Dublin Core
Title
First United Methodist Church
Subject
Church; Religion
Description
First United Methodist Church is one of Florence’s oldest congregations. The congregation’s first meeting took place in a log home on September 8, 1822, and consisted of eight people. The log home was the property of the congregation’s first minister, Reverend John Cox, and was located on West Tuscaloosa Street. Also, worship services were conducted in Florence resident Thomas Farmer’s home. Some of the early charter members of the church were Reverend Cox, his wife Frances, their three children (Thomas, James, and Mary), John Kerr, newspaper editor Dr. Shadrack Nye, and Joseph Paddleford.
In 1823 a Methodist circuit rider named Nathaniel R. Jarret was appointed the minister of the congregation. However, it was not until 1826 when the congregation had the funds to build a church building. The first church building, a 24 x 30 foot structure, was built on the intersecting corner of West Tombigbee and Locust Streets. After the congregation required land located on the corner of East Tuscaloosa and North Seminary Streets from the Cypress Land Company in 1827, the congregation placed the church building on logs and rolled it to the new site, where the current church stands today.
The first addition to the building came in 1834, when a sanctuary that could hold five hundred people was added. This made the church the largest meeting place in Florence. According to records, there were forty-six total congregation members in 1834. Out of those forty-six, three were colored. The next major renovation to the church took place in the early 1900s. Around 1905, a new brick structure was built on the site, however this burned in a fire in 1920. Two years later the members of the church had erected a new building on top of the ashes. The sanctuary was not completed until 1924, and during those four years the congregation conducted worship services at the old Coffee High School.
During the Great Depression the church experienced hardships due to its mortgage. The congregation could not afford to pay the mortgage for the church during the times of financial constraints and the building was on the brink of closing down and being sold off. However, local Jewish entrepreneur and philanthropists Louis Rosenbaum negotiated with the National Bank of New York for a loan and wrote a personal check, which together managed to stop the selling of the church. The church kept its doors open during the Depression years and continues to be a meeting place of worship in Florence. Today, the brick structure includes a seven million dollar expansion that provides ministry to all ages and acts as a children’s nursery.
In 1823 a Methodist circuit rider named Nathaniel R. Jarret was appointed the minister of the congregation. However, it was not until 1826 when the congregation had the funds to build a church building. The first church building, a 24 x 30 foot structure, was built on the intersecting corner of West Tombigbee and Locust Streets. After the congregation required land located on the corner of East Tuscaloosa and North Seminary Streets from the Cypress Land Company in 1827, the congregation placed the church building on logs and rolled it to the new site, where the current church stands today.
The first addition to the building came in 1834, when a sanctuary that could hold five hundred people was added. This made the church the largest meeting place in Florence. According to records, there were forty-six total congregation members in 1834. Out of those forty-six, three were colored. The next major renovation to the church took place in the early 1900s. Around 1905, a new brick structure was built on the site, however this burned in a fire in 1920. Two years later the members of the church had erected a new building on top of the ashes. The sanctuary was not completed until 1924, and during those four years the congregation conducted worship services at the old Coffee High School.
During the Great Depression the church experienced hardships due to its mortgage. The congregation could not afford to pay the mortgage for the church during the times of financial constraints and the building was on the brink of closing down and being sold off. However, local Jewish entrepreneur and philanthropists Louis Rosenbaum negotiated with the National Bank of New York for a loan and wrote a personal check, which together managed to stop the selling of the church. The church kept its doors open during the Depression years and continues to be a meeting place of worship in Florence. Today, the brick structure includes a seven million dollar expansion that provides ministry to all ages and acts as a children’s nursery.
Creator
Jesse Brock, University of North Alabama
Source
Text:
“The First United Methodist Church, Florence, Alabama-A Brief History,” in Bill McDonald Collection, Box 36, Archives/Special Collections, Collier Library, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama.
Jill Knight Garrett, A History of Lauderdale County, Alabama, 142.
Carolyn Barske, Images of America: Florence (Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2014), 100.
“The First United Methodist Church, Florence, Alabama-A Brief History,” in Bill McDonald Collection, Box 36, Archives/Special Collections, Collier Library, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama.
Jill Knight Garrett, A History of Lauderdale County, Alabama, 142.
Carolyn Barske, Images of America: Florence (Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2014), 100.
Publisher
Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
Format
file