First Methodist Church, 1900 Third Avenue North, Jasper

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS ALA,64-JAS,2-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

This report is based on written documentation t donated by the Birmingham Historical Society, reformatted to HABS/HAER guidelines. Significance This two-story Neo-Classical Revival style structure, sheathed in grayish-white marble with a two-story, Doric-columned portico entrance, houses Jasper's oldest religious congregation. The sanctuary interior features dark Honduran Mahogany woodwork and a spherical stained glass dome designed by A. Leyendecker and built by Kansas city Stained Glass Company at an original cost of The dome is 34 feet in diameter, 9 feet high and 105 feet in circumference. It contains more than pieces of stained glass. FIRST METHODIST CHURCH HABS No. AL-909 (Page 2)

Historical Overview

The First Methodist Church was established in 183 3 by Dr. Edward Gordon Musgrove. His grandson Lycurgus Breckenridge Musgrove, contributed for every raised by the church during the building campaign which resulted in the present sanctuary. Originally designed to be a brick structure, Musgrove also contributed funds to use Georgia marble. Lycurgus Breckenridge gave the dome in honor of his mother. On row three in the center section is a plaque denoting the place where President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sat when attending the funeral of Speaker of the House John Sparkman Bankhead on September 17, Notables attending the funeral included Secretary of State Cordell Hull and Senator Harry S. Truman.

To accommodate the President's car, a wooden ramp was built flush with the portico entrance so the President could be delivered to the sanctuary doors. FIRST METHODIST CHURCH HABS No. AL-909 (Page 3) Sources Consulted "Historical Highlights of First United Methodist Church, Jasper," October 15, Walker County Site Survey, pp. Taggart, John K., Typescript, National Register