First Presbyterian Church (Wetumpka, Alabama)

First Presbyterian Church was a historic Presbyterian church building and congregation at 100 West Bridge Street in Wetumpka, Alabama. The Carpenter Gothic structure was built by a local builder in 1856 at a cost of $2,300. It featured a Gothic Revival exterior and a Greek Revival interior. The finished building was dedicated on June 14, 1857. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.[1][2]

First Presbyterian Church
The building as it appeared in 2010.
Location100 West Bridge Street
Wetumpka, Alabama
Coordinates32°32′21″N 86°12′31″W
Area2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built1856
Architectural styleGothic Revival
Demolished2019
NRHP reference No.76000324[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 8, 1976

Notable past members included the secessionist Congressman William Lowndes Yancey and Alabama's 11th governor Benjamin Fitzpatrick. The Wetumpka Light Guard departed for service in the Confederate States Army from the church's lawn in 1861. Following the American Civil War, Senator John H. Bankhead was married here to Tallulah James Brockman.[2]

The historic church building was destroyed by an EF2 tornado on January 19, 2019.[3][4] On January 22, 2019, Pastor Jonathan Yarboro stated that the first step will be to salvage anything that is left and that the congregation is committed to rebuilding the church as it was before the storm.[5]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Floyd, W. Warner; Ellen Mertins (June 1, 1976). "First Presbyterian Church". National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form. National Park Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 10, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  3. Wetumpka suffers significant damage after tornado, The Wetumpka Herald, January 19, 2019, retrieved January 20, 2019
  4. First Presbyterian Church destroyed, pastor reflects, WSFA News 12, January 20, 2019, retrieved January 21, 2019
  5. Damaged Church Prepares to Rebuild, Alabama News Network, January 22, 2019, retrieved January 23, 2019


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