The first Methodist Church in the village of Kitty Hawk, N.C. had its birth in the year of 1858 and was located in the center of a four acre field owned by Elijah Sibborn, presently the B.F. Perry home site. This church was of small dimension, roughly about the size of the average neighborhood living room. Its frame was had hewn, enclosed by vertically fastened foot-wide rough boards. The inside was unfinished and it was floored. The pews were long, wide boards resting on three upright blocks cut from a large log.

For many years, devotional services, other than prayer meetings, were conducted by transient ministers. The hymnals were note less. The hymn leader was either the minister or a member of the congregation.

In the year 1887 Elijah Sibborn gave a parcel of land on the main road of the village, the present site of Kitty Hawk Methodist Church, to the church trustees and a new church was erected there. In the year of 1904 he submitted a deed for the piece of land.

This church was somewhat larger than the original one, approximately 24 x 36 feet and a very nicely constructed frame building. It was finished outside with horizontal siding painted white and inside with horizontal sheathing painted with a medium blue ceiling and window trim. There were nine windows. Three were in each side; two in the pulpit end, (one at each side of the pulpit) and one between the two front doors in the front end. An aisle led from each front door down to the pulpit. Long pews were in the center between the two aisles, and half-length pews on the opposite sides of the aisles and attached to the side walls. The pews were mill-made. Four matching oil lamps were suspended from the ceiling. One hung over the pulpit, and the three others hung in line down the center of the room over the long pews. Four bracket oil lamps were on the side walls, one between each two windows.

The construction of the building was directed by Life Saving Service Keeper, James R. Hobbs, known as Captain Hobbs and Thomas N. Sanderlin, aided by all carpenters in the community working for free. The church’s name was chosen as “Boaz” by Captain Hobbs, inspired by a verse of the Scripture referring to King Solomon’s Temple, which reads: “and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz”. First kings, 7th Chapter, 21st verse.

The charter members of the church were Mrs. James R. Hobbs, Mrs. Sidney Toler, Mr. and Mrs. Edward O’Neal and Thomas N. Sanderlin. The first pastor in charge was Reverend Sanderson Payne, who came to the Kitty Hawk Methodist Church in 1888. During his pastorate at Kitty Hawk, the Reverend Payne served as pastor to Nags Head Church whose membership was four, alternating his Sundays between the two churches.

A Methodist church in the beach community of Currituck Inlet, thirty miles north of Kitty Hawk with a membership of thirty two, entered Kitty Hawk circuit of churches in the year of 1900. Around the same time a Methodist Church on Colington Island with a membership of twenty four also joined the circuit. The Kitty Hawk pastor then conducted services one Sunday of each month in each church of his charge.

The pastor’s overland trips to his churches in Nags Head and Currituck Inlet were made by horse and beach-cart transportation. The members of Kitty Hawk church took turns at furnishing a horse and vehicle. Across-water passages to Colington Island were made in small sailboats supplied and operated by owners of such craft as an accommodation. Later small motorized boats were used.

In the year of 1902 the Ladies Aid Society of the church purchased by installment plan, for the amount of $75.00, a used organ. This organ had the appearance of a small pipe organ, though the pipes were only ornamental. The first organist was Miss Nora L. Baum, assisted by her brother Elijah W. Baum. Following the purchase of the organ for two or more summers, the young people of the community took short courses in music reading, referred to as “singing school”. Those music courses of about twelve lessons each were taught by Mr. Ed Sowers, assisted by his daughter Bernie. Thus the choir was born. The first choir director was Elijah W. Baum.

The organ for the church was selected and the business entailed in the full transaction was engineered by Franklin Harris Midgett, a trustee of the church. Captain Harris Midgett as he was known to his neighbors entered the church as a member in 1888. At the outset of this membership he was chosen as trustee and served in this capacity until his death in 1929. Throughout all those years of service, a major part of the financial responsibilities of the church rested upon his shoulders, and he bore them with joy. During the first lean years of the church’s life, he was known to pull from this own pocket to make up a deficit.

The church was enlarged in 1905 with the addition of a 45 x 25 foot room at the pulpit end, making the church a “T” shaped structure. The inside and outside of the addition was finished to match the old one, and at the right of the pulpit a raised platform was built for the seating of the choir.

In 1922 the Currituck Inlet Church was withdrawn from the Kitty Hawk charge and the Duck Methodist Church, with a membership of six, replaced it.

By 1938 plans were perfected for replacing the frame church building at Kitty Hawk with a brick structure, and in that year the old building was razed and in June, 1938 the cornerstone of the present church building was laid. The “T” shaped brick church was completed at a total cost of approximately $9,000. Reverend Matt Ransom Gardner was the pastor.

Mount Zion Methodist Church with a membership of ninety five,and Hebron Methodist Church with a membership of seventy five, both of which are located on the Currituck mainland, were added to the Kitty Hawk charge in 1943 and in that same year Nags Head Methodist church was withdrawn. In 1953 both Currituck County churches requested and were granted withdrawal by the Methodist Conference, and at the present time the Kitty Hawk charge consists of the three churches, at Kitty Hawk, Colington, and Duck.