The original Mother's Day church service was held at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in West Virginia.
The church stands in Grafton, in Taylor County, and is closely linked to Anna Jarvis's campaign to create a national day honoring mothers. Her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, had taught Sunday school there and had spent decades organizing Mothers' Day Work Clubs and other community efforts.
A preliminary observance occurred at the church in 1907, followed by the first formal Mother's Day service on May 10, 1908. Anna Jarvis was in Philadelphia for a simultaneous event but sent 500 white carnations to the Grafton congregation. The church's role made it a symbolic birthplace of the modern American holiday.
The building later became the International Mother's Day Shrine. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1992, recognizing its importance in the history of the holiday. West Virginia is sometimes confused with Virginia because the states share a name and border, but Grafton is firmly in West Virginia.