Here is a beautiful old church that caught my eye as we were out rambling. It is an example of one that has been preserved on the outside anyway. I do not know what the inside looks like nor if it is used for any kind of functions.
It is located in Dallas County, a short distance from the Dallas Lowndes County Line. The local community is called Pleasant Hill. 32° 9′ 55.99 N 86° 54′ 31.212 W
According to the historical marker out front of this church it was a very old church that stopped meeting long ago. It served two different congregations for what would be considered by some standards generations.
It was originally a Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Originally it was named Mount Pleasant. It was organized on this location approximately 1821 by Rev. William James Moor. Rev Moor was a missionary from the Elk Presbytery of Tennessee.
It was renamed Mount Carmel in 1827. The maker goes on to say that it provided early leadership for the Alabama Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
The present structure was built in 1852.
Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church, PCUS, was formed in 1873 and shared this building with Mount Carmel.
Mount Carmel was defunct by, and Pleasant Hill became defunct by 1935. Pleasant Hill was dissolved in 1963. Pleasant Hill Cemetery Association was formed in 1973 to oversee the care of the property.
If you read my blogs and have further information on it feel free to share any information you might have on it. I always love to learn more and more information on these things.
Yesterday my wife and I were out rambling. We had our motorhome parked up in Southern Lowndes County. As always, we were looking for interesting things to photograph and learn about.
A few weeks ago, I had been through Ft. Deposit AL. taking pictures of the town as I have done so many in the past. When I came through before I had captured some images of a beautiful old church that I later learned was the Ft. Deposit Methodist Church. On the day I had come through before there was a food give away going on and there were cars lined up all over town waiting for the food that was being distributed. Because of that fact I could not get a shot of the church without cars in it, and I do not like to do that if possible. I had told my wife that if I could I would like to ride through and possibly capture some more shots of that one.
We headed up to Ft. Deposit and made the turn down the street that this church was on and sure enough this time there was not a car in sight. That was awesome. I was excited beyond measure. On top of that they have been working on it when I was up before and now, they had painted the front and it looked incredible. I could not wait.
I parked my Jeep across the road and got my camera out and started to get into position to get a few shots. I heard a voice come from across the road where some men were working on finishing up the work on the paint. I walked across and the young man who introduced himself to me as Alan Little whose crew was working on the building started telling me about the building.
He asked me if I would like to get a few photos of the inside? Asking me that question would be like asking a pig if he liked mud. Of course, I wanted to. For me that is a rarity. Normally I do not go up close enough to these old churches to get inside. I do not want anything to happen to one and me be seen as the last one there. Normally I stay away although I love to take photos of them. Therefore, getting invited to take a few photos of this incredible old building was absolutely a treat.
He opened the door, and I went in. I was awestruck. Inside it is beautiful. I walked around and took random photos of the inside. The stained-glass windows were incredible. From my understanding they dated back to around 1800 but it was not clear to me where they had come from. I took several photos of the inside of the building, and they are shared here but honestly, I felt that they did not do this work of art justice. It is a show piece in my opinion.
As I walked through this incredible building, I was so thankful for the opportunity to get to witness it firsthand. I could imagine the finely dressed families coming in and sitting on the beautiful pews. I could in my mind hear the singing and then preaching that would have been there.
As I walked out the door still daydreaming of what it might have been like I could visualize the carriages and wagons that people who drove would have been riding in. Being in town I would have figured that many would have quite possibly just walked to church thus not having a carriage or wagon to have to deal with. What an incredible show it would be to be able to see all of this as it was back then.
Once back outside, I saw on the side of the building a plaque that said Erected in 1861 Perfected 1899. From the best understanding I could determine the building was originally built in 1861. Then that building was destroyed or severely damaged and this building was completed in 1899. In the conversations concerning it I understood that the first service in this building was in Jan. 1900 although I did not catch the date.
After this preservation this grand old building should be standing several more decades and hopefully will continue to be preserved for centuries to come.
It was definitely an uplifting visit for me and I am so thankful that I got to witness it and be able to share it with those who follow my writings.
As I ramble this great land we call Alabama, I am forever amazed at what we have here to see.
Recently I was in conversation with a new friend of mine that been following me on social media. He lives in Selma, AL. We conversed several times through messages and then talked on the phone a few times. Because I am in the process of traveling and documenting The Historical Black Belt Region of Alabama and he loves history as well he invited me to come to Selma.
