1774 Gov. Dunmore estimated population of Va. at 500,000 1777 U. S. Constitution written 1781 Defeat of Cornwallis at Yorktown 1786 Va. General Assy. granted charter for Lynchburg 1789 Revolution War; 16,000 Methodist in America, with 500 riding preachers and 2,000 local preachers 1791 Methodist numbered 80,000 throughout the World 1793 First City newspaper, "Union Gazette" 1796 New London Academy authorized 1798 First weekly newspaper, "Lynchburg Advertiser & Farmers Gazette" 1803 Louisiana Purchase from France 1805 "Lynchburg Star" newspaper started 1806 Old City/Methodist Cemetery opened 1807 First school in Lynchburg, Thomas Clayton's house 1812 War of 1812 with Great Britain 1814 Lynchburg Bible Society organized 1816 Year without a summer - cool to cold 1817 W. D. Diuguid, oldest business in city still operating 1818 "Press" news now "Press & Public Advertiser" 1819 Bill passed to locate college in Charlottesville 1820 Founder of Lynchburg, John Lynch died 1822 Press & Advertiser becomes "Lynchburg Virginian" 1833 Earthquake shook the city, August 1840 "Lynchburg Republican" newspaper started 1845 War with Mexico 1851 Canal from Lynchburg to Buckhanan opened 1852 Va. & Tenn. R.R. started operating 1855 Old Lynchburg College, first college to open in city 1857 Economic panic in country, October 1858 Atlantic Cable laid, September; population in Lynchburg was 11,655 1861 Civil War starts at Fort Sumpter; Lynchburg becomes hospital center for Confederacy 1862 Dr. Terrell takes charge of Pest House 1864 Money panic caused decline of Conf. money; at Trevillians, Gens. Wade Hampton & Fitzhugh saves city; Gen Early defends against Hunter World Events 1865 Gen. Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox, Apr. 1866 "Lynchburg News" newspaper started 1867 Alaska was bought from Russia 1868 "Black Friday", financial panic, September; no banks failed in Lynchburg 1865 1st free public school plans made at old Centenary 1866 2nd pipe organ used at a church in city was Ct. St. 1870 Largest fire in city's history took place on 12th St. 1871 Public free schools opened in Lynchburg 1873 Currency inflated by $26 million which caused panic 1875 Lynchburg Female Soc. (Miller Home) opened 1876 Alexander Bell transmitted first telephone message; Custer defeated at battle of Little Big Horne 1879 T. Edison discovered and harnessed electricity 1880 Lynchburg population 22,000 1881 N&W RR contemplated moving to Roanoke 1883 Five firemen died in fire in city; monument erected 1885 Businesses stunned by the effects of a recession 1890 Liquor vote in city; 1709 for wet and 1702 for dry; population of Lynchburg was 19,725 1891 New bridge from Main St. to Rivermont opened; Va. Medical Convention held in Lynchburg 1893 RMWC opened, Nov.; World's Fair at Chicago 1896 First State Conf. of Epworth League held in Lynchburg with 1500 in attendance; city recovering from recession 1897 Klondike Gold fever struck the country 1898 Spanish-American War 1899 A great era of prosperity in city; Buffalo Bill's Wild West show came again to Lynchburg 1900 US population 75.9 million; Boxer Rebellion in China 1902 Acquisition of Panama Canal Zone 1903 Va. Christian College opened 1906 Sweet Briar College opened 1908 Jones Memorial Library built; Model T-Ford built 1909 Admiral Perry reached North Pole 1910 US population was 92 million; Fed. income tax start 1911 First aircraft flown to Lynchburg 1912 Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts organized; Titanic sunk 1913 Federal Reserve Board created by Carter Glass 1914 World War I starts; US enters war in April 1917; Panama canal opened 1923 Tea Pot Dome scandal in Wyoming 1924 Monument Terrace completed 1929 Black Friday - Great Depression, Oct 29th 1930 Cox's Army marched on Washington for relief; Lindenberg's flight across Atlantic 1935 Prohibition appealed by 21sy Amendment; Social Security law inacted 1936 Sesquicentennial Celebration in Lynchburg 1938 Orson Wells broadcast "War of the Worlds" 1939 Methodist Episcopal Churches N & S reunite 1940 Roosevelt broke unwritten law by serving 3 terms 1941 World War II; commercial TV began 1942 Rationing because of war began in Lynchburg 1943 Race riots in Detroit with 22 killed & 700 injured 1941 Schewel Fur. sold church to Parkview congregation 1944 VE day in Europe - war over in Europe; race riot in Philadelphia 1945 WW-II ends in