The beautiful sanctuary you see above is stunning in its architecture and craftsmanship. The church is built in the Queen Anne Style, made popular around the period 1875 – 1900. Some of the characteristics of this style were asymmetrical facades, decorative wood trim, cross gables and towers or turrets. Sharon Methodist is a wonderful example of the style and very unusual for such a rural location. We think Sharon Methodist is one of finest examples of rural architecture in all of Georgia, and you won’t be disappointed with the interior photos either. It is a visual feast.
Sharon Methodist Church is a “descendant” of Raytown Methodist church, which is acknowledged in a history written by Christine Davidson Brown in 1972. In the introduction to the general church history, she states that Sharon Methodist must “gratefully and lovingly acknowledge their debt to Raytown as the ‘Mother Church’.” The first Raytown church was built in 1845, although Methodists met in various places before that date. The present Raytown structure was built in 1890. Raytown Methodist is where Sharon Church founders first attended and where they received the inspiration that allowed them to organize and carry on a church.
The Sharon Methodist congregation was organized on September 24, 1886, with 38 members. The first land record deeding land to the church is dated November 1, 1890; $700.00 for four acres, which is approximately two miles from the Raytown church. A meeting house that served the congregation for a little over twelve years was constructed. Under the leadership of Benjamin Graham and William Pressley Lovejoy, the erection of a new church building was carried out in the first years of the 20th century. The original petition, undated but believed to date from 1902, still exists: “We, the undersigned, promise to pay, at our earliest convenience, the amount opposite our names for the purpose of building a new house of worship for the M.E. Church, South, in Sharon, Geo; and should a new church building be erected then the present house of worship will be used for an devoted to school purposes.” No written records of the dedication date for the new church can be found, but the final payment, which satisfied all building costs, is dated November 2, 1903. A Mr. Norton of Crawfordville is reported to have been the contractor who built the new church.
Not very far away are two other very historic churches. Locust Grove Catholic, organized in 1792 is the oldest Catholic church in Georgia, and South Liberty Presbyterian was organized in 1820. The present Catholic church was built in 1884, while the present South Liberty Presbyterian church was built in 1877. Sharon was one of the many towns created by the railroads that were built in Georgia in the mid-19th century. It is well worth a visit to this picturesque part of rural Georgia. Sadly, the Sharon Methodist church is no longer active, but she seems to be well-maintained. She is a historical treasure.