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.
This church turns 130 years old next year.
It's on the National Historic Register.
The windows show a fine mix of green, amber and blue opalescents, cut randomly. I'm sure they're beautiful from the inside, but they look great in reflected light as well.
Another tiled dome atop a church built just three years earlier than the one above.
A simple off-center double chevron is enough to set this little church apart.
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
As there is no identifying sign, I assume this pretty little church has been converted into a home. If so, it's a bit unusual that the cross would remain over the entrance. A parsonage, perhaps?
Founded in 1875 as Brinkley's First Baptist. The lancet windows and the back 2/3rds of the church are original to the building, while it's clear the lighter bricks were part of the 1975 remodel.
Here's a closer look at the dividing line. Notice half the brick window surround is part of the addition.
It's always better to misspell on paper than in granite.
