Community Chapel of Melbourne Beach
chapel in Florida, United States of America
The Community Chapel of Melbourne Beach is a historic chapel at 501 Ocean Avenue, Melbourne Beach, Florida, United States. The local residents built the chapel in 1892 & made it non-denominational, which it remains today. On May 14, 1992, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
History
Prior to constructing this chapel, the community used the home of local resident Grace Cummings, called Myrtle Cottage, as the place of worship. For many years, mainland ministers held seasonal services at the chapel. The hurricane of 1924 significantly damaged the foundation of the chapel and services did not resume until repairs were complete in December 1927. In 1929, the trustees hired Reverend Walter Lamphear as the first minister. Dr. Vincent Booth succeeded Lamphear as the minister from 1939-1943. In 1942, extensive upgrades to the chapel doubled the seating capacity from 70 to 140.
The public source identifies “Community Chapel of Melbourne Beach” as chapel in Florida, United States of America. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Community, Chapel and Melbourne.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Community Chapel of Melbourne Beach”, the useful work is to connect “chapel in Florida, United States of America” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5154668. Authority coordinates are 28.068, -80.564. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1892, 1992, 1924 and 1927.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Community Chapel of Melbourne Beach”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Community Chapel of Melbourne Beach primary sources, Community Chapel of Melbourne Beach archive and Community research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Community Chapel of Melbourne Beach”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Community Chapel of Melbourne Beach” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.