Church to Chamber

Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Standing proudly in what is almost the heart of Monticello is a tall, cottage-style building with a simple and spiritual history. The building itself is located at 420 W. Washington, and was the original home of Saint Margaret Catholic Church, which was named in honor of Saint Margaret of Scotland.
In 1907, before the church had a building to host its services in, Catholics gathered regularly in the Monticello Courthouse each month for Mass. In 1917, six original church families built a small, wooden chapel, and this became the mission church that would serve the congregation of Saint Margaret Church for over 50 years. In 1974, the church body moved on, building a new church at 1565 E. Washington St.
The chapel was purchased in the mid-seventies by the Monticello/Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, and today the building has traded church services for chamber services. The mission of the chamber is to be the frontline advocate for businesses in Jefferson County. They support activities that encourage economic growth and prosperity, and also strive to protect the natural, historic and cultural resources here. It is their goal to partner with area organizations to market a positive and progressive image of the community. The old building will be 106 years old this year, and despite its incredible age, it remains in exceptionally good shape. Katrina Richardson, who has served as Executive Director for many years over the chamber, says that the upkeep for the 1,764 square foot building is relatively minimal.
“We use the front space as our office,” she says, indicating the two office desks in the front room. “Beyond this door is a meeting place. The local Rotary club regularly uses that as a meeting place, and we also rent out the space for people in the community to use for birthdays, anniversaries or celebrations. Members of the chamber get a discount in the rental cost, of course.”
Richardson also mentioned that although the building is in great shape for its age, the chamber did make a few renovations after purchasing the building. These additions were minor, and included installation of a kitchen and a bathroom, as the only bathroom previously was downstairs.
“This building has a basement,” reveals Richardson in response to an inquiry about 'downstairs.' “Not many Florida buildings will have a basement, due to flooding. This basement has flooded in the past, but it now has a sump pump and pallets installed on the floor to help prevent damage from flooding.” Richardson says the basement is mainly used for storage these days.
The front part of the office is connected to an upstairs loft that overlooks the meeting room. In its early days as a Catholic church, the loft area was where the church choir performed. It was also where the organ rested and was played during service, although it must have been an incredible effort getting an organ up the narrow stairway and safely onto the loft platform. Today the loft area, too, is used for storage. Another addition that has been made by the chamber was to create a separation between the office space and the stairway that leads to the loft area, as the previous layout was inefficient when it came to heating or cooling the front office. This separation project consisted of merely closing off the upper loft area with a small wall and the installation of a well-built door to allow continued access to the space without compromising the ability to heat or cool the front section of the downstairs building.
When asked if there were any additional changes that the chamber plans on making to the building, Richardson mentioned that most of the general care of the building has been well-maintained over the years, with the floors being refinished, a new roof installed and a new air conditioning system added, all within the last 10 years. Beyond that, she said, it is just a matter of day-to-day general upkeep. She added that the chamber may soon reglaze the windows, as they are starting to show signs of wear. They are in the process of getting quotes for that project, but the rest of the beautiful building is in great shape.
“This building was very well-built,” she said. “The majority of the building is part of the original structure that was crafted, with the exception of the kitchen and bathroom.”
Two years ago, the chamber had the building listed on the National Register for Historic Places. While the building may not have a complicated history itself, it has stood in Monticello for over a century, watching the comings and goings of countless years of development, growth and activity. Here are some everyday things that occurred in the community during the early years of the original Catholic church:
According to the Monticello News in the June 20, 1924 paper, local farmers had just completed their collaborative efforts to load a car of sweet corn that was to be shipped out of the city later in the week. Back then, the “car” they mention wasn't a car as we know it today, but was a rail car that belonged to the Atlantic Coast Line railroad company.
In that same paper lies mention of a “Big basket picnic Fiddler's Convention,” where all the best dancers and fiddlers were invited to come and celebrate what was described to be one of the biggest Fourth of July celebrations in Lloyd history. Prizes were given to the best fiddlers: $20 for first prize and $5 for second, and cash prizes were also awarded to the best dancers: $5 for best dancing couple and $2.50 for best square dancing individual.
An article in 1928 promises cures and remedies for a variety of ailments. Leonard Ear Oil promised to cure deafness and head noises, and Carter's Little Liver Pills, which served as a purely vegetable laxative, promised quick relief of headaches, as headaches were, according to the article, to be caused by “constipation poisons.”
An advertisement from a local grocery market by the name of J.T. McClellan's promised to carry the best in groceries, meats, fruits and produce, with quick delivery, satisfaction guaranteed. They also mentioned that they sold fresh fish every day, and advised customers to call them by dialing “10” on the phone.
In August of 1946, health notes were listed in the newspaper, and among them, a recommendation for the use of a new chemical, DDT, which had been found to be useful as an insecticide, but could also be used as a household cleaner, parasite treatment for domestic animals and pets, fly repellant, and as a spray for crops and trees. Little did the citizens of Monticello know at the time, DDT would be banned from use across the nation in 1972, as prolonged exposure to the chemical led to vomiting, tremors and seizures. It was also determined to have adverse effects on the environment and local wildlife.
Times have certainly changed since the years following the construction of the Catholic church building, and although not much excitement has happened from within the walls of this church-turned-chamber building, much has transpired just outside. While we may miss the days of $2.50 being considered a worthy prize in a competition, and railroad cars being loaded by local farmers with fresh, hand-grown produce, the building that stands at 420 W. Washington St. has seen a lot of good things come to pass too, like the end of two world wars, the steady recovery of the nation following the Great Depression, the end of segregation, the development of women's rights, and the expansion of our little town. This building is a rare relic of a different time for our community. And with all the things it has witnessed, good and bad, from the 1920s to the 2020s, over 100 years of history as it has unfolded, just imagine what it will witness in the next century.
While some things may be clearer to us now, as we look back on that era of our history, the answers were not as clear back then. And as history continues to unfold, imagine what we will learn in the next hundred years. May this next chapter be a good one, because hindsight is 2020.