The building of the first community church, the oldest church building in Martin County, still stands in historic Downtown Stuart, only without its steeple, which was removed somewhere between 1907 and 1920. The Florida Master Site File, the State of Florida’s official inventory of historical, cultural resources, lists the following state-assigned site ID number for the historical structure recorded at 311 Southwest 3rd Street, in Stuart, Martin County, Florida: MT00346.
History of the oldest church building in Martin County
We, Robert and Olga Hamilton, current owners of the building, have a mission to preserve this historical gem in Downtown Stuart, and, hopefully to restore the steeple. But we will not be able to accomplish the restoration and preservation without the community’s support. We have registered The 1895 Church of StuArt (DBA) with the Florida Division of Corporations and have opened the building to the public. You are welcome to visit us! The 1895 Church of Stuart is not tax exempt, and neither donations nor purchases from The 1895 Church of Stuart are tax deductible.
The Original beadboard restoration (the walls and the ceiling). Classic beadboard traces it’s ancestry to 19th century, to the Victorian period, and even earlier, and remained in use well into the 1930s in rural areas.
Removing the wood paneling from the 1970-80s period, also the dry walls, and taking down the drop ceiling. There is also the original floor under the layers of carpets we would like to restore
Sponsorship and advertising opportunities at our events and on the website are available. The proceeds benefit the historical building restoration and maintenance. Please contact Olga Hamilton for more information: olgahamiltonfineart@gmail.com; (772) 708-2968
Please follow us on Facebook – The 1895 Church of StuArt – for updates on the upcoming events and our restoration progress. www.facebook.com/The1895ChurchOfStuArt
The owners of the historical building contact: Robert W. Hamilton, Jr. and Olga Hamilton olgahamiltonfineart@gmail.com
Stop by our historical church, enjoy the building’s history tour and fine art by our local artists. The sale proceeds benefit the historical building maintenance and restoration.
Thank you to the sponsors of our first Art and Relics Sale event in May, 2022, to benefit the steeple restoration and building maintenance.
Olga Hamilton donated her special edition artwork titled ‘Gathering at the First Community Church’ to Stuart Main Street. The artwork was auctioned off by KC Daniel of Associate Auctions, a second generation auctioneer, J.D., Florida Real Estate Broker, to raise funds for Stuart Main Street.
