran church in the USA west of the Mississippi River, built in 1860 (Lutheran–ELCA)[33]

Nevada
  • First Presbyterian Church of Carson City, oldest church building, built in 1864 (Presbyterian)

New Hampshire
  • First Parish Church in Dover, oldest congregation founded in 1632 (Congregational/United Church of Christ)
  • Newington Meeting House is the oldest church building in New Hampshire (1717, Congregational).

New Jersey
  • St. Mary's Episcopal Church, oldest church building, built in 1703 (Episcopal)
  • Old Bergen Church, oldest church congregation, founded in 1660 (Reformed)
    San Miguel Mission claims to be the oldest church building within a US state, though it is likely that little of the original 1610 remains.

New Mexico
  • San Miguel Mission, oldest church building, built in 1610 (Roman Catholic)
  • San Juan de los Caballeros/San Juan Bautista, Established 1598, second oldest foundation in the United States (Roman Catholic)
  • First Presbyterian Church in Santa Fe, founded in 1867, oldest Protestant Church congregation in New Mexico (Presbyterian)

New York

North Carolina
  • St. James Parish (Wilmington, North Carolina), established in November of 1729 (Episcopal)
  • St. Thomas Episcopal Church (Bath, North Carolina), oldest church building, built in 1734 (Episcopal)
  • Cane Creek Friends Church was established in 1751 near Snow Camp, NC.
  • Rockfish Presbyterian Church, (Wallace, North Carolina) 1756
  • Philadelphia Evangelical Lutheran Church (Gaston County—Dallas, NC) established 1767.
  • Home Moravian Church (Winston-Salem, NC), established on November 13, 1771. (Moravian)
  • Brook's Chapel Church (Polksville, North Carolina), established in 1869 (Methodist)
  • Wheat Swamp Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Kinston, Established 1760.
  • St. Patrick Catholic Church (Fayetteville, NC), established-parish Aug. 6, 1821, church Aug. 11, 1821.

North Dakota
  • First Presbyterian Church of Bismarck, oldest congregation, founded in 1873 (Presbyterian)
  • Glencoe Presbyterian Church, oldest church building used by original congregation, built in 1885 (Presbyterian)
  • First Congregation, Assumption Catholic Church in Pembina, 1818

Ohio
  • Covenant-First Presbyterian Church, (Cincinnati, Ohio), organized October 16, 1790, is the oldest Presbyterian congregation west of the Allegheny Mountains.
  • Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, North Canton Ohio Founded in 1806. Is one of the oldest congregations in the state of Ohio that is still meeting today. The church was also mentioned in an exhibit at the McKinley Presidential Museum in North Canton, Ohio as one of the oldest churches in the state.[35][36]
  • Home Chapel, dedicated in 1870 It is the first permanent chapel ever constructed by the U.S. Government at the National Home for the Disabled Volunteer Soldier, Dayton, Ohio.
  • The Church in Aurora, The original church was Congregational, formed in 1809, shortly after Aurora was founded.[37][38]
  • West Union Presbyterian Church, oldest church building still in use as a church, built in 1810 (Presbyterian)
  • First Lutheran Church in Canton, Ohio was built in 1810 and still operates today. It is considered "The Cradle of Lutheranism in Ohio."
  • First Church of the Resurrection founded in 1810 and was built in 1862 and still in use today (Non-Denominational)
  • St. Paul's Episcopal Church, South Bass Island, oldest wooden church building still in use as a church, built in 1865 (Episcopal)
  • St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral, first Orthodox parish in Cleveland (organized in 1896)
  • Hopewell Methodist Church in Rush Run, Ohio, oldest Methodist Church in Ohio (1803), site of the first Methodist sermon preached in the Northwest Territory (1787) and the first Methodist ordination in Ohio (1803)
  • Nast Trinity United Methodist Church (Cincinnati, Ohio), built in 1881, it is the home of the first German Methodist church to be established anywhere in the world.
  • Holy Assumption Orthodox Church in Marblehead, Ohio. Oldest Orthodox church building in Ohio, built in 1906.
  • Cortland Christian Church, Disciples of Christ was founded in 1828 with the current building built in 1853. It is the second-oldest DoC church in Ohio and the 4th oldest DoC congregation in the U.S.

