Selma Methodist Church in Selma, Arkansas, is standing, more or less, as completed in 1874. In the years since, there have been some damages, repairs, and modifications, but for the most part, if the guys who built it could see it today, they would surely recognize the stately old structure. Due to that authenticity, and turbocharged by some local legwork, the church earned its place on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

In 1874, three years after he started construction, a certain Mr. Rector (his first name we do not know) finished what we now do know as Selma Methodist Church, at Selma, Arkansas. At the time, it was a Baptist Church and remained so until 1885 when the Baptists sold it to the Methodist Episcopal Church for $790.43.

Seems in the 1880s lots of Baptists and other Selma residents gravitated east to Tillar, Arkansas, after the railroad was built there, leaving a diminished Selma congregation in their wake. Thus Selma had the dubious distinction of being one of the first Arkansas towns to become a victim of new technology.

More recently, the old church nearly fell victim to Mother Nature's fury, personified in assaults by the tailings of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. The building literally was teetering from west to east on the ragged edge of disaster.

Local Selma Methodist Church supporters alerted historic preservation authorities to the emergency conditions. The historic preservation people provided a grant of $5,000 which was bolstered with local funds to save the church. They contacted Little Rock Architect Gary Clements, a practitioner with impressive historic preservation credentials. He devised a way to shore up the church as a quick fix. See a picture of the Selma buttresses here. That put a screeching halt to impending disaster.

The local folks got busy and raised more money, which was used as leverage for a historic preservation grant. The funds they raised literally raised the church. About eight feet in the air. Turns out part of the problem was the old foundation — it was a lost cause. Since the church was sitting on the foundation, something had to give. They jacked up the building, fixed the foundation, and then lowered the church to settle on a now structurally sound foundation.

All of which led on a headlong course to May 21, 2011. There is work to do on the church and the fuel is lucre.

The food, prepared on the spot with a custom fish-fry/BBQ trailer, was plentiful and good. So good, these guys could quit their day jobs.

On that day, the Selma Methodist Church Preservation Society held its first public fundraiser. Former Selma residents came like it was homecoming. Local folks and friends, some from far away, came to show their support for the noble restoration cause at hand. Everything was donated, including auction items and entertainment. Appropriately, the day, which was preceded by a nasty thunderstorm the night before, shone mostly sunny, as did the attitudes of attendees.

The youngest attendee was Jordan Gibson, granddaughter of Hal Gibson, who is a cousin to my good friend Jimmy Dale Peacock. Jimmy was born in the house next door to Selma Methodist Church. He traveled from Oklahoma for the event. Jordan and her grandad are standing in the chow line. Just off camera is Pepper, Jordan's Schnauzer. You can see Pepper on the Weekly Grist Gallery.

Local volunteers who can cook with the best of them prepared fried catfish, fries, hushpuppies, slaw, and BBQ'd chicken. Attendees happily devoured these Southern gastronomical delights with great efficiency. The chow line passed by a collection box, which was nicely salted with monetary benevolence.

The people at Selma have a jewel in their church, but it's not just for them. Historic preservation is for everyone. That's why they are inviting everyone to help.

N O T E S:  
Nikon D300, ISO 200 - all. Church building, Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6, EX DC HSM, 1/400@f10 base exposure for compositing; Chowline, same lens, 1/250@f7.1; Jordan, AF S Nikkor 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 VR, 1/250@f7.1. Post processed with Photoshop CS5 Extended.

SEE THE INSIDE
OF SELMA CHURCH
along with other neat stuff
during the day, including a revisit
to the Look-See tree
and a surprise or two
at Weekly Grist
for the Eyes and Mind,
Such fun!

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Most of the time, there is more to the Photo of the Week story than can be told in an essay. And most of the time there are more pictures to be seen. Presuming that some folk will enjoy being privy to this trove of information, I have created a blog, “Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind,” where I am showing and telling “the rest of the story." There are also some blatantly commercial mentions of some of the things we do to earn our beans and taters. Click on the Weekly Grist logo and go to the blog.  — J. D.