Story: Phillip Tutor | Photos: Betsy Compton
Rededicated 19th-century building now part of campus’ Lenoir Chapel Complex
This spring鈥檚 rededication of a historic 19th-century Alabama church has given the a pastoral addition to its roster of campus event spaces.
Built in 1858,聽the single-room Elizabeth Church聽has been relocated to 宅男福利社as part of the tree-shrouded Lenoir Chapel Complex on Student Union Drive across from Reed Hall. The university held a ribbon-cutting on May 21, after which the church was the site for the first-ever baccalaureate ceremony for University Charter School.
The Lenoir Chapel Complex also includes , a wooden-frame home built before Alabama statehood in 1818 in Hale County. It was relocated to UWA鈥檚 campus in 2012.
In remarks made at the rededication, Dr. Tina Jones, vice president of聽UWA鈥檚 Division of Economic and Workforce Development, discussed the intrinsic value of place in people鈥檚 lives — place that harbors the smells and sounds of human experiences, creates identities and defines lives. She also thanked the S.E. Belcher Fund and the Ernestine L. Lenoir Charitable Trust for their assistance with the project.
鈥淲hether we鈥檝e seen them with our own eyes or not, such places are etched into our collective memory, and things that happened in those places have shaped our lives in significant ways,鈥� she said. 鈥淓lizabeth Church is such a place.鈥�
UWA鈥檚 campus already includes a variety of sites that can host events, including the Bell Conference Center, the 宅男福利社Auditorium in the Math and Science Building, Pruitt Gymnasium and numerous other athletic facilities. An amphitheater is planned for the center of campus near Wallace Hall.
With its tall windows and rustic charm, Elizabeth Church instantly becomes a multi-use space appropriate for events such as the UCS baccalaureate or for organizations鈥� pinning and induction ceremonies, Jones said.
鈥淲e have had inquiries about hosting student activities, smaller theater productions, alumni events and campus ministries activities,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淎ll of these are possible.鈥�
The church鈥檚 appearance on the by the and the highlighted the building鈥檚 former plight. At the time, those two organizations were blunt in their assessment: 鈥淭he church is threatened by neglect,鈥� they wrote.
The first Elizabeth Presbyterian Church was built in 1838 on land donated by Elizabeth Knox and constructed from locally hewn timber. Congregants moved that log structure to another location south of York in Sumter County in 1845. The wooden building featuring twin entrances and four large vertical windows on each side that now sits on UWA鈥檚 campus was completed 13 years later. Descendants of the church鈥檚 original member families attended the rededication and were prominent in its relocation efforts.
鈥淭o all of these families, we pay tribute,鈥� Jones said at the rededication. 鈥淵our presence today honors this place and these people. Without them, we would not be here.鈥�
