County of church: Callaway County
Location of church: CR-245 & CR-282, 3 miles W. of Auxvasse
Date built: 1840
"Two-Door Churches:
"Two-door churches are not considered a separate property type, but an interesting
phenomenon in the survey. Based on extant examples and historic photographs, rural
churches in the county often had two entrance doors of equal prominence on the facade—
one for women and one for men. ... with a central
exterior entrance leading to a small foyer at which point men and women traditionally
entered the church through separate doorways to sit in segregated pews.
"The segregation of the sexes was, ..., “the Presbyterian way” at least for a time in the 19th century. The tradition of
segregated entrances and seating was not limited to Presbyterians, but was common
among evangelical churches in the mid-19th century. ...
To classify as a “two-door” church, the buildings had to have two exterior
entrances treated “identically in terms of their placement in the façade, their size, and
their architectural styling and details.” In the study, examples were associated with
several Protestant denominations including Christian (a.k.a. Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ), Presbyterian, and Baptist churches.
"This resulted in many buildings constructed with separate entrances and segregated
interior seating. Though segregated, in most cases women were not relegated to the back
of the church nor was the status of women in the church diminished by providing
entrances of a different scale or decoration.
"The construction of two-door churches was by no means universal among frontier
Baptist, Christian and Presbyterian churches in Kentucky or Missouri. However, there is
evidence in historic photographs and the design of extant churches that two-door
churches were historically more common in Callaway County than they are today.
According to the Kentucky study, the use of two-doors was in decline by the end of the
19th Century evidenced by the modification of many church facades to close one entrance
or to rebuild with a single central entrance. This seems also to be the case in Callaway County as the construction of two door churches (or hybrid examples such as White
Cloud) dwindled after c. 1900. Also, it is likely that some Callaway County churches
with early 20th century front foyer additions were originally two-door churches." ~ Rural Church Types Survey, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, PDF page 22
"Organized in 1833 by the Reverends Hoxey and Gray with a membership of 15. Its original name (Seven Mile Presbyterian Church)
was taken from a creek that ran near the church. The current building was completed in 1840. At this time the church was renamed
“Concord Presbyterian” possibly reflecting the recent platting of the Concord community (1837).
"The church sits on a large relatively flat lot at the southwest corner of two county roads. The lawn around the church is flat and slopes
toward the two roads. There is a small, shed roof, concrete block building located just west of the church. The cemetery is located
across the road to the east and is a large flat lot surrounded by wire fencing.
"Constructed in 1840, this gable-end brick church faces east and sits on a large open lot that slopes toward the road at the east and
north. The east elevation has two front entrances with narrow wood panel doors topped by Gothic arch transoms. The gable end is
lined by a large dentiled cornice with cornice returns. The cornice extends along the north and south eaves and the west gable. The
north and south elevations have 4 evenly spaced Gothic arched windows with wood triple hung sash. The east and west elevations
have been painted in red. There is a small shed (20th C) or privy off the southwest corner of the building. The 1984 history of Callaway
County mentions that the “Red brick church [is] still used for worship services but many changes and additions have been added.” Most of those additions appear to have been made on the interior. The surveyor did not have access to the interior, though a
look through the rear door and windows indicated that part of the interior had been partitioned for a kitchen. The exterior has been
partially painted, but appears to be largely intact."
~ Rural Churches in Callaway County, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, PDF page 342