Wiley United Methodist Church

Chattanooga, United States

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

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Bethlehem Wiley United Methodist Church, a Gothic Revival brick structure at 504 Lookout Street in Chattanooga, Tennessee, occupies a site central to the city's early history as Ross's Landing. The current building, completed in 1886–1887, was rebuilt following the destruction of its predecessor by arson, constructed through the cooperative efforts of its congregation. The original church on the site served significant roles during the Civil War, when it was repurposed first as a Confederate hospital and prison, later as a Union military prison, and sustained major damage during the 1863 Battle of Chattanooga. After its purchase in 1867, the site became home to the first African Methodist Episcopal congregation in East Tennessee. Declared unsafe in 1978, the building underwent restoration including a new roof, exterior sandblasting, and interior woodwork recovery before being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, enabling the congregation to resume worship.