I had not been to Selma in many years other than just passing by the outskirts when going somewhere else. When I was a small child, we would go to Selma very regularly. It was about a 60-mile run to get there. Back then it was the go-to place for us because there was a variety of places to shop and eat. There were numerous doctors there that our family used also. It was a place that I had lots of memories of back in the 1960’s. After the early 1970’s we moved, and I had no reason to go back.
I have always known that Selma is a place that has a tremendous amount of history associated with it. Although I have not studied Selma, nor have I taken time to document it. As I have started working through the Black Belt Region, I started to realize that Selma alone would be a place that I would need to spend a good amount of time.
This was the day my friend and I had agreed would be the day that I would ride up and have a visit. We met and talked and shared our stories. I was also privileged to get to visit others there like minded.
Then my friend asked me had I ever been to Sturdivant Hall? I had not. I did not even know about it.
We rode over to Sturdivant Hall and parked and got out. When we drove up in front, I was amazed.
As those who know me know I am fascinated by anything associated with history. This is a grand place. We walked to the front of the building, and he started explaining the architecture of the building.
It was built by Colonel Edward T. Watts. It was designed by Thomas Helm Lee.
According to an online search, it is known as the Watts-Parkman-Gillman Home.
I learned that construction on this house started in 1853 and it was completed in 1856.
We went around to the back of the house where the gift shop is and went in and I got a tour of the house. It was fascinating. I started taking notes but realized in just a few minutes that there was more to this story than I could take notes on and write today. However, I did want to share about my visit, so I decided to just take what I was able to get to in a short time and share and then enjoy the tour.
I was only allowed to take photos outside and not inside for several reasons. I totally understand why but was a little disappointed. Regardless of that fact it was a privilege to visit and see.
My tour guide was a lady I would guess a few years older than me. She could literally write a book on just that house and the contents alone. She was literally a walking encyclopedia on that place. It was incredible. She told me about everything in the house in every room. It was incredible.
I highly recommend anybody in the area to take time to go and tour this house. I definitely, intend to go back. In fact, I will probably go more than once while I am on my project of traveling the Black Belt.
Steps leading upstairs from the outside used by slaves. Worn from use so many years.
I learned that Mr. Watts was a plantation owner that had a house and property at another location called Pleasant Hill. This property was just his City House. Apparently, he used it as a place to have an office that was easily accessible when he was in town. Also, it was built with entertaining guests in mind. Apparently, he and his family only stayed there on visits to town which would only have been a week or two at the time possibly.
Mr. Watts was a businessman that owned Ferries on the river and warehouses on Water Avenue as well.
It appeared that he spared no expense. One thing that amazed me was the fact that the crown molding in the rooms downstairs was plaster poured in molds. After the house was completed, the molds were destroyed so that nobody else could copy the molding. Apparently, he was a perfectionist type guy.
Another interesting thing about this house is that the front windows are made so that they raise high. Then there is a door underneath the window so that it could be walked through. In the hot summer weather, the windows would be raised and the windows on the cupola on top of the house would be opened. The staircases which were in the middle of the house would serve as a place for updraft, working as a chimney effect to draw air through the house. At night or if privacy was needed in the daytime there were shutters with louvers on them that could be shut and still allow air flow.
Out back of the house was a two-story structure that served as a kitchen and also a quarters for the slaves that tended the house. Apparently, the slaves lived there permanently even though Mr. Watts and his family did not.
Another interesting thing I was told was that the house was made of red bricks, but Mr. Watts thought that it would make it look more expensive if he had it covered in a thick coat of a cement substance and painted white, so it was done that way.
Mr. Watts apparently sold everything there in 1864 and received Confederate Money for it. He then moved his family and his slaves to Texas thinking apparently that he would be able to retain his slaves and continue with business as usual.
Unfortunately, a year later the war ended, and the Confederate Money was useless. Then his slaves were freed, and he had nothing and no way of recouping with his fortunes gone.
The house was sold to a Mr. Parkman who was a banker. Supposedly his bank was funded with Federal Money and not Confederate Money. From “MY UNDERSTANDING” and if I misunderstood comment in the comments section of my blog and I will correct it. Mr. Parkman was using bank funds to speculate on cotton futures or the equivalent. Meaning a different name or terminology for what he was buying. Anyway, the cotton crop was bad one year and he came up very short. Although he had not taken any of the profits of the years before for himself but had put them all in the bank, he was charged for taking the money.
