Key West United Methodist Church - Key West, FL - This Old Church on Waymarking.com

"Ten years after the founding of Key West, two traveling Methodist preachers arrived by schooner in 1832. For the next twelve years the gathering spot for worship was a simple meeting in the home of Samuel Kemp, a Bahamian Methodist lay person. The first Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was formed in 1845 making the Old Stone Church the oldest Methodist church in South East Florida.

But that's just part of the story. The current limestone church structure is the fourth building that has housed this congregation. The first church building was a wood structure on the corner of Eaton and William Streets. The second church structure stood in the 600 block of Caroline Street. The third worship hall was a wooden structure built in 1846 on today's sight that was subsequently destroyed by the 1846 Havana Hurricane.

Shortly after, the congregation built a small temporary wooden worship hall and began planning for a substantial structure that could withstand natural disasters and the wrath of Mother Nature. By 1870, William Kerr, a noted builder and architect who first came to Key West as a member of the Union army to help construct local forts, was commissioned to design and build the new church. It took 15 years from 1877 through 1892 to build the current structure.

The new building was significantly larger than the wooden worship hall it was replacing. The coral stone was quarried from the church grounds with the foundation and walls erected around the wooden building. When Kerr installed the roof in 1884 the earlier wooden worship hall was dismantled and carried out the front door. The Old Stone Church was completed in 1892." (visit link)

Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 01/01/1892 Age of Church building determined by?: Cornerstone or plaque If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Sunday Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: 11:00 AM Street address of Church: 600 Eaton St, Key West, FL, United States 33040 Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link] Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link] If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Not listed If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/07/2021 petendot visited it