The land on which the first meetinghouse and the current brick structure was built was sold by the widow of Daniel Waldron, Olive R. Waldron, on November 3, 1824 for $251.20 to the Methodist Society’s Building Committee, made up of Joseph Smith, Robert Rogers, William Palmer, George Piper and Jeremiah Titcomb (Strafford County Deeds Book 121, Page 444). They had been contracted by Rev. Jotham Horton and Lewis B. Tebbets to build a meetinghouse on the lot which was to be purchased from Olive Waldron. The Building Committee subsequently transferred the lot and buildings to the Methodist Society on March 26, 1828 (Strafford County Deeds Book 132 Page 315).
In 1825 a wooden structure was erected on the site. In 1827 a wooden vestry was constructed, and in 1829 a parsonage. Both structures stood at the rear of the church. By 1840 a fence surrounded the property and a bell was placed in the tower. By mid-century the Methodists were growing at such a rapid rate that a new chapel was constructed on the east side of the church; by 1875 the old church was torn down and a new brick structure was built. The new church cost over $40,000 to build and could seat 1,000 people; chimes weighing over 8,000 pounds were added to the tower soon after the church was completed. From the 1983 Heritage Walking Tour booklet with a correction from Jesse Galt, St. John's Church Historian
More information available at the St. John's United Methodist Church web site.