Supposedly he was sent to jail down around Cahaba. He proclaimed all the way that he was innocent of any wrongdoing. According to my guide, some of his friends dressed up in attire as Mardi Gras costumes and went down and acted as if they were drunk and distracted the guards who oversaw securing him. This enabled him to escape. She said that there were two stories on what happened. 1. That he hit his head escaping and drowned in the river. 2. The other was that he was shot by guards, and this caused him to drown. Regardless of that fact he died. Then supposedly he came back as a ghost and waved from the front room of the house to his kids and others saw him as well.
Rear view from garden
My guide said that many years ago that the fence in front of the house was white picket. There were ladies in their 80’s and 90’s that would tell stories of them as kids passing the house as kids at night and daring one another to slip up to the front of the house and knock on the door and run without getting caught.
Supposedly to my understanding it cost sixty-nine thousand dollars to build the house in the beginning. The first time it sold it sold for sixty-five thousand dollars. After the war I understood that it sold for twelve thousand dollars.
The third owner was a Mr. Gillman. The Gillman family lived there till 1947 and they left Selma in 1947.
Visiting this house in my opinion was a highlight. As I said earlier, I would definitely recommend anybody in the area to visit for a tour. Again, I definitely intend to go back again and look at it.
As I walked through and looked and listened to my tour guide explain it all, my mind would at times drift. I could see in my mind’s eye the grand ladies and gentlemen coming and going. I could visualize the businessmen coming and going or doing business in the front office. I could only imagine how grand the gatherings would have been. I am sure that there would be no expense spared on foods or decorations for these events.
This was a grand time in America. These were wealthy people of that grand time we call the Antebellum. Grand mansions, grand balls, incredible wealth. Regardless of what one’s beliefs on history it is a time that needs to be preserved and learned. It was a pleasure to be able to for a short time visit this grand mansion and peek into that time.
As with most of the places I am privileged to visit in our beautiful Black Belt I can only imagine where the next beautiful surprise will be. I can’t wait and I hope it is soon.
On a recent trip out in the areas on the West side of the Alabama River where the counties of Monroe, Wilcox, and Clarke all run together I went into an area that is almost like a no man’s land so to speak. The reason I say that is part of it belongs to Monroe County and is cut off by the river with no way to access it but, to come around through Clarke County, or go up and cross the river and come through Wilcox County. The areas of Clarke are remote and distant, and the areas in Wilcox are the same way.
On this trip I wound up in Lower Peach Tree. Basically, Lower Peach Tree is an intersection of Wilcox County roads 35 and 1, with a convenience store most noticeably on the corner. I approached from the West coming into the intersection. Turning left and traveling North for only a short distance I found an old white church standing tall and stately beside a cemetery.
This was yet one more historic old Methodist Church with a strong long history in the Southland. Upon closer examination I found a small sign on the side of the church sign stating that it was listed as one of the Blackbelt Treasures. There was a number to call to get a recording on the history of the church.
Below is MY INTERPETATION of what was given on that recording.
Peachtree Methodist Church and Cemetery.
The earliest church building was a log hewn building dating to their early 1820s. This was shortly after lower Peachtree was settled and Alabama became a state.
Around 1825 the Asbury Chapel or Church was built in the vicinity of Asbury Cemetery. Asbury Cemetery is now known by most as lower Peachtree Cemetery. Both the church and cemetery were named in honor of Methodist Bishop Francis Asbury.
In 1832 the Alabama conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church was formed. Preaching places within the bounds of the Mobile district included lower Peachtree.
The circuit preachers were John Laney and Gerald Whittington and the church continued in that circuit until 1846.
The church continued to be called Asbury Church by the local congregation. The first preacher appointed full time to the lower Peachtree circuit was Reverend Andrew J Hill in 1846.
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The new site for the Lower Peachtree Methodist Church South occurred in 1873. At this time the Northrup family donated the land on which the present church is located. Construction of the current building was completed in 1874. The church remained active through the 1900s. This was in spite of the terrible tornado that hit lower Peachtree in 1913. That tornado left 28 dead and many others injured and much of the buildings in town demolished. Most of the persons killed by the storm are buried in the lower Peachtree cemetery.
In February 1986 a meeting was held, the closing of the church was considered. The result of the meeting was continuous service on each 5th Sunday.
There were less than 20 members on role. After that it was stated that services usually have over 20 persons present counting active members and visitors. The annual homecoming is celebrated on the 4th Sunday in May.
