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Lake City, Florida: A Sesquicentennial Tribute (2009) H. Morris Williams, Dr. Kevin M. McCarthy

Religion in Lake City

According to Michael
Gannon’s Cross in the Sand, the
third bishop of Savannah,
Augustin Verot, traveled by the
Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central
Line from Jacksonville to
Savannah by way of Lake City in
1862 to rescue some nuns from
St. Augustine. Travel at that time
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of the Civil War was dangerous
because of attacks by both sides,
but the bishop managed to
succeed in his mission. Bishop
Verot returned to Lake City in Bishop Verot rebuilt the
1864, four months after the Battle old Spanish Shrine of
of Olustee, and preached in the Our Lady de la Leche in
city hall to local Catholics. St. Augustine.

In 1861, the local
Presbyterian pastor was Rev. John Montgomery, the grandfather of
a local pastor in the twentieth century. After the Civil War, Rev. William
M. Morrison was the pastor and remained until 1867. Rev. William
B. Telford spent half his time ministering in Lake City from 1867 until
1871 or 1872.

The First Baptist Church of Lake City was organized in 1869
when 22 members established a new church on East Duval Street on
Lake DeSoto. Around 1869 pastor McCallum established a school,
The Baptist Institute, near the church. The local Baptists hosted the
annual session several times, beginning in 1867. The local Methodists
hosted the 26th Session of the Florida Conference in 1869.

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