6830 Berryhill Road – First Methodist Church

The Church that stands today at the intersection of Berryhill, Broad and Willing Streets was built in 1936.  It was constructed after two other church buildings made of wood were destroyed by fire. However, the history of the First United Methodist Church extends back to the Civil War era.

The First Methodist Church in this area was built just about the time of the Civil War. Property for both the Church and the parsonage was given to the Congregation by the Keyser family of Milton and the Thompson family of Bagdad. The Church was located on Conecuh Street in front of the present parsonage. This building burned in 1904.

     A new Church which was larger and more ornate was erected in 1905. This Church building burned during a White Christmas in 1932. The fire was believed caused by a heater. When the firemen determined they could not save the building, they cut a large hole in the rear wall and through this hole carried out what they could. Only a few items were saved; one, the grand piano which is located in the Penfield Center and a pulpit chair. Very few pieces of furniture were saved.

     The Depression made financing difficult, so for three years services were held in the Santa Rosa County Courthouse. To raise funds to build the third building, the church sold bricks and its children began a “pennies for bricks” campaign. The congregation met in the Santa Rosa Courthouse for worship for three years while they raised funds; the choir occupied the jury box on Sunday mornings.

The congregation finally began construction of a new building on land given by Mrs. Mattie Monroe in 1935 and was clear of debt at the time of completion in 1936.

Credits and Sources:

^{Information sourced from:}

^{First United Methodist Church. “History.” www.miltfumc.org}

^{http://www.miltfumc.org/HistoryoftheChurch (accessed November 21, 2017).}

^{Santa Rosa Press Gazette. FUMC of Milton Celebrates 150 Years. www.srpressgazette.com}

^{http://www.srpressgazette.com/news/20170518/first-united-methodist-church-of-milton-celebrates-150-years-photos (accessed November 21, 2017).}