Pine Castle Historical Markers - part 9

UNION CHURCH

The first church in the Pine Castle area was established on the shores of Lake Jessamine in 1876, by local Presbyterians. But, this congregation later merged with First Presbyterian Church of Orlando, and their building was put to other use. Other early denominations met in the homes of members.

In 1900, a need for an interdenominational church building in Pine Castle motivated local women to organize the Christian Workers Society, raise money for the building, and help the needy. The group sponsored ice cream socials, oyster stew dinners, and box suppers. Men in the community contributed to the project by cutting timber and hauling logs to the nearest saw mill at Smithville (now Taft). Once the logs were cured, they built the Union Church on the northeast corner of South Orange Avenue and Wallace Street.

On alternating Sundays, ministers came from Orlando and elsewhere to conduct Methodist, Baptist, and Missionary Alliance services. The small congregations generally attended each others services. It was not unusual for a minister to start shouting during a service in order to be heard over a passing train.

In 1910, a parish house was built behind the church that was used not only for Sunday school, but also for entertainment and other community gatherings. The church property was deeded to Methodist-Episcopal Church South in 1930. At the end of the 1950s, the building was moved to State Road 15A, north of Narcoossee near Lake Whippoorwill, in order to be used as a Baptist mission.

The Union Church still stands!

Just got some email from Cliff Curley, who is still gathering material on pioneer families.

I had mentioned to him last week that the old Union Church built to house all the congregations in Pine Castle back in 1900, had been moved many years ago to a spot near Lake Whippoorwill on Narcoossee Road.

Back in those days, there weren't enough Baptists, Methodists, or Missionary Alliance folks to warrant building separate churches. So, they used a single building, and rotated circuit riding preachers. All denominations attended regardless of who was preaching.

Anyway, it didn't take Cliff long to find the "new" site of this historic structure.

He snapped this picture late yesterday afternoon.

Pretty cool to think it's still being used more than a century after it was built!