History

History of Court Street United Methodist Church

This information has been compiled using the following books: Court Street United Methodist Church by Alfred A. Kern, and Lynchburg - An Architectural History by S. Allen Chambers, Jr.

The History of Court Street United Methodist Church begins with the 3rd Street Church located on 3rd Street (today's Church Street) between 10th and 11th Streets, built in 1811.

By 1849-50, the church, having outgrown its building, a new Methodist Church was planned. In 1850, the money had been raised for this new church building and 56 members of 3rd Street Station withdrew and built on the corner of 4th Street (Court Street today) and 3rd Alley (7th Street today) a church to be called 4th Street Station. This name was changed to Court Street Station when the street name was changed. This church was dedicated June 19, 1851 (demolished 1901).

Again, growth was rapid and in 1893 the question of a larger building sometime in the future was becoming a consideration. In 1897 the need for a larger church and especially a larger more modern Sunday School was so apparent that a lot at the rear of the church was purchased. The new Sunday School was begun on September 1, 1900 and the old building continued to serve the congregation until the new SS annex was completed. The last services in the old church were held on June 29-30, 1901 before the old building was demolished and the new building begun. The new building was completed and dedicated in the fall of 1902 (CSUMC).

In 1926 one of Lynchburg's leading architects, Stanhope Johnson, designed a Sunday School addition and remodeling which carried out the originall conception faithfully. At this time improvements were made in the sanctuary, most notable, a new color scheme for the ceiling using 33 colors based on the tints observed coming through the stained glass windows between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. This work was completed in 1928.

There have been many repairs, general improvements and refurbishments to the church in more recent times, but no recent architectural changes.

The building on teh exterior is American Romanesque in style and the interior is Roman Corinthian, based on the Roman Baths of Caracalla, 215 A.D. The architect was Edward G. Frye leading Lynchburg architect during this age of prolific church building in Lynchburg.

The music of the church goes back to 1806. Of the 69 founders of the 4th Street Station, roughly three-quarters of the total were women and Dr. Kern says in his history of Court Street United Methodist Church "Never underestimate the power of a woman" especially in the work of the church! He added there is a legend that one of the reasons for the withdrawal was the desire to have an organ in the church. There could be a connection between this legend and the feminine preponderance among the founders, but be that as it may, it is nevertheless true that the new church from the beginning used an organ in their services. The plan to include an organ in the new building called forth the following remarkable entry in the minutes of the Quarterly Conference fo the 3rd Street Church: "56 members have withdrawn from this church to build one up on the hill to serve the devil in" and an early Methodist Bishop is reported to have said that he hoped he would "never live to see one of these abominations to the Lord (organ) in a Methodist church!"