Brunswick Circuit

S-84

The Brunswick Circuit, established in 1773 by Robert Williams, is likely the oldest Methodist circuit in America. It extended from Petersburg south into North Carolina, and became known as “the cradle of Methodism in the South”. By 1776, the remarkably popular circuit had grown to over 1500 members. Nearby is Canaan, home of one of its first ministers and his family, Edward Dromgoole, known for his patriotism and vigorous preaching. Dromgoole helped found Ebenezer Academy, the first Methodist school in VA and possibly in America. Canaan was an important hospitality and educational stop for Methodist preachers, including the first American Methodist Bishop, Francis Asbury.

Department of Historic Resources, 2010

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References/Bibliographic Citation:

Edward Dromgoole Papers, 1775-1880, #230, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Religion on the American Frontier 1783-1840,Volume IV, “The Methodists”, by William Warren Sweet, 1964; Edward Dromgoole House at Valentine, Brunswick County, Virginia, prepared by Harold Crowder for the Old Brunswick Circuit Foundation, with references to the Biographical Dictionary of the United States; Canaan: Home of the Dromgoole Family, Built 1780-1784, in the General Collections of the Virginia Historical Society, by Dromgoole and Lou Allie Heath, 1972; Brunswick County, Virginia: 1720-1975, by Gay Neale, 1975.; Canaan, Dromgoole House, DHR File no. 012-0004