OKEECHOBEE PRIMITIVE BAPTIST HISTORICAL SITE

The Okeechobee Primitive Baptist Church was established on May 24, 1919. Elder Dan Wilkerson served as the first pastor for the 11 founding members. Services were originally held on Conner's Highway (US 441 South). In 1923, Barney Blum built this simple white wooden church at 8 Miami Street (1003 Third Avenue). The property was given to the church by Peter and Louisiana Raulerson, the first settlers of Okeechobee. The church was part of the Pilgrim's Rest Primitive Baptist Association, which formed in 1875 near Montgomery, Alabama. By “primitive” the religious movement refers to an “original” form of Calvinist Christianity, which sought to strip away practices and institutions that the church deemed unbiblical. The church ceased services in 2015. In 2022 the City of Okeechobee purchased it for the purpose of preserving the building. Through an agreement between the City and the Okeechobee Historical Society, it serves as a museum for the citizens of Okeechobee.