The O’Neill Memorial Methodist Church was founded on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River in 1872. The original sanctuary was a peg-and-tenon log cabin donated to the church by Major James Evans.  A Methodist circuit rider named Rev. William C. Jordan was the first Pastor to serve the founding four families in Ft. Myers. He preached God's word, and "every man, woman and child attended and prayed with him", according to a local historian. 

The church was mentioned by Dr. James A. Henshall of Louisville, KY, in his book Camping and Cruising in Florida, written after he had cruised up the Caloosahatchee in 1882.

“We arrived in Fort Myers on Sunday and at night, all hands and the cook turned out and attended divine services.  I was surprised to find so much conventional style in a place seemingly so distant and so isolated from the world.  I could not realize I was in the wilds of Florida while gazing upward at the Gothic ceiling, with its chamfered and oiled rafters, and at the new cabinet organ, and at Jack flirting with a pretty girl in a killing Gainsboro hat and bangs.”

After serving the congregation for 30 years, the Methodists had outgrown the building and in 1903 the church building and property were offered for sale to the highest bidder (bids were considered on the building only or on the building with pews included).  The congregation moved to its current home on 1^st street in downtown Ft. Myers.

The church was sold in the spring of 1904 to the Holiness Band, a small, very controversial, charismatic religious group which was organized by Mrs. Maggie Dixon of Kentucky, an evangelist of the Methodist Protestant Church.  Mrs. Dixon, herself, was a very controversial person, and the editor of  the local press minced no words in exposing her.  Despite this, however, she had a very loyal following including local business man R.A. Henderson, who donated land to the Holiness Band on “one of the prettiest spots on second street” in downtown Ft. Myers.  During the week of April 14^th, 1904, the Band (along with a “force of carpenters”) numbered, completely disassembled, and then reassembled the church on Henderson’s plot.  The Holiness Band eventually disintegrated, however, and the land with the building reverted back to Mr. Henderson.

In 1910, the Presbyterians of the area began a search for place to have regular services.  Mr. Henderson offered the old Holiness Church at no charge while they made their search.  The following year, in 1911, the Presbyterians decided to purchase the property from Henderson, which, besides the church building included the pews, organ, bells and a five-room house situated on the same lot.  The church was remodeled extensively in 1912 and remained the Presbyterian Church of Ft. Myers until 1957-58, when the congregation moved to its new sanctuary and the original structure (now over 85 years old) was razed.