Europe; two atomic bombs dropped on Japan and Japan surrenders; importantly engaged in Manhattan Project was John Early Jackson, descendent of Bishop John Early 1948 Berlin blockaded and Cold War starts 1950 Population in US 150.6 million; Korean War starts 1951 General MacCarthy relieved of command; largest US passenger ship launched at Newport News 1954 Dr. Jonas Salk perfects polio vaccine 1956 Supreme Ct. rules bus segregation unconstitutional 1958 Russia launches Sputnick satellite; Pittman Plaza opened 1959 Alaska and Hawaii admitted to Union 1960 Population of US 179,323,175; there was an uncontrolled increase in crime in US; a set-in at Patterson Drug Store on Main St., Dec. 1960's Vietnamese War fought 1961 Allen Shepherd, first man to fly into space 1962 First two black students enroll at E. C. Glass High 1963 Supreme Court banned prayer in public schools; President Kennedy assassinated 1967 200th Year Celebration of Methodism in US; Lynchburg Christian Acad. started by Falwell 1968 Dr. Martin Luther King assassinated 1969 Neil Armstrong lands on the Moon 1970 Lucy Baber starts first Child Care Center in city; Downtown Lynchburg hits "rock bottom"; SALT treaty signed 1971 City Council voted to bus students to schools 1973 Cease fire in Vietnam, June 1974 President Nixon resigns, August 1979 River Ridge Mall built; US hostages held in Teheran 1980's Several TV Evangelists disgraced in scandals 1981 President Anwar Sadat assinated in n Egypt 1982 US recession, 10.4% unemployed 1983 US Embassy destroyed in Lebanon 1986, Jan 28th, Challenger exploded after launch and all seven crew members killed 1987 Worst flood in Lynchburg's history, 36 feet 1989/90 Communism flops 1990 Germany reunited; much unrest in Mid-east 1993 Freak windstorm devastates city's downtown 1995 Berlin Wall came down; Timmothy McVeigh bombs Federal building in Oklahoma City, April 2001 Enron scandal shocks financial world 2001 President Busch dedicates D-Day Memorial at Bedford, Va. 2003, Feb 1st, Shuttle Columbia explodes on re-entry and all seven crew members killed 2003 War with Iraq starts, March 2004 George Bush elected President for 2nd term 2004 Indonesia-Malisa-Sri Lanka devastated by tsunami which happened on Dec 26th 2005 Jan 30th in Iraq, elections were held for leaders in a new democratic government. 2005 Feb. 21st, a new POW/MIA Monument was dedicated on Monument Terrace. Ken Swartz visioned the 1000# carved greenstone Monument. It was dedicated to 3,350 WW-I, 78,773 WW-II, 8,100 Korean and 2,047 Vietnamese POW's. continue to be used to sustain her life when her brain was dead. leader who advocated human freedom and world 2005 Mar 3rd, 60 yr. old Steve Fossett completed the first round the world solo flight in the Global Flyer 2005 Terri Schiavo died in a Florida hospital. The world watched and waited as legal procedures failed to permit feeding tubes to be removed. 2005 Apr 2nd, Pope John Paul II died, a much beloved man of peace; was against abortion and death penalty. He was the third longest reigning Pope (26 yrs)

World & Centenary Dual Time Lines by Terrell D. Moseley - Centenary Historian

World Events

1784 Christmas Conf. organized the Methodist Episcopal Church in America 1800 Bishop Francis Asbury in Lynchburg to extend boundaries of Methodism in Va. 1802 1st Methodist Soc. at home of Samuel Mitchell 1804 Itinerate preacher, Lorenzo Dow, proclaimed Lynchburg as "The seat of Satan's Kingdom" 1805 Land purchased for Methodist Meeting House 1806 3rd St. Methodist Meeting House built 1808 1st Va. Methodist Conf. held in Lynchburg; 600 heard Francis Asbury preach 1811 Methodist Meeting House made station for 1 yr. 1812 Methodist Meeting House back on Bedford Cir. 1814 Meeting House raised and rebuilt 1815 Ladys" of Lynchburg gave bell for Meeting House; Va. Conf. met again at the Meeting House 1817 Oldest Sunday School in Va. held in Lynchburg; Methodist membership was 169 1821 Meth. Meeting House made a "permanent charge" 1828 Group broke off started Reformed Methodist Ch. 1832 First Female Missionary Society founded in city 1833 Brick addition to church named Holcomb Hall 1835 Va. Conf. met again in Lynchburg at Old Centenary 1842 Methodist-Protestant Conf. met in Lynchburg 1844 Va. Method. Conf. met in Lynchburg, Nov. 1849 Old Centenary remodeled 1849 Group broke off started Court St. Methodist 1853 Va. Conference met