St. John's-In-The-Prairie, now known as St. John's Episcopal Church, is a historic Episcopal church in Forkland, Alabama.
St. John's-In-The-Prairie | |
 The church in 2008 | |
   | |
| Location | SR 4, Forkland, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 32°38′51″N 87°52′54″W / 32.64750°N 87.88167°W |
| Built | 1859 |
| Architect | Upjohn, Richard |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000313[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 20, 1975 |
History
editThe congregation was organized in 1834 by Caleb Ives, a pioneer missionary, and was admitted to parish status in 1838. The first rector was the Rev. John Avery. The wooden Gothic Revival structure was built in 1859 on a Southern plantation to the designs of Richard Upjohn.[1] It was a Methodist church, built on a Southern plantation south of Greensboro in the Antebellum South.[2]
After the American Civil War of 1861–1865, the Methodist planter had lost most of his assets.[2] He ran afoul of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South after he built a saloon from the ruins of his plantation house.[2] As a result, he decided to convert the congregation to an Episcopal church and move the building across the Black Warrior River to its present location in 1878.[2][3] Others suggest he had sold alcohol to the Union Army and moved to flee veterans of the Confederate States Army.[2]
As of 2017, the church still has several congregants.[2]
Heritage significance
editIt was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 20, 1975.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f John Archibald, See what's inside the mystery church in Alabama's Black Belt, The Birmingham News, July 15, 2015
- ^ "Early Churches of Greene County". Greene County Historical Society. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
External links
edit- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. AL-255, "Episcopal Church, County Road 4 (moved from original location), Forkland, Greene County, AL", 4 photos
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