Built by Enslaved Workers by Moonlight in 1827: Bermuda’s Oldest Methodist Church Looks for a Home for Its 1883 Organ

• Cobbs Hill Methodist Church in Warwick dates from 1827
• It is Bermuda’s oldest standing Methodist building
• The congregation has 22 core members and no one who can play its 1883 pipe organ
• It needs about $25,000 for a modern keyboard instrument

Cobbs Hill Methodist Church in Warwick, Bermuda, was built in 1827 by enslaved workers. According to the Royal Gazette, nearby Moonlight Lane takes its name from the fact that construction took place by moonlight, and the corner near the church became known as “Amen’s Corner” for the sound of singing. It is the island’s oldest standing Methodist building.

In August 2019, the small congregation, 22 core members, was looking for a new home for its 1883 pipe organ. “It has a beautiful sound, but we have not been able to play it for some time,” said elder Earlston DeSilva. The church has no organist able to use the foot pedals, and it estimated it would need $25,000 for a modern keyboard instrument.

The organ has had several homes. It was built by William Henry Davis & Son of New York, first played at Christ Presbyterian Church in Warwick, moved to Grace Methodist Church in Devonshire around 1900 and came to Cobbs Hill in 1957. It was restored in 1988. “It carries a lot of our history with it,” DeSilva said.

Parting with it is not easy. “It’s difficult for us to part with it, because it’s a treasure. But we have to go with the times,” said church secretary Edna Simmons. Deputy chairwoman Berlene Smith said people from the National Museum of Bermuda had come to look at it, and the church hoped the museum could take it. Member Sheila Conyers said her mother had played the organ for 50 years.

Small congregations in historic buildings all face this question: what to keep, what to sell and how to pay for what they need. Many Jamaican churches built by enslaved or newly free people hold pipe organs, bells, plaques and furniture of real historic value. An inventory of those items, and a plan for their care or transfer to a museum, protects both heritage and church finances. Jamaicans abroad with roots in these parishes can help fund that work before treasures are lost.

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