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For more information, call… 941.473.8491 OR WRITE: P. O. Box 1245 Englewood FL 34293-1245 |
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Lemon Bay History with ZEST! |
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Lemon Bay Historical Society |
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Englewood’s first church, the original old Methodist Church building, was built in 1928 and used as a community center and hurricane shelter. Originally located on two lots at Magnolia Street on land donated by the Florida Methodist Conference and Stanley Lampp, it was built with volunteer labor under the direction of Burt Anger and Pat Lampp and cost $1,250. The building has been owned by the Church of the Nazarene since 1978 and is leased to the Lemon Bay Historical Society for 99 years. In the period between 1978 and the late 1980s, it was used by the church of the Nazarene and then by “Helping Hand” an organization that provided emergency aid to the needy of Englewood. In 1987, the Historical Society executed a 99-year lease of the building from the Church of the Nazarene and began the slow process of restoring the building and returning it to its original 1920’s design—including removing the columned portico and replacing the bell tower. It was not until 1997—when, through the generosity of area pioneers L.A. Ainger, Dorothy Cannon, J.D. “Jack” Tate, and the Helen Vanderbilt Trust, who each contributed enough to match a State grant for $19,400—that restoration of the interior could begin. In 1998, the Society received a certificate of occupancy from Sarasota County and on March 21, the first wedding in the restored church was held. The Church is available to rent for Weddings and other important occasions. |
