Faith, Folklore, and Friends

Old church buildings, including the Waterloo United  Methodist Church shown here, often have two doors at the  entrance.  More than a century ago, when this church house  was built, it was the custom for women and men to enter different doors and sit on different sides of the building. Some say it was an "appreciation of the natural order", while others say it was a safeguard against temptation. I'm thinking they probably appreciated having two sets of doors to keep open during the humid Alabama summers before air conditioning was invented.

The Methodists were the first organized religion here. As early as 1808, when white men first came to settle Lauderdale County, Methodist preachers Tobias Gibson and Lorenzo Dow traveled the Natchez Trace and stopped here. They preached in log cabins, forest clearings, and fields that had a stump to stand on.  Waterloo United Methodist Church was established in 1853, making it one of the oldest congregations in the state.   Major James H. Witherspoon served as the preacher in its early days. It is a beautiful place, both inside and out.  I didn't go inside the day these photos were made, but I have been inside it many times.  Some people that I know and love were married from its pulpit.  I have friends that are members of the current congregation.  I'm thankful for the strong, determined people who raised a place of worship that lasted.