Spring Place Methodist Church
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SPRING PLACE is the former county seat of Murray County and second oldest town in North Georgia. The old Methodist church is the oldest existing public-use structure in Murray County.
It began as an Indian Mission in the early 1830s. During the Trail of Tears, the group at Spring Place became a regular congregation. The group first met near the old Moravian Mission on present day Ellijay Street. In 1851, the congregation moved to Elm Street and built a brick structure. This building later burned, and a new wooden church was erected on the same foundation about 1875.
Many events such as homecomings, conferences, revivals and ladies' group meetings highlight the history of the church. The congregation began to decline when the county seat was moved to Chatsworth in 1913. Eventually, a new church was built in 1976. The Whitfield-Murray Historical Society saw the need to preserve and restore the old church.
It was rededicated in 1979 and now houses a museum of church, Spring Place, and Murray County memorabilia. The building is used for historical society meetings and may be rented by other groups for special events and social functions.
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