Gainesville in Alachua County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church

Photographed by Mike Stroud, April 4, 2012

1. Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church Marker

Inscription. Mount Pleasant Methodist Episcopal Church was founded on July 16, 1867, with the Reverend Isaac Davis serving as the first pastor. The Board of Trustees of the oldest black congregation in Gainesville purchased the lot on which the present church still stands for $160 from Charles W. Brush. He sold lots after the Civil War mainly to African American individuals and institutions in what is now the Pleasant Street Historic District. The founding trustees were Lojurn Davis, Alexander Hamilton, Ethan Daniels, Henry Roberts, William Anderson, Adam Dancy, Shadrach Abendnego, Robert McDuffie and Dr. McDowell. Mount Pleasant soon became a social and religious center for the neighborhood. The first Florida Annual Conference that brought together Methodist churches with black congregations was held at Mount Pleasant in 1874, while the Reverend Alexander DeBose was pastor. The original wood frame building was replaced in 1887 with a brick structure, which was destroyed by fire in 1903. The present church, built of red brick in the stately Romanesque revival style, was completed in 1906 and is noted for its beautiful stained glass

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windows. In 1968, the congregation was renamed the Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church.

Erected 2006 by A Florida Heritage Site The Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-585.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1808.

Location. 29° 39.463′ N, 82° 19.602′ W. Marker is in Gainesville, Florida, in Alachua County. It is on NW 2nd Street near NW 7th Avenue, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 630 NW 2nd Street, Gainesville FL 32601, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Florida.

It is also in the American South.

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

Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church and Marker, along NW 2nd Street, looking north image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, April 4, 2012

2. Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church and Marker, along NW 2nd Street, looking north

least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Chestnut Funeral Home (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Mt. Carmel Baptist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); "The Great Endurance Run" (approx. 0.2 miles away); St. Augustine, the Episcopal Mission Church and School (approx. ¼ mile away); Thomas House (approx. 0.3 miles away); Roper Park / Old City Park (approx. 0.3 miles away); Gainesville's Railroads / Past Railroads of Gainesville (approx. 0.4 miles away); Josiah T. Walls (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gainesville.

Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church Cornerstones image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, April 4, 2012

3. Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church Cornerstones

Mount Pleasant
M.E. Church
Nov. 18, 1904
(Lower)
Laid May 10th
1887
P. McCray
Pastor in charge

Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, April 4, 2012

4. Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church cemetery

The Mt. Pleasant Cemetery was established by the Mt. Pleasant Methodist Episcopal Church as a final resting place for its members and other African Americans in the city of Gainesville.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on May 23, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,584 times since then and 62 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 25, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.