Clanton First United Methodist Church

From the outside, Clanton's First United Methodist Church is visually appealing, built in a classical revival style with handsome white columns and intricately designed stained-glass windows. But to truly appreciate the resplendence of its sanctuary, one must view it from the inside. According to church records, a Methodist society has existed in C... lanton since the early 1870s, originally meeting in a local schoolhouse on Second Avenue. In 1873, the church paid $1 to purchase the land on which the current building now stands, temporarily meeting in a tent on the property until a permanent structure could be built. Each stained-glass window holds a plaque engraved with the name or names of those who donated the funding for each one. The small, white, one-story frame building was used until 1887, when growth prompted the building of a second structure. The simple church in which the Methodists had worshipped for four years was purchased and moved to a different location, clearing the property for the building of a larger church. Dedicated in May 1888, this larger building, still one story, boasted a steeple and bell tower. According to a compilation of the church's history written by the late Helen Parrish, who served as church secretary for many years, the bell housed in the tower produced "the clearest, sweetest sound ever heard in Clanton," and the children of the church took great delight in helping the pastor ring the bell each Sunday morning. Two pot-bellied stoves provided heat during the winter months, and a pedal organ gave music for the services. In her compilation, Parrish writes about the ladies of the church who "vied with one another to see who could wear the fanciest hats to the choir" and the commotion that ensued when a bat flew in through an open window during the evening service, landing in the "large be-ribboned hat" of the preacher's wife. She notes that summer revival services with singing and dinner on the grounds were held on property belonging to the church located several miles outside ...Read More