Located in Washington
County's historic Holmes
Valley community, Moss
Hill United
Methodist Church is one
of Florida's oldest
standing church
buildings.
The church here was
actually founded as a
Methodist Mission soon
after Florida was
transferred from Spain
to the United States.
Services were held
neighborhood homes
until a log structure
was constructed during
the 1820s. The building
deteriorated over
time and the current
sanctuary was built from
milled lumber in 1857.
The church was a
centerpiece for life in
the community at the
time of the Civil War. A
number of its members
served in the Vernon
Home Guard and fought on
September 28, 1864 at
the
Battle of Vernon.
Some of these were
captured in the skirmish
and taken away to
Northern prison camps,
where they died and were
buried far from home.
They are memorialized,
however, by markers in
the Moss Hill Cemetery.
The cemetery contains
the graves of many men
who served in the Civil
War.
The
church grounds and
cemetery are open
to the public daily and
a marker on the grounds
provides a brief history
of the historic
structure.
Moss Hill Methodist
Church is located on
Highway 279 between
Vernon and Greenhead in
Washington County.
