Newport United Methodist Church

Newport United Methodist Church in Newport, MN is home to the oldest Methodist building in Minnesota, a two-story log cabin built in 1839 by Reverend Benjamin T. Kavanaugh. Originally used as a family residence on the upper level and a meeting house and school on the lower level, the log cabin has a rich history, including tragic events such as the death of the Kavanaugh's infant daughter and their son drowning in the nearby river. The log cabin was moved multiple times before finding its current location on the grounds of Newport United Methodist Church in 1969.

In addition to the historic log cabin, Newport United Methodist Church also holds the sacred Red Rock, which has its own Indian legend known as the Eyah Shaw. The legend tells the story of the Great Spirit seeking a place to live with his red children and finding a shady dell by the Mississippi River. The Great Spirit marked his totem on a huge red boulder, which became the sacred Red Rock. Generations of Native Americans worshipped at the Red Rock, bringing rich gifts and performing rituals until the arrival of a Methodist missionary in 1837, which marked the decline of Eyah Shaw's power.

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