Fort Walton Beach in Okaloosa County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

St. Mary's Catholic Church

— Susan Sloat Pryor Myers Historic Walking Trail —

1. St. Mary's Catholic Church Marker

Inscription. The first Catholic Church in this area was built on this site in 1914 on land donated by John Thomas Brooks. It was a white frame building with a bell tower and had a seating capacity of 50 people. Travel to the new church was made easier when the men of the church packed shell on the sand across the road, giving it the name of Shell Avenue which it retains to this day. The adjacent grotto was built in 1940. A new church was built in 1942 of red brick with a beautiful dark wood interior and a circular stained-glass window. It contained an electric organ, three marble altars and mahogany pews. It was used until the present St. Mary's Church on Robinwood Drive was completed in 1972. This building has been maintained by the local Catholic Church but is not open to the public.

Erected 2019 by Department of State, Division of Historical Resources and the State of Florida. Foundation of Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1914.

Location. 30° 24.328′ N, 86° 36.712′ W. Marker

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is in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, in Okaloosa County. It is on First St SE west of Church Avenue SE, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11 First St SE, Fort Walton Beach FL 32548, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Florida Panhandle.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep 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 walking distance of this marker: Gulfview Hotel (approx. ¼ mile away); Indianola Inn & Indianola Mound (approx. ¼ mile away); Okaloosa County Desert Storm Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Fort Walton (approx. 0.3 miles away); Indianola Inn, An Indian Midden Mound, and Civil War Cannons (approx. 0.3 miles away); Preserving and Protecting the Mound

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(approx. 0.3 miles away); Story of the Fort Walton Temple Mound (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named Preserving and Protecting the Mound (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Walton Beach.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 20, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 14, 2025. This page has been viewed 148 times since then and 19 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on January 14, 2025. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

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