Lake Toxaway United Methodist Church stands on a hillside overlooking scenic Lake Toxaway in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Transylvania County, North Carolina. The simple Gothic Revival-style frame building dates from 1912 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Origins
The congregation traces its roots to the Methodist settlers who came to the Toxaway district in the 1700s — descendants of German, Welsh, and Irish families who had moved south from Virginia seeking land and freedom of worship. For generations, spiritual life was sustained by itinerant preachers who traveled the mountains to perform marriages, christenings, funerals, and camp meetings.
The original camp meeting site sat along the Toxaway River about half a mile south of the present church. In 1901, developer J. F. Hayes dammed the river to create the resort lake that gave the community its name, and the camp meeting grounds disappeared beneath the water.
Building the Church
In 1912, local Methodist farmers built the church by hand using donated pine lumber and volunteer labor on land given by Edward M. Jennings, the Pittsburgh developer who owned Lake Toxaway at the time. The result was one of the most stylish and best-preserved small historic churches in this mountainous county — complete with original weatherboard siding, Gothic-arched windows, and a six-sided belfry.
Historic Designation
The church was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places by Jane Zetty, who conducted the historical research that documented the congregation’s story and the building’s architectural significance.
“One of the most stylish and best preserved of the small group of historic churches of traditional frame construction surviving in this mountainous county.”