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Crocker Church

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Crocker Church, also known as St. John's Chapel, was a Baptist church located in Sarasota, Florida. It was established in 1901 by Peter Crocker. It is now a historic structure under the ownership of the Historical Society of Sarasota County and is located at 1260 12th Street, Sarasota, Florida.

History

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Peter Crocker, T.T. Hamlin, and L.C. Demings were the three original trustees of St. John's Church. They were deeded the 2 acres of land from the Florida Mortgage and Investment Company on June 27, 1901, for $1.[1][2] The property was meant to be used for a church and a graveyard (Crocker Cemetery). The church was designated as a Baptist chapel in 1903. Due to the failure to find a resident pastor, the church declined after Crocker's death in 1911.[2]

Location and ownership changes

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Sixteen years after Crocker's death, Bay Haven Baptist Church purchased the building and had it moved to their property on Bradenton Road. When Bay Haven purchased a new building, a Spanish mission congregation utilized it until the early 1980s.[3] When they left, the church was moved again by the historic preservationists in 1986 to Florida Avenue and was historically designated in 1995.[4][5][deprecated source] The church continued to be used by Throne of Grace Charismatic Episcopal Church[6] until 2004 when it was officially decommissioned due to its poor condition.[7] In 2005, a campaign began to save the building from demolition.[8] With the help of the county, Jane Kirschner, former president of the historical society,[1] took ownership of the building and coordinated the church's final move to Pioneer Park in 2006.[9][10] The county provided over $160,000 to move the church for the historical society.[11] It now is used as their gathering place for educational and social events.[12]

Historical society ownership

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Since 2006, the Historical Society has worked to restore, maintain and utilize Crocker Church. In 2019 and 2020, they raised $50,000 to perform necessary restorations.[13] Repairs were made to the wood siding, floor joists, west wall, foundation and six windows.[14] They are now raising funds to restore the east wall. The church is frequently used for events such as Conversations at the Crocker, where experts and audience discuss events and people that have shaped Sarasota.[10] The Historical Society also rents out the church as a wedding venue.

Cemetery

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Crocker Cemetery, also known as St John's Cemetery, is historically associated with the church and is located on Bee Ridge Road near the corner of Tamiami Trail. The land for the cemetery was deeded to the church trustees in 1901, and the first burial took place in 1907.[15][16] Burials continued until 1975, even after the church was moved to Bradenton, and the graveyard was closed to further burials in 1982.[17]

Around 1997, trustees appointed a new coordinator to restore the cemetery, which had fallen into disrepair.[18][19][20] In 2001, a plaque was erected on the site by the Sarasota Historical Commission.[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Sarasota landmarks to connect to the city's history". Your Observer. 2022-06-29. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  2. ^ a b St. John's/Crocker Memorial Cemetery | Sarasota History Alive!
  3. ^ Cragg Hilliard, Juli (January 29, 1996). "CHURCH EMBRACES HISTORIC BUILDINGS THE NEW MINISTRY HAS FOUND A FULL-TIME HOME AND SAYS IT WILL TRY TO REVIVE THE CITY'S HISTORIC DISTRICT". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  4. ^ "Crocker Memorial Church Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  5. ^ SarasotaHistory (2009-02-24). Sarasota History - Crocker Church. Retrieved 2024-07-11 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ Bahnsen, Bebe (January 21, 2001). "Outcasts find church of last resort". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  7. ^ "Historical Society of Sarasota County in Sarasota | VISIT FLORIDA". www.visitflorida.com. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  8. ^ STOCKBRIDGE-PRATT, DOROTHY (May 28, 2005). "Campaign begins to save historic structures". Sarasota Herald Tribune. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  9. ^ BUBIL, HAROLD. "Historic Sarasota home, church ready to move". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  10. ^ a b "Historical Society of Sarasota County | Visit Sarasota County". www.visitsarasota.com. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  11. ^ SAEWITZ, MIKE (January 18, 2006). "City votes to help relocate buildings; Moving two Rosemary District structures could cost $500,000. Sarasota will contribute $168,000". Sarasota Herald Tribune. pp. BS1. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  12. ^ "The Historical Society of Sarasota County". The Historical Society of Sarasota County. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  13. ^ Dean, Vicki (December 28, 2020). "Crocker Church needs $50,000 for restoration - Historic building requires work on foundation, windows, more". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. pp. A3. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  14. ^ "Support Historical Society of Sarasota County | The Giving Partner". www.thegivingpartner.org. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  15. ^ a b "St. John's/Crocker Memorial Cemetery | Sarasota History Alive!". www.sarasotahistoryalive.com. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  16. ^ Dean, Vicki (23 December 2020). "Sarasota's Crocker Church in need of $50,000 to start restoration project". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  17. ^ Gnaegy, Mallory (26 October 2011). "Grave History: Historic cemetery stories are unearthed". Sarasota Observer. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  18. ^ McKanic, Patricia Ann (October 4, 1998). "GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN ST. JOHN'S MEMORIAL CEMETERY IS A LITTLE-KNOWN BURIAL GROUND THAT SITS IN THE SHADOWS OF SEVERAL SARASOTA BUSINESSES. OVER THE YEARS, DRUG ADDICTS AND THE HOMELESS HAVE USED IT. VANDALS HAVE ABUSED IT. BUT BILL WHETZEL IS CHANGING ALL THAT. NO LONGER WILL THE CEMETERY OR THE PEOPLE BURIED THERE BE OVERLOOKED". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  19. ^ Peters Smith, Barbara (October 26, 2018). "SLICE OF SARASOTA: Where the dead are surrounded by the quick". Sarasota Herald Tribune. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  20. ^ Gnaegy, Mallory (October 27, 2011). "Historic cemetery stories are unearthed". The Observer. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
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