Good Day to all! Did you know the oldest organized church in today’s Charlotte County is Trinity United Methodist in Charlotte Harbor? The current building is the church’s fourth.
Chartered in 1873 as a member of the Tampa Methodist Episcopal District, ten years before Isaac Trabue purchased land and started a town that would eventually become Punta Gorda, Hickory Bluff’s (Charlotte Harbor) first church was wood frame with a thatched roof, located east of today’s U. S. Highway 41, near what is now Melbourne St. Lumber for the church building was cut at Nathan Decoster’s sawmill, the only one south of Tampa, likely located on a lagoon that still exists near Melbourne Street.
The first pastor was W. P. McEwen, a “circuit rider”, who preached two Sundays a month. However, bible school was held every Sunday. During the week, the building served as the community’s school. A later pastor, Reverend John W. Branscomb, assigned in 1928, went on to become the first Methodist Bishop of Florida.
The church moved to its present location in 1889 when Mathieu and Mary Giddens provided a lot at the corner of Parmely Street and Seneca Avenue, so a sturdier building could be constructed. Next door, a two-room school was also built. Unfortunately, the second building was destroyed by a hurricane in 1910, but the pews were salvaged. That same year the congregation rebuilt a second church on the same site, but the elements remained unkind. The 1926 hurricane, which flooded streets in downtown Punta Gorda, blew the church off its foundation, but it was moved back.
By 1941, braces had been erected both inside the church and out and in 1944, on a particularly windy day, the building swayed so badly the congregation feared it would collapse during the service. Wartime shortages caused delays, but a fourth building of masonry construction, third on the current site, was finally dedicated on November 9, 1950, containing pews from the 1889 structure. For the six intervening years, the congregation had met in the vacant two-story Charlotte Harbor School, located where the Schoolhouse Square Shopping Center now stands at King’s Highway and Harborview Road.
The pews however, were a source of concern the day before dedication when a fresh coat of shellac failed to dry properly. Worried that folks’ clothes would stick to the pews, they were set outside and periodically sprayed with water all night. Fortunately, that did the trick and they were ready for the dedication ceremony led by Roy H. Short, newly appointed Resident Bishop of the Jacksonville Episcopal Area, who also happened to be a Kiwanian.
Visit Charlotte County’s website to view Trinity United Methodist photographs. Select “Community Services”, then “Libraries and History”. Click on “Physical Items”, then “Archive Search”. Enter the subject of your search on the “Search” line.
Check out History Services’ yearlong project, “Telling Your Stories: History in the Parks”. It began in January 2021 with placement of the first interpretive sign “Charlotte Harbor Spa” at South County Regional Park. The last was dedicated December 15, 2021 at Centennial Park featuring Florida postcards. All dedicated signs can be viewed at online library resources. Select “Programs and Services”, then “History Services” and “Virtual Programs”.
Visit the same site to access recently released oral histories featuring 40 local folks. Select “History Services” and scroll down, or phone 941-629-7278, to find out what history related programs and videos are available.
“Did You Know” appears, typically, every other Wednesday, courtesy of this newspaper and the Charlotte County Historical Society. The Society’s mission is to help promote and preserve Charlotte County’s rich history. We are also always looking for volunteers and interested individuals to serve as board members. If you believe our area’s history is as important as we do, please visit Charlotte County Historical Society on-line at https://cchistoricalsociety.com/, or call 941- 769-1270 for more information.
August 16 column
