This church was built circa 1925 by E. E. Jackson Lumber Company. It served as a community church and was used by all denominations until the mill ceased operation in 1931. In February 1961, Scott Paper Company, which purchased the land, drew up an agreement giving the people of Riderwood permission to use the church building indefinitely for religious purposes.
The church consists of a main assembly room with a raised pulpit area and two adjoining rooms for Sunday School classes. The choir area was in an alcove just to the right of the pulpit. The interior features the original wood walls and they have never been painted. It still has the original sliding doors leading into the Sunday School rooms. Services in the church were discontinued in the mid-1990s.
The Riderwood Union Church was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage (ARLH) on June 21, 2012. It is featured in Choctaw County (Images of America) by Sandra Jenkins Little.
This church is located approximately 8 miles northwest of Butler, AL in the community of Riderwood (GPS coordinates: 32.129574, -88.323477).
Sources: 1); ARLH “Riderwood Union Church” Nomination Form; 2) Choctaw County (Images of America) by Sandra Jenkins Little, published by Arcadia Publishing.
The photographs that are provided were taken July 1, 2016.