A little over a month after Athens became the county seat of McMinn County, this congregation was started. This brick building was built in 1838 to be their church building and a civic meeting house.
During the Civil War, their pastor left to become a chaplain for the Confederates. In the summer of 1863, Union troops came to occupy the city and most of the people in the city fled south. Those of the conregation who remained had no pastor. When the war was over, the church was in bad shape. Restoration was slow, but by 1878, the building was fully rebuilt.
In 1944, the building caught fire and much of the interior was damaged and then repaired. Additions and renovations were made in 1960.
Literaly every time I walked up to photograph this place, the sun would hide behind clouds. When I would give up and walk away, the sun would come out. The clouds can be such a tease sometimes. Hmmph.
No comments:
Post a Comment