1872 - Emmanuel Episcopal Church - Opelika, AL
Posted by: 
xptwo
N 32° 38.949 W 085° 22.829
16S E 651892 N 3613551
This stone church stands out, but only after reading the historical marker on the lawn did I learn that it was built from local fieldstone from a plantation north of the city.
Waymark Code: WMGDTA
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 02/19/2013
Views: 2
Located at the corner of 1st Avenue and 8th Street in Opelika, Alabama, Emmanuel Episcopal Church stands on a hill above the street. Their story can be seen in the text of the marker:
"Organized in 1858, Trinity Mission was admitted to the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama on May 5, 1860. When the first church was consecrated on this site in 1862, it was renamed Emmanuel, meaning "God With Us." That building was destroyed by a tornado in 1869. The cornerstone for the present church was laid on Easter Day 1872. Built of native fieldstone from the Nelson and Sarah Carruthers Clayton Plantation north of Opelika, Emmanuel is the oldest public building in Opelika. Born of hope during Reconstruction, this little stone church stands as a testament to pioneer faith and endurance and remains a living monument to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit."
It is interesting to learn that when this congregation was admitted into the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, they were in the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. When the first church building was consecrated, it would have been as a parish in the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America. When cornerstone was laid, they were in the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The Episcopal Church reunited after the Civil War rather than splitting into Northern and Southern groups as did many denominations of the era.
The cornerstone says Easter Day, 1872. For those who are interested, that date was March 31, 1872.
Year of construction: 1872
Cross-listed waymark: [Web Link]
Full inscription:
To the Glory of God - the Father & the Son and the Holy Ghost
Emmanuel Church
Easter, A.D. 1872
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