History
The First Methodist Episcopal Church grew from circuit riding preachers in the Ohio valley area in 1787. Methodists met in a combined church built in 1819, with Presbyterians and Baptists, in the area that became Mckeesport. The First Methodist Episcopal Church congregation was incorporated in 1841. Growth had moved the congregation to a third church by 1876. That church, at the corner of Walnut Street and Penny Avenue was destroyed by fire on July 11, 1924. Planning for a new building began soon after. Land was purchased along Fourteenth Avenue, now Cornell Street. Ground breaking was on Sunday, June 14, 1925, the completed church was dedicated on Sunday, November 21, 1926. ==Architecture==
Architecture
The church is built in three main sections, a Nave, a Chapel, and the Community building. The northern section, the Nave, with its north and south transepts form a cross when viewed from overhead. A bell tower is situated at the center of that cross. The sandstone building is built on a steel-reinforced concrete foundation. No major changes have been made to the building since its construction. ==References==