Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (Steubenville, Ohio)
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First Methodist Episcopal-Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
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Front and northern side
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| Location | 300 S. Fourth St., Steubenville, Ohio |
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| Coordinates | 40°21′23″N 80°37′0″W / 40.35639°N 80.61667°WCoordinates: 40°21′23″N 80°37′0″W / 40.35639°N 80.61667°W |
| Area | 0.3 acres (0.12 ha) |
| Built | 1914 |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| NRHP Reference # | 06000093 |
| Added to NRHP | March 2, 2006 |
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church is a historic Greek Orthodox church building near downtown Steubenville, Ohio, United States. Constructed for a large Methodist Episcopal congregation in the early twentieth century, it was acquired by the present occupants in 1945. Featuring Neoclassical elements such as a large dome and a prominent colonnade, it has been named a historic site.
The first minister to pass through Jefferson County appears to have been Baptist preacher David Jones, a travelling minister who preached to Indians and scattered settlers during a 1772 visit. Jefferson County's first Methodists were present by the 1780s, appearing in Richard Butler's journal during an expedition to remove squatters from Indian country in 1785. Methodist preachers were active in Steubenville during 1794; a circuit had been formed by 1796, and a separate congregation was formed before long. When Francis Asbury visited Steubenville to preach in 1803, he observed that their usual meeting place, the courthouse, was too small to hold everyone. Several years passed before this problem was resolved; some members formed a separate congregation nearby in 1810, and wealthy member Bezaleel Wells donated land at the corner of Fourth and South Streets in Steubenville upon which a church was ready for use by the end of 1811. Epidemics carried away many in 1813, but the numbers continued to swell as revival meetings won numerous converts, and while the new building was complete by 1814, an expansion was necessary as early as 1821. By 1824, the church was larger than any other in Steubenville, but the coming of New Light preachers caused a split, as the newcomers won away many Methodists. Membership stood at 178 in 1830, but 82 members left during the national schism that produced the Methodist Protestant Church in that year, and an epidemic of scarlet fever killed many younger members in the following year. Nevertheless, the congregation eventually began to regain its strength; the members living in northern Steubenville became a separate congregation in 1845, but eleven years later, the original building was replaced with a larger structure that was expanded in 1871. Further church planting was conducted in 1867 and 1870, but by 1910, membership was approximately 650. Consequently, the present building was constructed on the same site in 1914.
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