Introducing the first pastor of Mandarin UMC – Dr. Theophilus Wilson (T.W.) Moore.

Dr. Theophilus Wilson Moore was born in Tirzah, North Carolina on May 3, 1832 and was the great-grandson of Colonel Stephen Moore, who was part of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. In 1852, Dr. Moore graduated from the University of North Carolina, married Mary Ann Smith, and went to California as a missionary all in the same year. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he became a chaplain in the Carolina Regiment. Following the war, he moved to Florida and joined the Methodist Conference, serving, among other appointments, as Presiding Elder of the Jacksonville District. In December 1874 he was appointed in Live Oak FL to Palatka and Mandarin Mission (later known as Mandarin UMC). Dr. Moore also served as a circuit rider for two terms, from 1874-79 and 1885-86.

In 1882, he was sent to Monticello as pastor, where he was asked to be a trustee of Emory College, being also honored with the D.D. degree. This encouraged his interest in higher education, and he was among the first to urge the formation of the College in Leesburg. He served on the Florida Conference Board of Education, and as a trustee of the Conference College both before and after his two-year assignment as President. As President, he fulfilled the administrative duties of the role, but he also taught mental and moral science classes.

Beyond serving as President, Dr. Moore was also multi-talented. While in Jacksonville, he developed a 100-acre citrus grove, publishing a book on citrus culture (“Treatise and Hand Book on Orange Culture in Florida”) widely used for thirty years. In 1892, he patented a flying machine. He also obtained a patent for a rotary steam engine. While in Sanford, he persuaded the town council to cool Main Street by running water through tiling one foot beneath the surface. Farmers later adopted his method for irrigation purposes. Dr. Moore died Dec.30, 1908, age 75.