Welcome to the Collins Memorial United Methodist Church.

Our church is the oldest church in Atlanta dating back to 1821.

On January 8, 1921, the Creek Indians ceded their land south of their village, The standing Peach Tree, between the Flint and the Ocmulgee River all the way down to about Cordele, Georgia. The Standing Peach Tree later became known as Bolton and was located where Peachtree Creek runs into the Chattahoochee River at the location of the Atlanta Water Works.

The first citizen to come into this territory, which at that time was DeKalb County, was James Montgomery. He came from Jackson County and Jefferson, Georgia. He built the first house in Atlanta on the site where the shopping mall is at the intersections of Bolton Road and Moores Mill Road. Mr. Montgomery has 13 children who comprised the congregation of the little church which he established. He started the ferry across the river known as Montgomery's Ferry, later DeFoors Ferry. He was the Senator from DeKalb county and died in 1848. His wife was named Nancy Farber (Nancy's Creek). She was a Methodist, and he was a Presbyterian.

The first church was built in Crest Lawn Cemetery at the top of the hill. It served traffic coming in from Decatur and the Atlanta area and was near a little tavern. Traffic was going towards the river crossing at Montgomery's Ferry. The little chapel which became Collins Memorial Church was known as Montgomery's Chapel.

Right after the Civil War - around 1870 - the people around Montgomery's Chapel moved the location to Inman Yards, which is about two miles away and which was developing as a railroad terminal and the name was changed to Mt. Vernon Methodist Church. This church served all of the people within a two or three mile radius. The farmers drove their wagons to the church, and it ws the leading church for this area. Many of the families who later moved to Collins Memorial were early members of that church.

Through the gift of one of the members, the small one room church was converted to a magnificent brick building which served as the church building for many years. About the turn of the century, 1900, the W & A Railroad had been moved down the river and established a railroad stop where Bolton Road crosses the Marietta Highway. A great many people had begun to move into this area. Riverside had been established as had the Whittier Mills and Chattahoochee. With this influx of people, a school house, which served as both school and Sunday School building, was constructed just behind the present Bolton Lodge brick building.