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Gainesville Presbyterian Church at Gainesville, AL (built ca. 1838, listed on the NRHP)

Antebellum, Churches and Cemeteries | Gainesville in Sumter County  

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This is Gainesville’s oldest church. The congregation was organized in April of 1837 through the joint efforts of a small group of Southern-born Presbyterians and New England Congregationalists, including the family of Col. Moses Lewis who established the town of Gainesville. That same month, a contract was awarded for the construction of the present building, which was opened for services the following year.

Except for the renovation of the pulpit and the removal of the paneled pew-gates, the church has been virtually unaltered since its completion. It has three blocks of original paneled box pews (gates removed and stored), U-shaped slave gallery at sides and rear, original whale oil lamps (now electrified) and a circa 1890 reed organ. It also has a church bell that was cast using 500 silver dollars to improve its tone.

Maria Fearing, while still a slave, attended this church. Later, she gained prominence as a missionary to the Congo and was inducted into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame in 2000 for her achievements.

The Gainesville Presbyterian 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 on McKee Street (Hwy 39) near downtown Gainesville (GPS coordinates 32.819749,-88.159208).

Sources: 1) Gainesville, Alabama Tour Guide; 2) NRHP “Gainesville Historic District” Document; 3) NRHP “Gainesville, Alabama MRA” Document.

Photographs courtesy of RuralSWAlabama.

Tags: alabama, antebellum, black belt, church, gainesville, presbyterian, sumter county

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About This Website

Welcome to rural southwest Alabama. This website is dedicated to twelve counties located in rural southwest Alabama which includes a large portion of Alabama’s Black Belt area. This region is known for its rich and diverse heritage, historic homes and churches, and natural beauty. This website contains details about historic and interesting places that you will find in this area of Alabama.

PLEASE NOTE THAT MOST OF THE HOMES INCLUDED ARE PRIVATE RESIDENCES AND, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ARE DRIVE BY ONLY.

We hope that you enjoy this website.

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Dedicated to the memory of Stacy Milstead Henson (1978-2008) & Inez “Sis” Watts (1924-2007).

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