Moved “Stones by Stones,” Flattened in 1923, Rebuilt: A Westmoreland Moravian Church Turns 190

• Beaufort Moravian Church in Westmoreland opened for worship on April 21, 1834
• Its foundation was first laid at Woodstock, then moved stone by stone to Beaufort
• The 1907 earthquake badly damaged it and a 1923 thunderstorm demolished it
• The current building is a replacement that has been renovated several times

Beaufort Moravian Church, near Darliston in Westmoreland, began a year of 190th anniversary celebrations in April 2024, the Gleaner reported. The church opened for public worship on April 21, 1834.

Its building history is unusual. The original foundation was laid at nearby Woodstock and then relocated, in the Gleaner’s words, “stones by stones” to Beaufort. The congregation began as an outstation set up to educate Africans labouring on plantations, and was upgraded to a full Moravian station in 1834 as the population grew. John Henry Gottlob was instrumental in its founding and John Adam Freibele was its first pastor.

The structure has not had an easy life. It was severely damaged by the 1907 earthquake and completely demolished by a thunderstorm in 1923. The church that stands today is a replacement, renovated several times since.

Under Pastor Aldwayne Brooks, the congregation planned a year of events: a church service on April 21, 2024, a prayer breakfast, a family and outreach day, an open-air community meeting and a closing service in April 2025.

The Beaufort story is a reminder that many of Jamaica’s historic congregations have already lost and replaced their buildings at least once. The church is the people and the site; the building is an asset that storms and earthquakes can take away. That is why insurance, sound construction and savings for repairs are part of stewardship.

Westmoreland was later among the parishes hit hardest by Hurricane Melissa in 2025. For diaspora members with roots in Darliston and Beaufort, the church’s history of rebuilding after 1923 shows that rural congregations have recovered from total loss before.

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