Brief History of Port Town Church

Brief History of Portuguese Town Methodist Church
1859-2011

Portuguese Town Methodist Church started as a chapel.  The whole of Campbell Street stretching up to Pademba Road was called ‘Potogee Ton.’  This area was inhabited by re-captured people who got their living by fishing and other trades.  It is up to today strongly believed that slaves from Portugal played a dominant role in the life of the Portuguese Town Church.

The service originally started in a wattled house holding up to two hundred people.  Missionaries who conducted the service had to preach purely in English because of the congregation which principally consisted of recaptured people.  A letter to Adam Fletcher President of the British Methodist Churhc stated that the church started as a society with one hundred and twenty three persons and six class leaders of long standing membership in the church of Christ.

On March 12, 1839 it already existed in the plan of the Wesleyan Methodist Preachers with the help of the following preachers: A. Hazeley; P. Blair; J. Lemon; I. Gordon.  In the latter part of the 1800s, this town was wholly consumed by fire.  In this conflagration, the Chapel and all that it contained was destroyed, members lost their houses and property.  A conservative estimate of thirty two houses was reported to have been completely burnt down.

After the fire, subscription was made in Freetown by the Missionaries under the patronage of the Governor, Chief Justice and the City Council.  A considerable amount was collected to put the town in a flourishing state.  The present site of the church at Campbell Street was originally purchased in 1859 by the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society. A stone building was then put up which was 35 feet long by 10 feet wide.  After this era, the renovation in the 1900 started in 1932 with the work on the windows, doors and the choir stall.

The second renovation continued from 1936-1939.  The choir stall was given a face lift; the vestry was extended to include the robe room.  The cracked bell was also repaired.

This brings us to the third renovation in the 20^th Century.  It started in 1977 and was beset with so many humanly created problems that deterred its progress.  The church was closed at one point and opened on the 6^th of July 1980, by the President of Conference Rev. Nelson H. Charles.  The work resumed in 1980 at a chameleon pace.  Thieves distressed the church by going away with window panes to the sum of Le10,000.00.  This was a big blow to members.

In 1984, work was intensified under the aegis of the renovation committee.   The plan was reconstructed to include the following:

1.      A newly constructed tower

2.      An extended gallery

3.      A new set of windows

4.      A newly constructed choir stall

5.      The setting up of two aisles

6.      A newly built communion rail

7.      A complete tiling g of the floor

8.      Interior and exterior painting

9.      A newly built toilet

10.  New fan lights

11.  Newly constructed pews

In the last twenty years, the church had seen tremendous progress in developing its infrastructure.  A three-sided gallery, newly installed ceiling and wall fans, brand new PA system,  upgraded pipe organ from one to two manual, new floor tiles, new sets of cushioned pews, steel west and east doors are a few of the latest developments.  The church is presently undergoing the construction of a two storey hall on its premises, converting the one floor Hall (PM Johnson Memorial Hall) to that of a bigger two storey building.

Archie Ayo-Davies
Senior Society Steward
Port Town Church
October 2011