Zion Hill Methodist Church

The West End Methodist Chapel was first built in the early 1800s and was located on top of Zion Hill, with views looking north to Jost Van Dyke [1] and south to St. John [2]. In 1834, emancipation was proclaimed from the altar. The chapel was destroyed or damaged in successive hurricanes, and in 1926 it was rebuilt at the foot of Zion Hill, where it would be less exposed to high winds. The church served not only as a place of worship but as a school as well.

In 2002, a new, larger church was built next door, but the old chapel, where the territory’s first chief minister, H. Lavity Stoutt, was educated, remains.