This fine old building was home to Cumberland Presbyterian Church from 1869 to 1920, at which time the congregation left the building to join with Clarendon's First Presbyterian, just up the road.
The belfry was added in 1887.I went to the town's
welcome center (located a block away from one of the state's finest county courthouses) and there I met a very nice lady, Mary Parker. She pointed me to a booklet entitled 'Pages from the Past Revisted - Historical Notes on Clarendon, Monroe County and Early Arkansas.,' by Jo Claire English. I read this about the church:
"The very best cypress timber was used for the building, having been brought by trams and wagons from the mill town of Aberdeen. This material was dressed by hand... In spite of floods and many years of weathering without proper care, the well built structure, with its wooden pegs intact, has defied going out of service."
exposed corner joineryAfter it was a church, it was library. Until '27, that is, when the floods did in nearly 5000 books. For the most part, it served as a Masonic lodge after that, but had stints as a kindergarten, a teen club and a Scout hall.
Of late it seems it actually has 'gone out of service.' It is on the National Register of Historic Places and is probably the oldest unaltered structure in Monroe County. The building has stood for 140 years. I hope some new use and attention are in store for it.
A pretty little church with a convenient covered walkway that would seem to invite parishioners to congregate on rainy days before the dash to the car. The decorative iron supports are a nice touch as well.
The color variation of the shingles matches that of the stonework. These photos were taken before the trees leafed out. Bet it's prettier now.
The current issue of the Arkansas Times has a story titled "Centennial Church is falling down." Here's photographic evidence.
(That's my brother, Jim, snapping a picture for himself.)
If this building wasn't wearing that cross, I'd never give it the time of day. But the wooden cross on the metal building in all that green makes me wonder. Is it a church?
The church Cumberland's congregation merged with in 1920 stood where this church stands today until a fire destroyed it about three years ago. The rebuilt church incorporates some of the original stained glass.
The belfry was added in 1887.
exposed corner joinery
While working on Temple Beth El, I happened to glance across the street and saw four of these guys jutting out from the tower atop St. John's Episcopal. I can't recall seeing gargoyles on any Arkansas church before.
Like Helena in general, the Jewish population of the town has seen better days. When the members of Congregation Beth El reluctantly voted to disband three years ago due to their dwindling numbers, the synagogue they built in 1916 was donated to the city for use as a cultural arts center.
That conversion is now underway. A stage is being built and a geothermal heating and cooling system is being installed. (I have been re-glazing windows here this week for C/M Restoration, just one of the companies involved in the conversion.) When the work is complete, Helena will have a new performance venue that will be mindful of its past. You can read more about that past here.
I lay on the floor between pews to get as much of the stained glass domed skylight in the picture as possible. Still doesn't quite fit.
