Ann Street United Methodist Church

Location

417 Ann Street
Beaufort, NC 28516
(Carteret County, North Carolina)

About

The following "About" and "History" was obtained from the Ann Street UMC website.

Ann Street United Methodist Church is located in historical Beaufort, North Carolina on the corner of Ann and Craven Streets. Nestled along the Crystal Coast, downtown Beaufort is a community whose history is over 300 years old. The Ann Street UMC congregation was established as Methodist in 1778.

History

The Ann Street UMC congregation was established in 1778. When Francis Asbury first visited Beaufort he said, “The people of Beaufort are kind, but have little religion." When he visited 21 years later he remarked, “In Beaufort, the Lord hath put forth his power and the whole town seems to bow to the scepter of the Lord.” In 1820, Ann Street members built their first church on the corner of Craven and Broad Streets. In 1830 there were a total of 258 members of diverse races. In 1854 the present church was built and the old building eventually housed Purvis Chapel African Methodist Episcopal, Zion Church.

During the Civil War, Union soldiers took over Beaufort and because our preacher had fled with his family, soldiers moved into the empty parsonage. During the war our sanctuary was used first as a field hospital and then used as a general hospital when yellow fever broke out in the area. Over the years the church building has been restored, repainted and had the steeple replaced. However, the sanctuary remains much the same as it was in the late 1800’s. Ann Street Church’s commitment to God and ministry to others continues to call us ever forward: building on the past, becoming the church we are today, and planning for the church we will be tomorrow.

The original configuration of the present sanctuary showed it facing north with backless pews running east to west, parallel to Ann Street. In 1896 the back section of the church was added, the altar was turned to the west wall, and the stained glass windows were installed.

The present building represents personal involvement and love. Every nail, shingle, plank and brick of the original building was a labor of love given by the fishermen who sold their crafts, girls raising money and boys hauling oysters and doing odd jobs, donating their money to build and renovate the church. That attitude is still present here at Ann Street United Methodist, with members contributing and working together to help others.