A Brief History

Our church was founded in 1862 by a small group of believers from the Perryman area. They met in a one-room schoolhouse, 30 X 24 feet, hauled by 10 yoke of oxen from Sod Run (about two miles below town) to a site just south of the present location.

The Methodist Church divided in 1865 into two groups, Methodist Episcopal Church South and Methodist Episcopal Church North, due to the feelings over the Civil War. Cranberry Methodist Episcopal Church South was organized on June 13, 1866 with five Trustees John M. Taylor, Daniel Martin, James Numbers, Joseph Everist Taylor and Joseph Wells.

A tract called "James Park", originally "Cranberry Plantation", was deeded from Edward Griffith for $1.00 as a gift to the above Trustees. The deed read, "81 perches of land, more or less, measured by a stone in the middle of the road leading from Spesutia church to Bush River Neck."

In 1866, the cornerstone was laid for a two-story wooden structure on the site of the present church. The first floor was used as a school and church services were held on the second floor.

The two-story building existed until 1888, when a bazaar was held by members for the purpose of raising funds to tear down the old church and erect what is the present building.

The present church had a belfry that was removed during renovation in 1922-1926. A stone wall and improved parking space were added in 1932.

The Methodist Episcopal Church North and South reunited in 1939 and the church is now Cranberry United Methodist.

In 1964 an Army surplus building was purchased from Aberdeen Proving Ground and is now the Church School building.