| On the night of August 10, 1961, the church sanctuary was entirely destroyed by fire. As August 11th dawned hot and bright, the smoldering ruins of First Methodist Church were as dark and dreary as the spirits of its members. Yet faith was not dead. Phoenix-like, it stirred even that day. |
| He unearthed the pair of bronze urns given by Imogene Paddock in memory of her mother, Mary Weeks Paddock. That fire-blackened pair of urns are often in use on the altar or on the re-table. Paul Driscoll, the custodian, found the 1877 church bell, cleaned it, and, after nearly a hundred years of service, it now sits at the front entrance of our present church. The Century Memorial Fund plaque, which now hangs in the church, was also rescued from the ashes. |
| When the box within the 1894 cornerstone was opened, three members who saw the cornerstone laid were present - Mrs. J. H. Howe, Miss Maybelle Hodges and Miss Florence Distin. The contents were badly damaged by the corrosion of time; some papers were indecipherable while others had crumbled to dust. A small bible seemed intact but was ready to crumble, too. A package of Sunday School attendance cards was almost intact and perfectly legible. |
The Syracuse Herald Journal wrote of these days: "The great tower of the First
Methodist Church is down and traffic is moving freely. Great masses of rubble
mount against remaining walls of the church and over sidewalks, and soon the
historic landmark, dedicated in December 1894, will be erased as completely as if it
had never existed."
Methodist Church is down and traffic is moving freely. Great masses of rubble
mount against remaining walls of the church and over sidewalks, and soon the
historic landmark, dedicated in December 1894, will be erased as completely as if it
had never existed."
| In May 1963, the Official Board of the First Methodist Episcopal Church voted to sell the property and remaining buildings on the corner of Oneida and East Third Street to the newly formed and church sponsored Y. M. C. A. for a sum of $12,000. |
The newly formed Y. M. C. A. replaced the portion of building destroyed in the fire of
1961 with a new building housing a swimming pool, offices and locker rooms. During
the Y. M. C. A. construction, the Lintel Stone was cut through to accommodate a new
support beam.
In the 1990's, the Y. M. C. A. moved to a new location and the once beautiful church
building deteriorated through disuse and became a blight in the neighborhood.
1961 with a new building housing a swimming pool, offices and locker rooms. During
the Y. M. C. A. construction, the Lintel Stone was cut through to accommodate a new
support beam.
In the 1990's, the Y. M. C. A. moved to a new location and the once beautiful church
building deteriorated through disuse and became a blight in the neighborhood.
The City of Fulton became responsible for the property in 1996,
and in 1997 the buildings were demolished to make room for
the new headquarters for Oswego County Opportunities.
During demolition, the Lintel Stone was discovered by the
Rowlee Construction Company and returned to our church.
and in 1997 the buildings were demolished to make room for
the new headquarters for Oswego County Opportunities.
During demolition, the Lintel Stone was discovered by the
Rowlee Construction Company and returned to our church.
| The stone can be seen in our church today! |
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| The Lintel Stone (Page 2) |
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| Please help support us. Your donations can help keep our Ministries strong. © First United Methodist Church, Fulton, New York - Contact Us at: umcfirst@windstream.net Web Design by Joe Abbate |
