Fernandina Beach in Nassau County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Memorial United Methodist Church
— United Methodist Church Registered Historic Site No. 303 —
Methodism first came to Amelia Island in 1822 when the South Carolina Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church appointed the Reverend Elijah Sinclair as the first minister to East Florida. Sinclair arrived within months of Florida being ceded to the United States by Spain in 1821 and was welcomed by Protestant Scotch and English settlers who opened their homes to him for services. The congregation continued to worship in homes and the Pioneer Hotel after the town was relocated in the 1850s from Old Town, about a mile north of the present site of Fernandina Beach. In the mid-1800s a wood frame church was built on the northwest corner of Broome and Sixth Streets. The old church was torn down after it was replaced by the building on Centre Street. Construction of the brick Classical Revival style building began in 1926 on property donated by E.W. Bailey and John W. Simmons. The sanctuary was complete by 1930 and the first services were held on the second Sunday in February. Fund raising to complete work on the church was difficult during the Great Depression of the 1930s, and the three-story classroom section at the rear of the building was still unfinished when Bishop Paul Kern dedicated the church in 1940. The work was finally completed in 1951. It is the oldest United Methodist congregation in the Florida conference.
Erected 1996 by The General Duncan Lamont Clinch Historical Society of Amelia Island and Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-371.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Churches & Religion. In addition, it is included in the United Methodist Church Historic Sites series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1822.
Location. 30° 40.262′ N, 81° 27.62′ W. Marker is in Fernandina Beach, Florida, in Nassau County. Marker is on Sixth Street near Centre Street (State Road 1A / 20), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fernandina Beach FL 32034, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. First Presbyterian Church (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Nassau County Historic Courthouse (about 300 feet away); The Lesesne House (about 400 feet away); Post Office Lamp Posts (about 500 feet away); U.S. Post Office–Customs House-Courthouse (about 500 feet away); St. Peter's Church (about 600 feet away); Trinity United Methodist Church (about 700 feet away); The Good Shepherd Church 1887-1966 (about 800 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fernandina Beach.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 5, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 22, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 659 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 22, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 5. submitted on February 2, 2024, by Diane Murphy of Saint Cloud, Florida.