Charlotte Harbor in Charlotte County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Trinity United Methodist Church

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, June 8, 2016

1. Trinity United Methodist Church Marker

Inscription. A congregation has met at Trinity United Methodist Church continuously since 1873. The first church organized in today's Charlotte County, its members have been an integral part of our history. Joel and Jesse Knight, James McKay and Jacob Summerlin built a dock in the 1860s to ship cattle and fish, followed by the Knights' store and post office, T.S. Morgan's sugar mill, Nathan DeCoster's saw mill. In 1881, about a dozen families, cow hunters and fisherman lived in Charlotte Harbor. Trinity United Methodist Church represented civilization in a frontier wilderness.

The first church building was a box frame with a palmetto thatch roof, built near today's Melbourne Street. It served as a church and a school until the second structure was built here in 1889 on land donated by Mathieu and Mary E. (Knight) Giddens. That wood-framed, shingled-roof structure was dedicated in 1890 and later destroyed by the 1910 hurricane. A third church survived the hurricane of 1926, but swayed during services in 1944. Men, women and children razed it, then constructed the fourth church building over a period of six years.

Dedicated in November, 1950, the current masonry church has beautiful stained glass windows, restored pews from 1890, and a tower with a church bell which rings for services every Sunday.

Erected

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2007 by Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1873.

Location. 26° 57.575′ N, 82° 4.267′ W. Marker is in Charlotte Harbor, Florida, in Charlotte County. It is at the intersection of Seneca Avenue and Parmely Street, on the right when traveling north on Seneca Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 23084 Seneca Avenue, Punta Gorda FL 33980, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

It is also in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Barron Collier Bridge (approx. 0.2 miles away); Charlotte Harbor Cemetery (approx. ¼ mile away); Schoolhouse Square Shopping Center (approx. 0.3 miles away); Hickory Bluff Pioneers (approx. 0.7 miles away); Hickory Bluff Mound (approx. 0.9 miles away); Hickory Bluff Cemetery (approx. 1.7 miles away); Isaac H. Trabue - Founder of Punta Gorda (approx. 1.8 miles away); Armed Guard (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charlotte Harbor.

Trinity United Methodist Church Marker and church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, June 8, 2016

2. Trinity United Methodist Church Marker and church

Credits. This page was last revised on July 31, 2017. It was originally submitted on January 24, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 614 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 24, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.