Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation at historic St. Johns Church

The public is invited and attendance is free.

The program will be presented by Ninon Parker, trustee of the church, who will share the church’s history and its architectural and cultural significance.  The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is Alabama’s earliest Carpenter’s Gothic church, a style popularized in the mid 1800’s among vernacular church styles.

Built in 1852, the church recently underwent extensive interior restoration funded by generous grants from the Colbert County Community Development Commission (Sen. Larry Stutts, Rep. Kerry Underwood, Rep. Jamie Kiel, Rep. Ernie Yarborough, and their Commission appointees) and the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama. Deteriorated plaster was repaired with a technique that preserved the original material, and the walls were repainted to match their historic color. The electrical system, which used knob-and-tube wiring installed when the church was first electrified, was upgraded to modern specifications, allowing for the possible addition of air conditioning in the future.

St. John’s congregation was established in 1839. During the Federal occupation of Tuscumbia in the 1860s, the Union Army used the church as a stable. After a tornado severely damaged the church in 1874, the building was reinforced with iron rods, followed later by buttresses. The church retains its original furnishings and early stained-glass windows.

Regular services at St. John’s ended in 1955, however, the church remains a consecrated place of worship and is also used for several community events.

Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation seeks to preserve historic buildings and sites in the community and to educate the public about local history.  Membership in the Foundation is open and welcome.  For more information about the upcoming meeting or the CCHLF, contact its president, Dr. Lorie Johnson 205-352-8977.