Stephen L. Tabone Photography

Trinity ME Church, Rochelle, Florida was built in 1890--per the cornerstone--and has been abandoned for many years. Rochelle is an unincorporated community in Alachua County, Florida, United States. Only a few very old and delapedated buildings remain in what was once the town of Rochelle. Rochelle was home of Florida's fourth Governor, Madison Starke Perry. Perry was a large plantation owner whose plantation was southeast of Rochelle. He is buried in a nearby cemetary.

Rochelle was originally called Perry Junction, for Governor Madison Starke Perry who owned most of the area land. Later, it was named Gruelle after a railroad surveyor. During the mid-1880s, it had about 175 residents and a hotel, two churches, two schools, plus a cotton and grist mill. By 1888, 24 trains passed through daily. The railroad bed is now a popular Alachua County biking and roller blade trail (the Hawthorne Trail). The demise of the town was primarily due to the 1895 freezes that decimated most of the Florida citrus crops.

Amazingly, the interior of the Trinity ME Church remains much as it did when it was built and still contains a very old organ, original pews, stained glass windows (unfortunately many broken), etc. These images were taken during a recent visit to Gainesville to see my daughter, JulieAnne.

All photographs copyright © 2008 Stephen L. Tabone. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

Click on the below thumbnails to enlarge the image.