Tallahassee's oldest churches form bedrock for faithful

From emancipated slaves to French settlers, Catholic missionaries on Spanish vessels to locals seeking refuge, some of Tallahassee's churches are living memories of decades long past.

By no means a comprehensive list, here's a quick glimpse at some of the oldest churches in Tallahassee:

Trinity United Methodist Church — 1824

Many congregations in town date back to the 1800s and the congregation for Trinity UMC hearkens back to 1824, coinciding with Tallahassee's founding. The building where the congregation meets now was erected in 1964 at 120 W. Park Ave. 

Trinity celebrated its 175th anniversary in 1999 with a church history titled "Trinity United Methodist Church, Tallahassee's First Church, 1824-1999." 

The church is already planning a 200th anniversary celebration for 2024. 

St. John’s Episcopal Church — 1829 

St. John's is the “mother church” of the Diocese of Florida, according to the Florida State University special collections and archives division. The first building was erected in 1837, though the original church burned in 1879. A new church, built on the same site, was consecrated in 1888. The red brick building that stands at 211 N. Monroe St. dates back to 1880 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  

Pisgah United Methodist Church — 1830

The Pisgah United Methodist Church, also referred to as Old Pisgah Church, was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It’s first 34-member congregation was organized in 1830. 

The current building, of a Greek Revival style architecture, is one of the oldest remaining Methodist church buildings and is listed on the National Register of Methodist Structures. Located at 7000 Pisgah Church Road, it was built in 1858 and is the third church to be located on the site. 

First Presbyterian Church in Tallahassee — 1838 

It's considered the oldest public building in Tallahassee in continuous use and stands at 110 N. Adams St. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and during the 1800s was used to shelter women and children when fighting broke out during the Indian Wars, according to the church's historians. The wood used to build the sanctuary is heart pine, and the pillars supporting the church’s galleries show the original adz marks, prints in the wood left from the marksman’s tools. During the church's founding years, enslaved African Americans could be members of the church, which was an unusual practice for that time, the church says. 

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church — 1845

Catholicism has a far-reaching heritage in Florida. In 1539, 12 priests accompanying Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto held what could have been the first Christmas Mass in Tallahassee, according to the church’s website. 

In the 1820s, French settlers brought the denomination back to Tallahassee and the first Blessed Sacrament church was erected in 1845 on the northeast corner of Park Avenue and Gadsden Street. The church opened a school in the 1850s that operated for 20 years before public schools were introduced. The current 500-seat church located at 624 Miccosukee Road was built in 1952, according to the church's website. 

First Baptist Church of Tallahassee — 1849 

The founding members were locals — four men and five women who organized the First Baptist congregation in 1849 to meet the demands of an expanding population. Of these nine founders, two rose to high ranks of state government. Construction on the building that stands at 108 W. College Ave. ended in 1957. During and after the Civil War, 1861-1864, records were either not kept or were destroyed because post-war church documents are dated 1880, according to the church's website. 

Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church — 1865 

The church was founded in 1865 by Rev. Robert Meacham and 116 former slaves, according to historians Barbara Cotton and Darryl Jones. The congregation began as part of the segregated Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church on the corner of Park Avenue and Duval Street. When the freedmen “yearned to be released” from the segregated gallery, they walked out and began worship on their own, according to Cotton and Jones. The church celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2015 and stands at 501 W. Orange Ave.

Bethel Missionary Baptist Church — 1870 

Bethel can trace its roots back to the early 1830s when enslaved African Americans worshiped on John Parkhill’s Leon County plantation without any sort of building, according to the church’s website. The church says worshipers traveled from plantations in Leon, Jefferson and Madison counties from 1835 to 1865 to hold service together. The church recognizes the year 1870 as its “official origin.”  

The building that stands now at 224 N. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd opened in 1976.

The Rev C.K. Steele was pastor of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church from 1952 until his death in 1980 at age 66 and was active during the civil rights movement.

New Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church — 1890

Zion Hill and Mount Moriah were two congregations organized in the 1800s, according to church historians and the Zion Hill Church was organized soon after emancipation. The deed to the church property dates 1890 and the church still has the document. Church historians describe the original church as a “plantation church” that was provided by plantation owners where enslaved African Americans could worship.

The current New Mt. Zion AME Church stands at 1401 Old Bainbridge Road.

Reach CD Davidson-Hiers at CDavidsonH@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @DavidsonHiers.