Oklahoma
  • Wheelock Church, oldest church building, built in 1846 (Presbyterian)
  • Ottawa Indian Baptist Church founded in March 1840, built in Oklahoma in March 1860

Oregon

Pennsylvania
The Merion Friends Meeting House was built in 1695, making it the second-oldest Friends meeting house in the United States
  • Old Norriton Presbyterian Church, founded in 1678 as a Dutch Reformed Church. The existing church building was built in 1698.
  • Germantown Mennonite Meeting House, Germantown Mennonite Church in Germantown, PA (1683).
  • Merion Friends Meeting House, oldest church building in Pennsylvania (1695), Merion Station (Quaker).
  • Brandywine Baptist Church, 2nd oldest Baptist Church in Pennsylvania (1692), Chadds Ford (Baptist).[16][17]
  • St. Thomas, Whitemarsh, founded in 1698. One of the 25 oldest churches in the US. Present church is the fourth building on the site.(Episcopal)
  • St. Martin's Church, Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania (1699)
  • New Hanover Lutheran Church[39] near Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, Founded about 1700.
  • St. Peter's in the Great Valley, founded as an Anglican church about 1700. Construction of existing building started in 1744. Changed from Anglican to Episcopalian after the Revolutionary War.
  • Gloria Dei (Old Swedes' Church), second oldest church building, built in 1700 (Lutheran/Episcopal)
  • Old St. Joseph's Church, oldest Roman Catholic congregation in Pennsylvania (1733)
  • Beulah Presbyterian Church 2500 McCrady Road, Pittsburgh PA 15235, Since 1784[40]
  • St. George's United Methodist Church (Philadelphia), built in 1769, America's first and oldest continuously used Methodist church in the world.
  • African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, founded 1792, oldest black Episcopal congregation in the United States (Episcopal)
  • Mother Bethel AME Church, oldest African Methodist Episcopal congregation, founded 1794 (African Methodist Episcopal)
  • Old Trinity Church, one of the oldest churches in Philadelphia, erected 1711 (Episcopal)
  • Christ Lutheran Church (York), built in 1743 (Lutheran).
  • Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church(Philadelphia) ~ Founded in 1876 as a small group of church goers and built on land in Germantown on 230 W. Coulter Street off of Wayne Avenue.
  • [[Central Moravian Church (Bethlehem) Chapel built in 1751 and the Sanctuary, completed in 1806.

[41]

Puerto Rico
Cathedral of San Juan Bautista is the oldest church built in the United States

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee
  • Sinking Creek Baptist Church, oldest church building, oldest congregation and building, founded in 1772 (Baptist)
  • Suggs Creek Cumberland Presbyterian, First Confession of Faith of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was adopted in 1814, Suggs Creek church founded in 1800 (Cumberland Presbyterian)
  • Double Springs Baptist Church (Sullivan County), Founded in 1786 by Jonathan Mulkey
  • First Presbyterian Church (Greeneville, Tennessee), oldest congregation in Greene County, founded in 1780 by Rev. Samuel Doak
  • St. John's Cathedral (Knoxville, Tennessee) Established in 1826 (35 years after the founding of Knoxville). In May 1844, with 25 communicants, St. John’s became the first mission from Eastern Tennessee to be admitted to the Diocese of Tennessee.

Texas
  • Cathedral of San Fernando, possibly oldest church building, built 1738-1750 (Roman Catholic)
  • McMahan Chapel in St. Augustine, the oldest Protestant church congregation in Texas, founded in 1833 (Methodist)
  • Old Pilgrim Two Seed-in-the-Spirit Church, oldest Baptist Church in Texas, founded in 1834 (Baptist)
  • San Felipe United Methodist Church, the oldest Protestant church building in Texas, built in 1838 (Methodist)
  • Ysleta Mission, possibly the oldest continuous congregation, founded in 1680 (Roman Catholic)
  • Our Lady of Loreto Chapel, at the Presidio La Bahia, Goliad, founded in 1779 (Roman Catholic)
  • First Presbyterian Church at San Antonio, the first Protestant church in San Antonio, founded in 1846 (Presbyterian)
  • First Montgomery Baptist Church in Montgomery, Texas, founded in 1850 (Baptist)
  • Chinn Chapel United Methodist Church in Copper Canyon, TX, founded in 1877 (Methodist)