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I am not sure of the date of that recording. I am not sure when or if they have any kind of service at this church anymore. From the unkept appearance it is no longer in use but that is just an assumption. At any rate it is in need of sprucing back up.
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As I stood and looked at this beautiful old building and the surrounding property, I could only imagine the good times that had been experienced there by those in generations past. I could imagine the folks in the beginning coming on horseback and on wagons. In later years in buggies and finer carriages possibly. Then in times after that cars coming with some horses and mules still tied to the side. Finally just cars and pickups.
I could picture in my mind young people laughing and running. I could picture diners on the ground with piles of food. Ha ha I could almost smell the fried chicken and I got hungry and had to leave.
It saddens me every time I see one of these old churches that sits empty and no appearance of every being rejuvenated. Sitting out in a very rural area with no viable population close by. As sad as it sounds it appears that this one will not last for another generation to enjoy.
Out this week rambling we went into Wilcox County, Alabama. We spent three nights at Miller’s Ferry Campground. Miller’s Ferry Campground is located on the Alabama River. It is on the East Bank off Highway 28. It is about 15 miles from downtown Camden.
This was my first time to stay at that campground in probably a decade of more. Miller’s Ferry Campground is a beautiful campground that boasts approximately 66 camp spots. It has numerous sites that are handicap accessible. There is a large bathhouse located in the campground. It also has a boat ramp located inside the campground.
Again, this is a beautiful campground. The hosts are friendly and things were quiet for the three nights we were there.
It is a Corp of Engineers campground and as with most of their campgrounds we run into the Corp of Engineers needs to have somebody come in and do some serious work on things like trimming limbs over the roads to keep from damaging the tops of campers and motorhomes. and so forth but overall, it is a gem.
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One of my passions is beautiful sunsets and this trip was definitely not a disappointer. The Sunsets all three evenings were stunning. As with so many beautiful things no two sunsets are identical. There is always something different about the shape of the clouds, or timing of the movement of the clouds, or a host of other different things that constitute a beautiful sunset.
We rode into Camden and toured the town. It was definitely a positive eye-opening experience for me. I have not been into Camden in years to actually look around and I was amazed at what I found. So many small towns throughout our beautiful land are nothing more than empty decaying places. Too often, I have found small towns like Camden that have rows of empty falling down buildings. Normally they are not usable and apparently are just forgotten relics of a by gone era. They in so many cases appear to never be usable again, and in all probability the cost of cleaning them up is too great for the owners. So those buildings just sit and rot.
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This definitely is not, the case with Camden. For me anyway it has a WOW factor to it. Yes there are some that could still use some touch up but even some of those look like they are in the process of having some renovation done to them. I give Camden a rating of 10 for the effort and town pride that seems to be happing there. Good job folks.
As I walked the pretty much empty streets on a Sunday afternoon, (I went on Sunday so I could photo some buildings without too many cars present) I started to reminisce.
When I was a little kid 55 to 60 years ago Camden was one of the primary towns we went to for groceries and supplies. I remembered going into the Barber Shop. A man called Mr. Caton ran it. It was one of the first Barber Shops I ever knew of that have vacuum cleaner hoses hooked to the clippers so that you did not have hair all over you when you got a haircut. My grandfather loved it for that reason.
Then there was the building where the Ratcliff Hardware used to be. I remembered going in there and seeing all of the interesting things that they had to offer.
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At the South end of the square where the Western Auto used to be, the entire end is now in use. A very wide selection of various things from furniture on is here. Beautiful clean and crowded but well kept. I saw the Old Mathews Hardware building. I remembered going in there as well. Seems like I vaguely remember some kind of elevator being in that building but I was to small to remember exactly what or how it worked. I was proud to see it filled to capacity with what appeared to be an incredible assortment of things to buy. Good job. I remembered two grocery stores there but could not place exactly where either one of them was. Apparently they were both gone and there is now a Piggly Wiggly out on the bypass. There are numerous other stores out on the bypass. Dollar Stores I saw, and a drug store or two and various other things. I mainly stayed in the downtown part though walking and looking and reminiscing. The old Jail has been refurbished. Looks so nice. The other various other buildings several of which had the placards on the front where you can call a number and listen to a recording talking about that particular place and the history of it.
We rode through various areas on the West Side of the river in Wilcox County. We did ride through communities that had businesses long gone. Catherine for instance is one. There we found some buildings that were long abandoned. There were other communities as well that have suffered because of people moving away, and economic losses, and various other things, that bring blight to our rural communities.
