Since its construction in 1843, the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel has accommodated a remarkable variety of uses. Built to house the religious services of the abolitionist Wesleyan Methodists, the Chapel was routinely opened for meetings of anti-slavery, temperance, and other reform groups. The most significant of these meetings was the first women's rights convention, held July 19 and 20, 1848, an event which began the women's rights movements that continue today.
When the Wesleyans moved to a new church in 1872, no one thought to preserve the site of this historic convention. Subsequent owners raised the roof, built multiple additions to the front and rear, and remodeled the interior many times. Over the years, the Chapel housed stores, a public hall, an opera house, a movie theater, and several car dealerships. In 1961, it became home to the Seneca Falls Laundromat.
When the National Park Service acquired it in 1985, all that remained of the original Chapel were portions of the two side walls and roof. Research produced only scattered evidence of the Chapel's original appearance, making an accurate historic restoration impossible. ."
In 1987, the Park Service held a national competition to select a design for the site that both preserved the remains of the Chapel and appropriately recognized its historic and symbolic importance.The winning entry removed all post-1848 additions, lowered the roof to its original height, and redesigned the grounds of the Chapel to highlight the Declaration of Sentiments approved at the convention. The Chapel and grounds were dedicated in 1993, reflecting the community's and the nation'a commitment to preserving our vital historic heritage.The National Park Service continues to strive to find the best ways to preserve the site, to assist visitors in interpreting it, end to help the public understand the significance of the 1848 Convention held here.
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