United States Virgin Islands
  • Frederick Lutheran Church, of Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, built in 1666. It is the oldest continuous Lutheran church in the western hemisphere (Lutheran - ELCA)
  • Lord God of Sabaoth Lutheran Church, of Christiansted, St. Croix, began worshipping in 1734 and the building built in 1750 (Lutheran - ELCA)

Utah

Vermont

Virginia
St. Luke's Church is the oldest extant church building in Virgina
  • St. John's Episcopal Church (Hampton, Virginia), oldest English-speaking parish in continuous existence in the United States of America, founded in 1610 (Episcopal)[13]
  • St. Luke's Church, oldest surviving church building in Virginia, built 1685-1686; this date, however, is controversial. Local oral history dates the building as 1632. National Historic Landmark.[44] (Anglican Circa 1685-1804, Episcopal Circa 1804-1836, Historic Church Museum 1953–present).
  • St. Peter's Church (New Kent, Virginia), The Episcopal parish was established in 1679, the current brick building was begun in 1701. Services were first held in the building by 1703. The "stump" tower was added by 1740 to house a bell and provide a meeting place for the Vestry,
  • Bruton Parish Church (Williamsburg, Virginia), established in 1674 by the consolidation of two previous parishes in the Virginia Colony. The church remains an active Episcopal parish. The building was constructed 1711-15 and was designated a National Historic Landmark.
  • Slash Church or Slash Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), oldest wooden frame church building in Virginia, built in 1729
  • The Falls Church, The Episcopal parish was established in 1732 and the brick meeting house preserved on site dates to 1769
  • Augusta Stone Church, (Presbyterian), oldest Presbyterian church in Virginia. The wood meeting house was built in 1740, and was replaced with the current stone church (still in use) in 1749. The stone church was used as both sanctuary and a repose from Indian attacks. It is listed in the Augusta County Historical Register.[45]
  • Sinking Spring Presbyterian Church (Abingdon, Virginia), organized in 1772 and was founded by Rev. Charles Cummings
  • First Baptist Church (Petersburg, Virginia), contends as the oldest organized black Baptist congregation, organized 1774 (Baptist)
  • Kempsville Baptist Church (Virginia Beach, Virginia), Established with the Baptist Association on May 21, 1814
  • Old Chapel (Clarke County, Virginia) Oldest Episcopal church still in use west of the Blue Ridge Mountains; current building built 1790
  • St. John's Church (Richmond, Virginia), oldest wooden church building, built 1741
  • Jerusalem Christian Church (1791), King William Virginia, oldest congregation affiliated with the Christian Churches and churches of Christ. It was once affiliated with the Disciples of Christ.
  • Old Chapel Church also known locally as the "Snow Creek Chapel", was built in 1769 as a chapel of ease for the Church of England parish in what is today Penhook, Virginia. One of the oldest churches in the southwestern portion of the state.
  • Independence United Methodist Church, (1783), Emporia Virginia. Originally was Independence Methodist church until many of the Methodist churches joined with the Evangelical United Brethren Church in 1968.

Washington
  • Claquato Church, the oldest church and the oldest standing building in Washington State. Built in 1857. Originally housed a Methodist Episcopal congregation.
  • Tumwater Methodist Church, 219 W. B Street in Tumwater, Washington. Built in 1872 and added to the National Register in 1984. Currently houses St. James Anglican Church.
  • St. Luke's Episcopal Church, oldest Episcopal congregation, continuously from 1860

Washington, D.C.

West Virginia
Rehoboth Church was constructed in 1786
  • Rehoboth Church, built in 1785 (Methodist), oldest church building west of the main range of the Allegheny Mountains.
  • Tuscarora Presbyterian Church, oldest congregation and oldest church building, founded in 1740, central building constructed by 1745.[46]

Wisconsin
  • Methodist Episcopal Church in Mineral Point, oldest Protestant congregation in Wisconsin, founded in 1834 (Methodist)
  • St. Gabriel's Church, oldest church building built in Wisconsin, built in 1835 (Roman Catholic)
  • St. Joan of Arc Chapel, oldest church building in Wisconsin, built in 15th century Chasse, France; moved to Wisconsin 1965 (Roman Catholic)

