This church was built in Maynard, New York in 1839 as a Methodist meeting house for a congregation which had outgrown the little yellow school house they were using for services. It was located in the Town of Marcy on Edic Road. One of the founding members of this church was Jacob Edic, a boat owner and shipper on the nearby Mohawk River who donated the land upon which the church was built.

Maynard is a little hamlet in teh southeast corner of teh township of Marcy.

Most of the funds needed to build the church were raised by the local congregation. As the congregation enjoyed a friendly relationship with its brethren in Utica, an additional $259.43 was raised byt eh Utica Methodist Church. The first recorded meeting held in the building occurred on January 15, 1840, and pews were auctioned off to members of the church who could acquire a pew for a year by paying a fee. This raised $91.00 for the new church. In addition to the actual church, by 1840, the grounds also had a parsonage, horse shed, burial ground and fence. The costs for each burial plan in 1840 was set at $5.00.

in 1839, there were 39 men (all heads of families) listed as charter members. Over the years, at least 50 different pastors served this church. Church services were important part of an 1800’s family offering both religious and social functions to its members. In 1974 the congregation build a new church and donated this one to the Erie Canal Village.

During its century-plus history, Maynard Church has been in three conferences, the Black River, the Central New York, and the Norther New York. In 1839 it was a part of the Trenton Circuit of the Black River Conference, on the Herkimer District. In 1840 it appears in the Conference minutes as the Marcy Circuit, and continues as such until 1844, when it became part of the Rome District, and known as the Marcy and Oriskany Circuit. In 1845 it appears again simply as Marcy, and continues as such until 1857, when it is listed as Marcy and Schuyler. This relationship with Schuyler continued for some years. For a time, Maynard was part of the Old Utica District of Norther New York Conference. It was in 1888 that the Maynard became associated with the Whitesboro Church, and that association was known as the Maynard-Whitestown Charge. A few years later it was listed in the Conference minutes as the Whtestown-Maynard Charge. These two churches were closely linked for over half a century, and the relationship between them was most friendly.

Maynard enjoyed the privilege of having a pastor occupy its Parsonage until 1882. Some 50 pastors served this little church, some staying only a few months to fill out part of a conference year.

Until shortly after World War I, Maynard Church served a fairly good sized congregation. In the fall of 1958, a resident minister was again appointed to the church in anticipation of a growing population.

In the early years of the church only heads of families were listed on the Church rolls. Records list twenty-seven men as Charter Members in 1839.

Church services played an important role in the lives of people during the early 19th century. Prayer meetings and choir rehearsal in the evenings made for social occasion. A sample of expenses for the operating of this church in 1907:

Church hymnals $ 1.75
Communion wine $ .25
Building fires $10.00
Sweeping the church $ .25
Insurance $15.00
Tuning organ $ 4.00