Two of the oldest Churches on St. Simons

I would like to share with you two of the very old churches on St. Simons...

This is Christ Church

This is the entrance from the Road

The Christ Church congregation traces its origins to 1776, and to the very earliest days of St. Simons Island. However, the first religious services were held on the site of the church some forty years earlier. It was here that John and Charles Wesley, two brothers from England considered the fathers of Methodism in America, first preached to natives beneath the limbs of an enormous oak tree. The first church structure was built in 1820, but was partially destroyed by occupying Union troops during the War Between the States. In 1884, Anson Phelps Dodge, Jr., built the present structure in memory of his wife, Ellen, who died during their 'round-the-world honeymoon. Today, the beautiful church with its magnificent stained glass windows and heavily wooded grounds that include a cemetery with graves of early settlers, is one of St. Simons Island's most treasured landmarks

The Second Church I want to share is Lovely Lane

                                         Entrance to the grounds...that's moss handing fromt the trees

When the lumber mills came to Gascoigne Bluff, they offered an opportunity for every man to work regardless of race. In 1876, a mill was built at the upper end of Gascoigne Bluff by the Dodge-Meigs Company. Captain Francis A. Boyle built a mill on Gascoigne Bluff in 1890 to cut cypress timbers.

In 1880, Norman W. Dodge built St. James Union Chapel, renamed Lovely Lane Chapel by the Methodists when they purchased the property for Christian Retreat Center in 1949. The mills cleared operations in 1903.

Our daughter had a December wedding at Lovely Lane Chapel and it was a georgeous ceremony....
These pictures don't do the inside of these churches justice.  The woodwork is incredible.....To think so many people over the years have worshipped in these places....

If any of you have read any of Euginia Prices's books, she has an entire series based on real people from this island.....The island is so rich in history.....I hope you have enjoyed seeing and hearing alittle about these old churches......

Hugs and Blessings,
Nancy