4080 Old Orchard Road
Jackson, Missouri
573-204-3633
The Old McKendree Chapel, a national Methodist shrine, was the second meeting house constructed by the Methodists in Missouri and is regarded as the oldest Protestant church structure standing west of the Mississippi River. It is named after William McKendree, the first American born bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the first bishop to have ties with Missouri Methodism. The Old McKendree Chapel is situated on two pastoral acres in a grove of oak and maple trees. With the trees providing shade and the spring at the base of the rise dispensing refreshing cold water, this peaceful setting was an ideal location for camp meetings with the first meetings being held on the site as early as 1806 when McKendree was the presiding elder of the Cumberland district of the western conference of Methodism. The Chapel has been renovated to its present condition with funds from the District Board of Church Extension. The Chapel is listed in the National Archives of the Methodist Church and the National Register of Historic Places in the United States. An Annual Meeting is held each year on the 4th Sunday of September at 3 pm. The public is invited to bring a lawn chair and enjoy an old-time worship service with a feature speaker and musicians on the Chapel lawn.
Visiting the McKendree Chapel
Winter: 8 am - Dusk
Summer: 8 am - 7 pm
For a personal tour, please call 3 or more days in advance.
There is no charge to visit the McKendree Chapel
Learn more about the community of Jackson
oldmckendree.org - The official site of the McKendree Chapel