Wesley Chapel tourist information
Wesley Chapel Florida
According to the genealogical research done by Michael C. Boyette, a current resident and business owner, Wesley Chapel was originally part of Hernando and was settled in the mid 1800's when land was granted to Edward Boyette Sr., his four sons and others in the Armed Occupation Act. Wesley Chapel was named after the church honoring the founder of Methodism, John Wesley. This church stood across from the present site of Double Branch Baptist Church in the 1890's. Thomas Boyette, Edward's grandson named the area Double Branch for the twin creeks which flowed through his property. Wesley Chapel had its own Post Office from September 1897 to September 1902 when it was combined with Abbot Station, the current Zephyrhills. Cash crop farming, logging, citrus and cattle ranching were the principle activities in Wesley Chapel from its founding until the advent of the interstate system in the late 1960's and early 1970's. The present CR 581 was a lonely two lane road called the "Road to Nowhere" from Tampa to SR 54. You could travel for miles on this scenic wilderness road and see only trees and wildlife. There was very little in the way of construction from SR 54 until you got to Skipper Road in north Tampa.
Since then the area has become, first a rural, then a suburban escape from the rapid growth of the Tampa Bay area. It was Saddlebrook Resort built in 1980's that contributed to the fame of Wesley Chapel. Located on 480 acres accented with lagoons, cypress forests, and rolling terrain, this beautiful resort offers corporate and international guests an elegant retreat from the hectic life. As a Mobil Four Star resort, Saddlebrook offers a variety of facilities and amenities including; The Spa at Saddlebrook, An Arnold Palmer Golf Academy, two championship golf courses, the Hopman Tennis Program, 45 tennis courts all in Grand Slam surface, The Sports Village, an Executive Challenge Course, 82,000 square feet of flexible meeting and function space, the Cypress Restaurant and Dempsey's Steakhouse.
Saddlebrook also boasts an upscale residential community with impressive homes. Newcomers will find several housing options among the many new residential communities nestled in the quiet beauty of Wesley Chapel's natural fauna.
The Wesley Chapel community has existed as an acknowledged and stable entity since, or before, the early eighteen hundreds. Central to the area over the years has been The Wesley Chapel Methodist Church and the Wesley Chapel School. Both of these continue in existence today. The Wesley Chapel Church (named for John Wesley) had its beginnings as a brush arbor about 1832, the new church being constructed shortly thereafter. On April 7, 1878, this building was destroyed by fire. A New structure was subsequently completed in May of 1879 and remained in use until 1924 at which time the present structure was constructed.
Underlining the Wesley Chapel community’s continuing, responsible commitment to education, it is interesting to note that school classes were also held in these church buildings from their inception. In 1901, a bill was introduced in The North Carolina General Assembly establishing a rural high school at Wesley Chapel. By 1904, boarding students were attending at Wesley Chapel what is believed to have been the first public, rural, graded high school in North Carolina.
In 1922 the residents of the Wesley Chapel community voted upon themselves a special tax of $.50 on each $100 dollars valuation and authorized the issuance of $20,000 dollars in district bonds for the erection of a new brick school building. This is further evidence that Wesley Chapel has functioned as a semi-self determining entity for many, many years and even though there have been a number of changes in the church, school and their buildings in this 165 year history, the surrounding community has always kept its name – Wesley Chapel.
In late 1995, some Wesley Chapel residents were notified by mail that they would be involuntarily annexed into the Town of Indian Trail. Questions arose about Indian Trail violating the annexation statutes of the State of North Carolina which led to a lawsuit being filed against the Town of Indian Trail. After two successful lawsuits against the Town of Indian Trail (paid for by residents of the proposed annexed area) and a third attempt to annex by Indian Trail to be effective January 31, 1999, it became imminently logical and rational that the Wesley Chapel community incorporate into a municipality in order to maintain its well respected identity and lengthy heritage of service to its residents as well as to be able to deal with, and manage today’s rapid growth. And so, on July 15, 1998 after many months of hard effort by residents of Wesley Chapel, the Village of Wesley Chapel was created as an official municipality of the State of North Carolina covering an area of approximately 2,500 acres with a population of 1,100. Since that time, the Village has grown through voluntary annexations to over 5,000 acres and a population of approximately 1,900 residents. It has been both a gratifying and humbling experience on the part of the Village Council to have so many people ask to become a part of Wesley Chapel.
by Union County North Carolina
Wesley Chapel aerial map
Please click on any icon on the Wesley Chapel aerial tourist map, to find close by places, offering hotels and tourist information. You can zoom in and zoom out our touristical map as well as switch between satelite and map view of Wesley Chapel.
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