Church History

Bethlehem Presbyterian Church of Archer has one of the oldest and most historic sanctuaries in Florida. The church was organized in 1866, in the Wacahoota area, about eight miles southeast of Archer. In 1875 the place of worship was moved to the Union Sabbath School Building in Archer. The present sanctuary was dedicated on December 7, 1884. The sanctuary is the oldest building in continuous operation as a church, both in Alachua County and in the Presbytery of St. Augustine.

The Sunday School addition was completed in 1936 when the sanctuary was turned from facing Highway 241 to Church Street. The adjacent Ulysses Short Gordon Memorial Hall was dedicated on April 24, 1977. The original name (BPC) was changed to the Archer Presbyterian Church in 1908 and stayed that way until May 1976 when the original name was readopted.

The Rev. William J. McCormick was the organizing Pastor of BPC, serving as Stated Supply from 1866 to 1873. Previously, Rev. McCormick organized the Kanapaha Presbyterian Church in 1857, the "mother" church of the area. In addition, he organized a church in Micanopy and the First Presbyterian Church in Gainesville, which he served until 1883. While other dedicated ministers served BPC through the years, the backbone of the church has been the many members, who have offered their love and service to Jesus Christ through the ministry of the congregation.

When you come for a visit, run your hands over the pews, original to the church and made of single pieces of solid heart pine. Gaze above and take in the delicate tracery of the support-beams, crisscrossing under a soaring vaulted ceiling. Marvel at the color in the stained glass windows: one made specially for the church in North Carolina, the other said to have been designed by the famous Henry Lee Willett Studios of Philadelphia. Look closely at the floorboards, and you'll find marks made by the blades of an old sawmill!