Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: The Melrose United Methodist Church was organized in 1868 as the Melrose Methodist Episcopal Church, South. This church building, the first located within the original 1877 plat of Melrose, was constructed out of heart pine by the congregation in 1879. The church bell, installed in the 1890s, was rung to alert townspeople of fires, community meetings, and the arrival of the steamboat from Waldo to Melrose Bay. It was also rung to warn citrus growers of possible freezes. The bell still calls people to worship. A parsonage was added in the 1890s for the circuit preacher, and a fence was built around the church to “keep the hogs out.” In 1895, kerosene lamps lit the church; gas lights were installed by 1919. Before each service, young boys pumped gas into the fixtures from an outdoor tank. In 1931, the church’s west side was enlarged to include Sunday school rooms. When the Melrose school burned in 1947, the church served for two years as the school for first and second grades. The Hagglund Fellowship Hall was built in the 1950s and Holstun Hall was added in 1995. Throughout its history, the church has played an important role in the community and contributes to the Melrose Historic District.