The very first Congregational Church of Forks, a modest wooden structure erected in 1903, was more than a building—it was a testament to the town’s sense of faith and community. Located on an acre of land at the corner of Calawah Way and Merchant Road, the church stood as a gift of generosity, built on land deeded by Mrs. Martha Merchant Maybury, one of Forks’ earliest benefactors.

Mrs. Maybury was no stranger to giving back. In addition to the church site, she also donated the land that would become Forks Cemetery—a place of eternal rest for generations of the town’s families. Her vision of community extended well beyond her lifetime, leaving a legacy that shaped the spirit of Forks.

In the mid-1920s the Church building was moved to a more central location on W. Division Street, thanks to a donation of property by the Ackerlys. The original plot on Calawah and Merchant was returned to Mrs. Maybury and sold to a man named Tom Jermy. A British immigrant who journeyed to the United States via Canada, Jermy made his home there with his family until they relocated around 1945.

Recently, history has come back to life at that corner. With the construction of a new housing addition on the site, excavation uncovered relics of a bygone era. Glass bottles, worn smooth by time, lay hidden beneath the soil. Also a rusted toy gun—a small artifact of childhood play that perhaps belonged to one of the Jermy children.

These modest relics speak of an earlier Forks, one where families gathered at the church, children played in the yard, and a tight-knit community was built through the generosity of people like Mrs. Maybury.

Today, the remodeled church still stands on W. Division Street. But the corner of Calawah Way and Merchant Road remains a silent witness to the town’s humble beginnings, a place where history is hidden just under the soil.