1st Presbyterian, Fort Smith

My brother Jim had some business to attend to in Fort Smith last week, so I asked him to snap some pictures of churches if he happened upon any that were beautiful or unusual. Here's one he brought back that fits both descriptions.

If there's an actual architectural style here, I'm not sure what it would be. I'd classify it as Mission-Gothic, if such a style existed. Quite the belfry.

Here's the cornerstone showing 1898 as the year of dedication.

Turn of the century Fort Smith must have been home to a number of master masons. The rough-hewn stones of First Presbyterian are evidence.

Jim is known for photographing anything that strikes his fancy. He labeled this as "secret church code."

church web site

Pumpkin Bend sign, Woodruff County

What's great about searching for churches to photograph in the countryside is there are all these signs to point you in the right direction. Usually, they even include the distance you'll have to drive in order to find them. What they don't tell you is how rough the road is leading to the church and whether the picture is worth the detour.

This sign is just down the road from the previous church and, no, it has no distance marked, hence, no church picture. I was running late and didn't want to chance it. Nice sign, though. Very seasonal.

Faith Landmark Miss. Baptist, McCrory

This is my personal favorite of all the church windows I have designed and built. I wanted it to look like a quilt.

Can you tell the church is in farm country?

First Presbyterian, Dardanelle

The sculpture is by John Mori of Clarksville. It's the centerpiece of a nice little meditation garden on the church grounds.

church web site

Assumption Catholic, Atkins

Classic church design.
Quite a pitch on that roof.

Old Austin Baptist, Lonoke County

Old Austin, just northeast of Cabot, is one of the oldest towns in central Arkansas. It could have been chosen as the state capitol; it could have attracted the railroad; it could have been the site of Ouachita Baptist University; but none of these things came to pass. Austin was the midway stop for the Butterfield Stage between Memphis and Fort Smith, and it was the home of one of the state's oldest Baptist associations.

As for what is in Old Austin anymore, there's this nice little Baptist church. That and a historical marker are about it.

church web site

Augusta Presbyterian

If you want history, start with river towns. In Arkansas, that means (primarily) the Arkansas and the White Rivers.

Augusta, the county seat of Woodruff County, was established just before the Civil War, and its Presbyterian church had its foundation laid in 1861. Riverboat traffic on the White made Augusta a target for the Union army, so the church wasn't finished until 1871. It served the county as a church for exactly one hundred years and today is home to the Augusta Heritage Center.

A photo of the church in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas shows a steeple. The date on the photo is 2005, so it must have been removed since then.

Here's one of two plaques. The other one calls it Woodruff County Presbyterian.

Cotton Plant Presbyterian

Established 1859

Erected 1920

Sadly, no more.