During the 1860 – 1880 period, Edward N. Kring (1836-1910) emerged as the leading carpenter and builder of Gainesville. He built several businesses and homes in the area. He also built the church that’s shown for Gainesville Methodists in 1872, and the St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in 1879.
The Methodist church remains much the same today as when it was built and it has a rather unusual interior. Particularly noteworthy are the unusual semicircular arched recesses behind both the pulpit and the organ and choir area.
The Gainesville Methodist Church is a contributing property to the Gainesville Historic District that was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on October 3, 1985. This church is located at the intersection of E Spruce and Webster Streets at Gainesville (GPS coordinates 32.816558,-88.161081).
Sources: 1) Gainesville, Alabama Tour Guide; 2) NRHP “Gainesville Historic District” Document; 3) NRHP “Gainesville, Alabama MRA” Document
Photograph courtesy of RuralSWAlabama.