History

This historic building, built in 1788 and one of the 50 oldest church building in North Carolina, serves as the meeting place and house of worship for a small but growing community of believers in Jesus Christ, who endeavor to live their lives for Christ, by His strength, and to reach the Merrimon/South River community with His love and message of hope.

There was no church building in the Merrimon community until 1928, when the Adams Creek Methodist Episcopal Church Building was moved from the west side of Adams Creek to the present location.  Before that time, the community people would cross Adams Creek to attend the same Methodist Church.  On every third Sunday of the month, services were preached at 11:00 in the morning across Adams Creek.  The people were collected by boat all along the shore and carried to the west side to about where the Grover Paul Landing was.  From there they walked out on the road to the church.  A barge was sometimes used to carry passengers, carriages, and horses.  After services, the pastor and the community people would return home, eat dinner, and then travel to the old South River Methodist Church.  When the old church could no longer be used, church was held in the South River schoolhouse.  Services were held about 3:oo in the afternoon.  Then on the same Sunday night, services were held in the Merrimon schoolhouse.  The miles did not seem to matter, for Sunday was a day for worship, at least once a month.

The Merrimon community population had grown so much by the 1920's that there was a need for a church.  Plans were made to get land for a church building.  An agreement between the E. L. Nelson family and trustees of Memorial Methodist Church on June 4, 1928 for one acre of land located in the Merrimon Township of Carteret County for the purpose of erecting a Methodist Church.  Deed transferring the land was registered on January 22, 1929 and the name was recorded on the deed as Merrimon Methodist Church.  Instead of building a new church, the one established in 1788 on the west side of Adams Creek was moved by barge across Adams Creek and placed on the land as stipulated in the deed, which is the present location.  The exact date is unknown, but was late in the year.

***Rev. Carraway was from the community, helped found the church, and pastor of various churches throughout the state, but never a Pastor of this church.  He often preached a service when he returned to visit his family.

(This information was taken from the book "South River", written by Dolly Carraway, a member of Merrimon UMC.)

rev 10/06/2007