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History

As Wesley Chapel is being transformed into a 21st-century community, we often look back at its past with respect for those who brought us to this point in time.

A historical marker has been placed by the Pasco County Historical Preservation Committee, on the property of the First Baptist Church of Wesley Chapel, formerly known as Double Branch Baptist Church– the first house of worship in Wesley Chapel. According to the marker, the pioneer Boyett(e), Gillett(e), Godwin, and Kersey families received land grants in the area in the 1840s. Another influx of settlers occurred around the time of the War Between the States, when the Stanleys and the Coopers arrived. Many descendants of these first families still live here.

Wesley Chapel was originally called Double Branch for the twin creeks that once flowed across the Boyette land. Although it was also nicknamed “Gatorville,” our community took its current name from the Methodist chapel that once stood on the northwest corner of today’s S.R.54 and Boyette Road. John Wesley was the founder of Methodism.

A turpentine still and sawmills were early industries, but cattle ranching, hog farming, crops, and citrus growing predominated. When times were tough people turned to charcoal-making and even moonshining to survive.

There are additional historic markers at the two oldest cemeteries in Wesley Chapel– the one on the property of the First Baptist Church of Wesley Chapel on S.R.54 and the one at the Holton Cemetery on McKendree Road.

Construction of I-75 and the opening of the Saddlebrook Resort assisted in the transformation of Wesley Chapel from a rural area into today’s busy community.

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