at Court Street Meth. Church 1859 Va. Conf. met in Lynchburg with concern of South 1860 Methodist Episcopal Church splits - N & S; rebuilt Centenary Church dedicated - finest in Va. Conference; name "Centenary" first used 1861 Town meeting at Old Centenary voted for Va. to break relations with the Federal Gov., Jan. 1862 Original Lynchburg College turned into hospital 1864 Va. Conference met in Lynchburg, August "Elijah" at Centenary 1872 Methodist-Protestant Conf. met in Lynchburg 1873 Centenary sponsored church in Madison Hgts. 1874 Methodist-Protestant Conf. met in Lynchburg 1875 Centenary had 300 conversions at a Revival 1876 Va. Conference met again in Lynchburg 1877 Va. Conference met again at Centenary 1880 Danieltown Chapel built at H & Cabell Sts.; sponsored by Centenary & Court Street 1883 Halcomb Hall caught fire, but was extinguished 1884 A Revival at Centenary brought 260 confessions 1884 Trinity Chapel, sponsored by Centenary, dedicated; Centenary revival resulted in 260 conversions; Va. Conference met at Court Street; Trinity Chapel, sponsored by Centenary, was dedicated 1893 Centenary planned for extensive improvements 1897 Danieltown moved to new church on Fitzhugh Pl. 1900 Asbury Christian, Old Centenary pastor, published famous book, "Lynchburg and It's People" 1907 1st known training school for S.S. teachers held at Rivermont Avenue Methodist Church 1922 Started Church School building at 1501 Riv. Ave. 1927 Church building started at 1501 Rivermont Ave. 1930 Rivermont Ave. & Centenary merged 1931/32 Centenary budget was $13,163 1934/35 Centenary budget was $20,016 1939 Schewel Furniture Co. bought old Centenary bldg. 1947 Debt note for new Centenary burned, Nov. 30th 1949 Chimes by phonograph installed in steeple1952/53 Centenary budget was $40,439 1950 Centenary membership was 1274; Old Centenary dismantled and moved to Memorial Ave.; Fine Arts Center got it's start in Centenary's Holcomb Hall at 1001-1013 Church St. 1952 Parsonage at 1312 Rivermont Ave. sold 1953 Parsonage at 4101 Peakland Pl. purchased 1954 First issue of "Spire" circulated 1955 Bill Gibson took 30 youth on trip to New York City 1956 150th Yr. of 1st Methodist Meeting House; Bishops' dinner at RMWC, January 1957 Centenary had 76 members attended City-wide Christian Workers School 1958 Centenary membership was 1325 1958/59 Centenary budget was $62,000 1959 Opening of Centenary's Church Library, April 1964/65 Centenary budget was $88,870 1967 United Brethren & Methodist unite 1969 Plans for Christian Ed. for city's retarded children started at Centenary 1970 Parsonage at 2424 Indian Hill Rd. purchased 1972 Centenary celebrates 50 years at 1501 Rivermont 1973 Handbells given to Centenary as a Memorial, Feb. 1975 Vietnamese Chiem family sponsored by Centenary; 1975 Byron Wilkerson on Mission trip to Australia; 1976 Ruffner school property purchased Oct. 10, 1976 for $41,000 1979 Dr. Edgar Potts, "Minister Emeritus" of Centenary 1982 Steeple replaced with all aluminum & copper one 1983 Pageant of Mead's "Praying Rock", early leaders 1984 Centenary budget was $223,447; dedication of redecorated Sanctuary 1986 Mission trip to Mexico; Claude Tankersley's book "Centenary UMC, 1806-1886" 1986 Church School Bldg. renovated; First sound system installed in Sanctuary at cost of $6,500 1987 ECHO started 1988 Church acquired used van for transportation; three youth go on Mission trip to Puerto Rico, July 1989 Tutorial program started for 3-5th graders, Oct. 1990 Ann Campfield goes to Kenya; house at 1475 Rivermont Ave. purchased 1992 Adm. Board & Council on Ministries combined to become Administrative Council; Ida and Bill 1992 Bill & Ida Powell go to Eastern Europe with Society of St. Andrew 1993 Super Church started 1997 JIFF started 1997 Neighborhood cookout, July; Play Reading Group started with Dr. Sasser as leader, Sept. 2000 The MMM's organized by Rex & Marge Butler 2004 Centenary started planning for their Bicentennial celebration in the year 2006 2005 Centenary initiated participation in the National Church Development, NCD, program 2005 Centenary Board makes decision to sell rental property 2005 Oct., Centenary sends Carl and Paula Howell to Louisiana for mission work repairing homes. 2005, Nov., Centenary hosts 7 other churches, including the Muslim community, for an Interfaith Thanksgiving worship service

Centenary Related Events