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Elizabeth Methodist Church, located in a shady grove six miles west of Smithfield on the Cleveland School Road, is not only the oldest Methodist Church building in Johnston County, but it is the only church building of any denomination that retains a gallery built more than a hundred years ago for the use of Negro slaves. Recently an educational building has been constructed, but it was not joined to the old church in order to preserve the original architecture.

This church was built in 1853, says Miss Emily Smith, who has lived all of her life in that community. Her father, the late J. Henry Smith, made the pulpit stand and also put the molding finish on the seats for the church. Mr. Smith was a member of Oakland Presbyterian Church but when Elizabeth Church was erected, the whole neighborhood assisted with the construction. Indeed the whole community worshiped at both Elizabeth and Oakland churches, at Oakland on the first Sunday and at Elizabeth on the third Sunday.

The history of Elizabeth Church goes further back than 1853. In 1839, when Centenary Methodist Church at Smithfield was formed as a part of the Waynesborough circuit, Elizabeth was the circuit camp meeting ground. It was located on land belonging to Willis H. Sanders. Three years later, in 1842, a church building was erected and the church was officially designated as Elizabeth Church. According to the quarterly conference records, the church was named for Elizabeth Peters Sanders, the second wife of John Fletcher Sanders, -who was credited as being the founder of the church. John Fletcher Sanders was the father of Willis H. Sanders. This first building burned down and in 1853, the present structure was built.

The church is a 30 x 50 frame building of the plain style of church architecture prevailing a hundred years ago. It has the appearance of a two-story building because of the balcony which runs around three sides. Two rows of benches are in the balcony, indicating that there might have been a considerable number of slaves who worshiped there. Entrance to the church is made through two doors on the front and two on the back, one of the back doors opening on the balcony. In keeping with the old style the windows have green outside shutters. Between the front doors is the pulpit and the original pulpit stand is still in use. The original benches of heart pine are also still used. Some of them are built around the posts that hold up the balcony. Steps to the balcony now go up from the outside, but some of the members think that they might have originally been on the inside.