Barratt's Chapel

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Barratt's Chapel is a small church north of Frederica, Delaware. It was built in 1780 on land donated by Philip Barratt, a local landowner and early supporter of Methodism. Barratt, who had recently joined the Methodist movement, wanted a center for Methodism in Delaware.

It is the oldest surviving church building in the United States built by and for Methodists, and it is known as the Cradle of Methodism because of events that happened there in 1784. Methodism began in England under John and Charles Wesley. American Methodists grew under leaders like Francis Asbury. In 1784, John Wesley sent Thomas Coke to America to help organize the movement. At Barratt's Chapel on Sunday, November 14, 1784, Coke preached and Asbury arrived. Coke met Asbury, which is marked by a star in the chapel floor. In that service, ordained Methodist clergy began administering baptism and Holy Communion. Afterward, Coke and Asbury planned a meeting in Baltimore, and the Christmas Conference of 1784 led to the formation of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Today the chapel still looks much the same on the outside, though the interior was renovated in 1842. It is a designated Heritage Landmark of the United Methodist Church and is owned and maintained by the Commission on Archives and History of the Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Thousands visit each year. The Commission sponsors two major services there: the Anniversary Service on the second Sunday of November, to honor Coke and Asbury, and a Christmas Carol Service in December. The chapel is also used for weddings, baptisms, funerals, and other events.

Barratt's Chapel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The nearby Barratt's Chapel Museum displays original furniture, religious books, and artifacts about Methodist history on the Delmarva Peninsula, plus a video about Barratt's. Visitors can tour the original chapel and a reconstructed 18th-century vestry. The chapel and museum are open on Saturdays and Sundays.