One neat community we went into was Gastonburg. It is located up on Highway 5. There is a display with numerous pieces of antique farm equipment sitting there that is neat to see. Seeing how I am fascinated by that sort of stuff I had to take a closer look there.
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There are also two beautiful old historic churches located there. Of course I had to check them out. I ran into an older gentleman there and we struck up a conversation. Lo and behold when we got to talking, I found out his brother had been married to my grandmother’s niece. Small world ain’t it? He had actually known one of my great uncles who I admired when I was small. That great uncle was a sawmill mechanic, and knife maker. I still have a knife that he made for me when I was about 14 years old. It is made from a saw blade with deer horn for the handle.
The two churches were the Presbyterian, and the Methodist, churches.
PresbyterianMethodistClick pictures to enlarge
We rode up to Gee’s Bend. We were hoping to catch the ferry back across into Camden from that side of the river. Sadly it was out of commission because of something having to be done to the ferry. We ran by the Gee’s Bend Ferry Terminal and took a look around. Sitting out beside the parking lot is the Old Ferry Boat that ran across the Alabama River at Haynes Island, or as the locals call it Davis’s Ferry, in Monroe County for many years. I had crossed that ferry many times when it was there.
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This ferry had been built by the State of Alabama back in the early 1960’s. It was built according to several sources at the landing and put into the water there. It was a cable ferry. It ran across the Alabama River there from Ellis’s Landing on the East side of the river to Gee’s Bend on the West Side of the river for several years.
When the Dam was constructed in the mid 1960’s the distance was too wide to run a cable ferry and it was discontinued. The ferry was then moved down to Holly’s Ferry in the vicinity of Pine Hill and was used there while construction of the paper mill was going on. When the Highway 10 bridge was completed, it was then moved down to Davis’s Ferry where it ran for many more years.
We had a great time visiting Wilcox County. It is a place rich in history and an integral part of our beautiful Southland that I definitely wish to ramble again in the not-too-distant future. I highly recommend you doing so as well.
The Old Scotland Presbyterian Church was built in 1837 according to the National Historic Registry.
The community of Old Scotland in Monroe County was settled by families from Georgia and the Carolinas among other areas, many of whose families were immigrants from Scotland and Ireland. Historians say that the Old Scotland community got its name because of the area’s close resemblance to the native country of those that settled there.
The Old Scotland Presbyterian Church was originally made of logs. That structure was replaced in 1837 by the wooden frame building is now standing.
As early as the 1920s, most of the residents had moved to Franklin, Monroeville, and other communities in the local area. Because of this fact the church to discontinued regular services.
At the time of this writing the 200th anniversary service will be held April 23, 2023.
The church’s cemetery has graves of several Civil War soldiers. This church is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.
The church is located approximately 2.25 miles from County Rd 42 (Ridge Road) not far from the community of Tunnel Springs Alabama. Coordinates 31.66772, -87.27354
The cemetery holds the graves of those with the last names of Mcmillan, Davison, Dennis, Dunn, English, Falkenberry, Fountain, Jackson, McCorvey, Nettles, Rumbley, Simmons, Smith, Stevens, and Wiggins.
The beautiful old Philadelphia Baptist is located at the small community of Tunnel springs Alabama. A community located on Hwy 21 North of Peterman Al. Tunnel Springs is a small town that was located the L&N Railroad and has a railroad tunnel that is not far from the church. The town has pretty much dried up now there are some residents still there but no stores or postoffice are open any more.
Philadelphia Baptist Church
Philadelphia Baptist Church as founded in 1840. It was located at the site of what is now Antioch Baptist located on Co Rd 42 a few miles away closer to the community known as Pine Orchard.
Philadelphia started out with a congregation that consisted of both black and white people. Both races worshipped together and were buried in the same cemetery. This remained until 1870. At that time the congregation split and the black’s remained at what is not Antioch and the white people moved to what I the present site of Philadelphia Baptist Church.
The present building which contains two towers and a belfry was originally built for a whopping sum of $3,000. It was finished in the early 1900’s. Around 1913.
The first recorded pastor of the church when it was in the original location was the Rev. John McWilliams. He came to Monroe County from North Carolina in 1827. He remained pastor till 1870.
The building standing today is the original building. It has had several renovations with carpet flooring ect. being changed on the inside. Other than painting and the steps and entrance ways the outride is basically unchanged.
Below is a video of Mr Allen Ramer a long time member of Philadelphia Baptist Church telling about the rich history of this beautiful church.
