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| Photos courtesy of Jerrie Lindsay |
This is what remains of a lovely old building erected in 1921 under the pastorate of Rev. B.F. Neal and Superintendence of Rev. G.H. Hall (D.S.). According to the website of the museum of Ft. Smith the church was established in 1911 at 800 N. 9th in Ft. Smith. It was one house of worship for African Americans in the community. Clearly, the voids had lovely stained glass in them. All that remains, as seen in these images, is the one wall and what appeared to be char marks indicating perhaps a fire had damaged the building.
The name comes from a well-respected Bishop of the Methodist Church, Williad Francis Mallalieu. Here is a link to information about Methodism in Arkansas history and culture.
I remember snapping a picture years ago of the original cornerstone of Mallalieu United Methodist church because I thought it might mean something one day. It was hidden behind the bushes on the northwest side of the church. It says:
ReplyDeleteMallalieu M.E. Church - Org. 1885 - Cor. Stone Laid Oct. 19, 1889 - Rev. J. P. Franklin - Rev. W.H. Crawford, P.E. (M.E. is Methodist Episcopal and P.E. is Presiding Elder)
I was a teenager when the church developed a pinhole leak in the roof that never got repaired. After going unattended for years, the roof fell into a decayed state. The church never burned, just got "old". My grandfather Rev. D.H.E. Harris pastored there and was buried out of that church when he died in 1932. My family had been there for years and remember its esteemed glory. The beautiful stained glass windows rivaled any in town at the time.