Wyoming

See also

References
  1. "Catedral San Juan Bautista/ San Juan – Arquitectura Histórica de Puerto Rico".
  2. "San Miguel Chapel – The Oldest Church in the United States".
  3. "Old Trinity Church HABS MD No. 201" (PDF). Historic American Buildings Survey. US National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 6, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  4. "Old Ship Church", National Park Service
  5. W. Eugene Kleinbauer, Modern Perspectives in Western Art History: An Anthology, Medieval Academy of America, 1989, p. 315
  6. National Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings, 1970
  7. Fischer 1994, p. 99.
  8. St. John's Episcopal Church (Fort Washington, Maryland)
  9. "Our History". July 8, 2014.
  10. "San Juan Parish, Ohkay Owingeh, NM".
  11. TEGNA. "Oldest Catholic parish in U.S. celebrates 415 years".
  12. "Mission San Juan Bautista - Spanish Missions/Misiones Españolas (U.S. National Park Service)".
  13. Tormey, James (April 2009). How Firm a Foundation. Richmond, VA: Diets Press. p. 184. ISBN 978-0-87517-135-7.
  14. Spillane, Geoff. "World's oldest congregational church celebrates 400 years".
  15. Marsh, Dwight W. (1886). Genealogy of the Marsh Family: Outline for 5 Generations of the Families of John of Salem, 1633; John of Hartford, 1636; Samuel of New Haven, 1646; Alexander of Braintree, 1654; John of Boston, 1669; Wm. of Plainfield, 1675. Amherst: J. H. Williams. p. 50.
  16. "Archives - Philly.com".
  17. "Archives - Philly.com".
  18. "Indian Springs Baptist Church near McWilliams, AL (built ca. 1825, listed on the Alabama Register) - RuralSWAlabama".
  19. Mt. Comfort Presbyterian Church, 3816 W. Mt. Comfort Road, Fayetteville, Arkansas continually operating congregation in Arkansas since 1828.Patsy Pipkin, "Walk Through History event brings to life memories of Smyrna Church", Arkansas Online, 13 Dec 2009, accessed 27 Sep 2010
  20. "Restoration Almost Complete for Arkansas 85" Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine, Texarkana Gazette, 27 Sep 2010, accessed 27 Sep 2010
  21. Hostetter, Lance. "Prayer, worship and community keep Conejos flock strong". Valley Courier. NewsMedia Corp., Alamosa, Colorado. Archived from the original on December 11, 2010. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  22. "History & Description of St. John's".
  23. http://digitalcommons.unf.edu/historical_architecture_main/882/
  24. "First Parish Church". Meeting House History. First Parish Congregational Church of York. 2009. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
  25. Farmer, John (1838). "Memoirs of Ministers". In E. Cornelius; et al. (eds.). Quarterly register and journal of the American education society. The American quarterly register.
  26. http://mht.maryland.gov/nr/NRDetail.aspx?NRID=259
  27. Central United Methodist Church (Detroit)
  28. "Anniversaries in 1949 of Events Recorded in The Missourian Files". Southeast Missouri. Cape Girardeau, Missouri. January 29, 1949.
  29. "Baptist Association celebrating milestone". Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  30. "Remembering the past, securing the future". semissourian.com. Cape Girardeau, Missouri. June 2, 2007.
  31. A Documentary History of the Episcopal Church in West Missouri, CBF van Alstyne Welles, page 11
  32. http://1stpresbvue.org/
  33. https://salemfontanelle.org/
  34. "Clarkson Community Church - Rochester Wiki".
  35. "Holy Trinity Lutheran Church - History".
  36. "William McKinley Presidential Library & Museum".
  37. "Church of Aurora - Sacred Landmarks".
  38. "Aurora Timeline". May 6, 2010.
  39. New Hanover Evangelical Lutheran Church
  40. "beulah-presby".
  41. https://www.centralmoravianchurch.org/who-we-are/
  42. "Presbyterian Church on Edisto - Edisto Island South Carolina SC".
  43. James Dillon (April 23, 1976). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: St. James' Church, Goose Creek" (PDF). National Park Service. Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying five photos, exterior and interior, from 1975 and 1970 (32 KB)
  44. http://www.historicstlukes.org/history/
  45. http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Counties/Augusta/007-0004_Augusta_Stone_Church_1973_Final_Nomination.pdf
  46. http://farmtown3.rssing.com/browser.php?indx=1793814&item=21131
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