Wesley Chapel history and landmarks

Last checked Oct. 10, 2026. History on this page comes from the West Pasco Historical Society’s Wesley Chapel page, which includes the text of the community’s historic marker and a timeline drawn from school, church, post office and newspaper records. National Register listings come from the National Park Service’s register data.

Wesley Chapel’s roots go back to the 1840s. It has never been incorporated as a city; it began as a farm and church settlement called Double Branch in what was then Hernando County, and became part of Pasco County when the county was created in 1887. For Pasco history and research, contact the West Pasco Historical Society through westpascomuseum.org.

Key dates

• 1840s: Boyette, Gillette, Godwin and Kersey families receive land grants
• June 2, 1878: Double Branch Baptist Church founded
• September 1887: Wesley Chapel becomes Precinct 4 of the new Pasco County
• 1897-1902: a post office named Wesley operates
• 1979: Saddlebrook Resort opens
• 2003: a committee studies incorporation; Wesley Chapel stays unincorporated

Double Branch and Gatorville

The community’s historic marker says the pioneer Boyett(e), Gillett(e), Godwin and Kersey families received land grants in the area in the 1840s, but the real influx of settlers came around the Civil War, when the Stanleys and Coopers arrived. The settlement was first called Double Branch, for twin creeks that crossed the Boyette land. It was later named for the Methodist chapel that stood on the northwest corner of State Road 54 and Boyette Road. A popular nickname was Gatorville.

Early industries were a turpentine still and a sawmill, but cattle ranching and hog farming on the open range, crop farming and citrus dominated. “When times were hard people turned to charcoal making and even moonshining to survive,” the marker says. Newspaper reports from the 1920s that the historical society collected describe repeated raids on stills in the Wesley Chapel swamps.

Church, school and post office

• 1877-78: a Hernando County school list shows school No. 10 at Wesley Chapel.
• June 2, 1878: Double Branch Baptist Church is founded with 34 charter members. It became the First Baptist Church of Wesley Chapel in 1999 and has had three buildings, the marker says, with pastors in 1880, 1935 and 1970.
• September 1887: voting precincts are drawn for the new Pasco County, and Wesley Chapel becomes Precinct 4.
• March 15, 1888: a post office named Godwin opens nearby; it closed May 31, 1915.
• Sept. 15, 1897: a post office named Wesley opens. The historical society suggests the Post Office Department may have rejected “Wesley Chapel.” It closed Sept. 30, 1902.
• Jan. 30, 1908: the oldest marked grave at Double Branch Cemetery.

The ranch that became Wiregrass

In 1937, James “Wiregrass” Porter bought large tracts of ranch land and moved to Wesley Chapel, the timeline says. His nickname lives on in Wiregrass Ranch, The Shops at Wiregrass and Wiregrass Ranch High School.

From resort to suburb

The marker credits the construction of I-75 and the 1979 opening of Saddlebrook Resort with starting Wesley Chapel’s modern growth. The timeline since:

The census counted 44,092 people in 2010 and 64,866 in 2020; see our population guide.

National Register listings

None of Pasco County’s 11 National Register of Historic Places listings is in Wesley Chapel, according to the National Park Service. The nearest, with their listing years:

Pasco County keeps its own county register and maps of historic markers and cemeteries on its historical and cultural resources page.

Museums nearby

• Pioneer Florida Museum & Village, Dade City: open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May through August); arrive by 3:30 p.m. to tour. 352-567-0262. pioneerfloridamuseum.org
• Zephyrhills Museum of Military History, 39444 South Ave., Zephyrhills. 352-206-1819. Its Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is Saturday, Dec. 5. zmmh.org
• West Pasco Historical Society Museum & Library, New Port Richey. westpascomuseum.org

What this means for you

• Read the full timeline, with photos and a 1917 map, on the West Pasco Historical Society’s Wesley Chapel page.
• Have old photos or family records? The West Pasco Historical Society collects Pasco history.

Frequently asked questions

How did Wesley Chapel get its name?

From a Methodist chapel that stood on the northwest corner of State Road 54 and Boyette Road, according to the community’s historic marker. The area was first called Double Branch, for twin creeks on the Boyette land, and was nicknamed Gatorville.

When was Wesley Chapel founded?

It was never incorporated. Pioneer families received land grants there in the 1840s, a school was listed at Wesley Chapel in 1877-78, and Double Branch Baptist Church was founded June 2, 1878.

Is Wesley Chapel a city?

No. A committee studied incorporating Wesley Chapel in 2003, but it remains unincorporated and is governed by Pasco County.

Are there historic sites in Wesley Chapel?

None of Pasco County’s 11 National Register of Historic Places listings is in Wesley Chapel. The nearest are in Zephyrhills, Dade City and St. Leo. A historic marker tells Wesley Chapel’s story.