Pickensville Methodist Church, Ferguson Street & Chopitoolas Avenue, Pickensville

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS ALA,54-PICK,5-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

East side of Ferguson Street at the southeast comer of the intersection with Ferguson Street and Chopitoolas Avenue in Pickensville, Pickens County, Alabama. The Pickensville Methodist Church is located at latitude: longitude: The coordinate represents the main entrance of the church. This coordinate was obtained on February 28, by plotting its location on the Pickensville, AL USGS Topographic Quadrangle Map. The accuracy of the coordinate is +/- 12 meters. The coordinate's datum is North American Datum

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS ALA,54-PICK,5-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Built ca. the Pickensville Methodist Church is one of the oldest surviving churches in Pickens County. The wood frame, Greek Revival-style church retains a significant degree of its historic fabric. One of only two surviving buildings from this period in Pickensville, the church serves as a reminder of the early settlement period of the town and region, the early development of Methodism in western Alabama, as well as its use as a Confederate hospital in Description: The Pickensville Methodist Church is an approximate 40' x 50' wood frame structure of Greek Revival design constructed in The church is a single-story, white weatherboard, single nave structure. It rests on brick piers with a modern concrete block foundation.

A medium-pitched, front-facing gable roof extends over a full fa9ade Greek Revival-style portico and features asphalt shingles and weatherboard in the gables. A two-tiered belfry is white weatherboard-sided and contains a white, hexagonal steeple. The belfry is situated at the ridgeline of the western end of the gable roof above the portico. The portico consists of six Doric columns constructed of wood. The Doric columns are tapered and fluted with modest capitals and base. Surmounting the columns is a simple weatherboarded pediment. To the rear of the portico is a symmetrical, two-bay front fa9ade distinguished by double entrance paneled doors. Both doors feature a rectangular, four-light transom above.

Unlike the weatherboard siding of all other exterior walls, the front fa9ade features a drop-sided exterior. All exterior walls have symmetrical fenestration. The rear, or east wall, exhibits two evenly spaced window bays. The side elevations feature four window bays. All windows are nine-over-nine- double hung sash . The interior space is historically a large single nave absent of columns or load bearing walls. A unique, semi-circular chancel with raised kneeling bench is centrally located at the rear of the church. A small addition is located on either side of the chancel. These PICKENSVILLE METHODIST CHURCH HABS No. AL-387 (Page 2) modem additions were utilized as Sunday School classrooms during the late twentieth century, with the southeast addition including a small bathroom facility.

The interior walls of the church were historically white plastered and featured Bible scriptures in gold paint. Due to significant crumbling of the plaster, the interior walls were replaced with horizontal bead board and painted light green. The dropped ceiling features a unique ceiling grid pattern of tongue and groove lumber and painted white. Fans and light fixtures hang from the ceiling. Just below the ceiling, a decorative stick and diagonal board wood patterning runs the length of the interior walls. This simple, decorative detailing is painted white. All windows of the church are full-length with a simple decorative wood window surround with casing corner blocks. The exterior windows feature minimal elaboration.

The historic church pews have been removed and replaced with modem pews of varying lengths and painted white. Unlike the original pews, these are not secured to the floorboards. History: The Pickensville Methodist Church was constructed ca.1842. 1 Records indicate that by the early a Methodist congregation was firmly established in Pickensville, shortly after its initial settlement in 181 7. The property on which the Pickensville Methodist Church is situated was initially granted to Edward Sims and T. Rogers on April 22, (Certificate No. Due to two major courthouse fires during the latter half of the century, it is unknown as to when the property was acquired by the Methodist Church.

In the years leading up to the Civil War, the Pickensville Methodist Church boasted a large congregation with 249 white members and fifty-one slave members. The Pickensville Methodist Church played an important role during the short-lived Union raids in western Alabama. In early April of during Croxton's Raid, the Methodist Church was used as a Confederate Hospital. Following the Civil War, the Pickensville Methodist Church continued to serve the Methodist congregation in and around Pickensville. The Pickensville Circuit of the North Alabama Methodist Conference was established by The circuit included Methodist congregations in the nearby Alabama communities of Memphis, Shady Grove, and Hebron.

to Recordings of the Pickensville Circuit suggest that the Pickensville Methodist Church was a strong and active congregation. Nell Holliman, who joined the Pickensville Methodist Church in recalls services held for upwards of 150 members, nearly the entire town population. According to Holliman, membership took a drastic dive in the following the substantial emigration of the majority of the townspeople to larger cities. Today, the church remains vacant. It is under the ownership of the North Alabama Annual Conference of the Methodist Church, 1January 1, an advertisement appeared in the Pickensville Register asking for bids for the construction of the Methodist Church building. An anticipated completion date of May 1, was advertised. PICKENSVILLE METHODIST CHURCH HABS No. AL-387 (Page 3)

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS ALA,54-PICK,5-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Bush, Alex, photographer, Prints and Photographs Division, Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS No. AL-387-1-5) Library of Congress, General Land Office Records. Land Patents. Bureau of Land Management. Interview, Spell, Catherine. History of Pickens County Oral Interview conducted by Randy Hamilton and transcribed by Scott Owns in Milton, Patty S. "Pickensville Church Seeks to Restore Building for Service to New Day," The Methodist Christian Advocate, North Alabama Methodist Conference (NAMC), Pickensville Circuit, Recordings Stewards Book for Pickensville Circuit Copies provided by NAMC Archives. Original on file in Carrollton, AL.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS ALA,54-PICK,5-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Jaime L. Destefano conducted the research and field work and prepared the documentation, including the measured drawings and historical report. Michelle K. Taylor of ECA assisted with the on-site measurements. Large-Format photographs were taken by Wayne Robinson of True Americana. Processing of the negatives and prints was completed by Automated Darkroom in Atlanta, Georgia. The documentation was completed by Environmental Corporation of America for the Alabama Historical Commission (AHC) and for donation to HABS.