Florida circuit riding preachers blazed a trial for us to follow as we explore the Sunshine State.
“Wherever men can go for money, we can go for the love of Christ and for souls.” Motto of the Methodist Circuit Rider, John Cole Ley
Circuit riding ministers were in the saddle, on a wagon or on foot, following the settlers down dusty dirt roads, across rivers and streams throughout the state to preach the gospel in the wilderness.
John Cole Ley describes in his book, Fifty-two Years in Florida, what it was like for the circuit-rider:
The traveler of today can form but little conception of what it was then. The country was but thinly settled, often there were stretches of forty miles between houses. The roads, especially in the southern part of the district, were chiefly such as had been opened by the troops during the Indian war. The rapid growth of vegetation rendered the roads obscure, and often, for miles, the traveler did not know whether he was on the right road or not. If he could keep out of too deep water, he would get somewhere sometime, and that wherever he reached a human habituation a cordial welcome awaited him, and that when he reached the place for preaching he would meet an eager congregation, some of whom had come many miles to hear the word.
“As to roads, at that day we had the King’s Highway, from St. Augustine to St. Mary’s River, via Cowford; the Bellamy Road, from Tallahassee to St. Augustine; the Government Road, from the Georgia line to Tampa Bay; and a few shorter ones made by troops during the war. As to bridges, none, as to ferries, 2-3 upon the St. Johns and 3 upon the Suwannee, the small rivers, and creeks we swam. Sometimes a settler would have a dugout (canoe) and carry the missionary over, while his horse would swim by its side; but generally, he would be alone, and horse was his only canoe, sleeping in wet clothes for the evening.”
In the 1820’s, the federal government authorized the construction of a road. Following in part, an old Native American foot trail and the Old Mission Trail that went from St. Augustine to Tallahassee, the Territorial Capital. It was completed in 1826 by a private contractor, John Bellamy. One critic noted, it would not last a year, with mud and tree stumps making it a bumpy ride, but he was wrong. Sections of the old sand road remain in use today; all be it a bumpy ride. Bellamy Road was vital to the success of mission work and key to spreading religion and church building across north Florida and gave access to areas south in the Florida wilds.
Historic Marker at the Spring Hill Methodist Church
The Traxler community and Spring Hill Methodist Church may never have existed without the Bellamy Road. Completed in 1826, it was the first federal road in Florida. In 1821, Florida became a territory and in 1823, petitioned Congress for a road to link St. Augustine and Pensacola. Tallahassee was the new capital city at the midpoint, on former Apalachee tribal lands. John Bellamy from Cowford (Jacksonville) won the bid to build the section from the Picolata on the St. Johns River to Tallahassee for $13,500. He used enslaved laborers to construct the 16-foot-wide road. Trees were cut close to the ground and the timber was used to bolster the road in swampy areas. The workers were plagued by mosquitoes, swamp fevers, flies, and Indian attacks. They worked with cross-cut saws, grubbing hoes, chains, and mules. The road followed Indian trails, going over the Santa Fe River at the natural bridge and by the settlement, Dells (Newmansville).
The early years of growth in the state featured a Florida with few roads, so spreading the gospel across the state was as big a challenge as taming the wilds of Florida. From town-to-town circuit riding preachers blazed a trail. At first the waterways were often the most expedient and safest means of travel, although unreliable at times due to weather extremes, by rowboat, sailboat, steamboat, and riverboats they came. They traveled on foot, by horseback or horse-and-buggy. When rail service and the Model T provided a safer and faster way to travel grand plans were made to build elaborate cathedrals as well as simple meetinghouses. The struggles our pioneer settlers experienced were not overshadowed by the taming of at sub-tropical wilderness. Searching for spiritual guidance these pioneers and preachers traveled deep into unexplored and rolling wooded countryside to enhance the frontier culture. Historic Florida Churches
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