This area was originally known as Indian Spring, named for a natural spring long used by the Creek Indians. In the 1820s, as Native Americans were forced off their lands, white settlers moved in. By 1821, buildings were erected near the spring, and in 1828, lots were surveyed and sold. The village was incorporated in 1837. Much of the community was destroyed during Sherman’s “March to the Sea” in 1864, and in 1866, a legislative act changed the name from Indian Spring to McIntosh.

The arrival of the railroad in the 1880s transformed the region. In 1882, a station was developed near Indian Spring, called Flovilla, with surrounding lots sold that same year. Confusion over the names Indian Spring, East Indian Spring, and Flovilla led to the villages being incorporated together as Flovilla in 1886. With the boom brought by the railroad, local Methodists—who had been meeting in homes—formed Indian Spring Methodist Church. While the exact date of organization is unknown, records show the first quarterly Methodist conference in the district was held at East Indian Spring (now Flovilla) on December 19, 1883, with the church listed as “just organized.”

In January 1884, the Methodist conference purchased six blocks from Mr. Heard for $50. One lot, measuring 60 by 100 feet, was chosen for the sanctuary. Trustees James L. Maddux, James C. Maddox, James M. Fields, Pleasant P. Kelly, and Chappel McMullan led the effort, soliciting donations from Atlanta to Savannah. Mr. P.P. Kelly was paid $7 to design the church, which was completed later that year. Until then, services were held in the Indian Spring Academy building.

The church has remained active thanks to steady membership and thoughtful updates. Sunday school rooms were added in 1926, electricity arrived in 1929, and in 1933, the congregation purchased three acres of “good cotton land” to farm for church support. Seventeen stained glass windows, each donated as a family memorial, were installed in 1971. In 1984, a weekend revival celebrated the church’s centennial.

Today, Indian Spring Methodist stands as a testament to the vision of its founders and the enduring faith of its community.