Preservation in Mississippi
Rocky Springs Methodist Church, along the Natchez Trace
Rocky Springs Methodist Church, Claiborne County – (1837) The final remaining structure in the ghost town of Rocky Springs, which possessed a population of 2,600 people at its height. However, due to a yellow fever epidemic, a disastrous cotton crop, poor farming practices, and the Natchez Trace’s decline; Rocky Springs was nearly abandoned by the turn of the Twentieth Century. The numerous gullies in the area attest to the poor farming methods that helped doom Rocky Springs. Rocky Springs Methodist Church survived the decline of the town as an active congregation until closing in April 2010. Rocky Springs Methodist Church is a vernacular Federal style church, relying on simplicity, clean lines, and its prominent setting at the crest of a hill instead of ornament to impart grandeur and architectural importance. Also, the church has undergone very few changes; the removal of the belfry in 1901 as a safety precaution is the only exterior change; the only interior changes are slight ones involving the electrification of the building. Overall, Rocky Springs Methodist Church is one of the most intact antebellum churches in Mississippi.
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I would like to have met there one evening to have a worship service, who do I need to contact to get permission to do this?
Posted by Andrew | September 26, 2011, 2:57 pmIs it possible to have a wedding inside the church? Just 10 people total, including the bride and groom. No decorations or candles. Please reply.
Posted by kate | February 24, 2012, 11:10 pmI’m sorry I don’t know the answer about who to contact. I would assume that the first place to start would be the Mississippi Conference of the Methodist Church, based in Jackson. The e-mail on their webpage is bishop@mississippi-umc.org. I don’t know if they still own the property, since the church officially closed in April 2010: http://misspreservation.com/2010/04/24/misspres-news-roundup-4-25-2010/
Posted by ELMalvaney | February 25, 2012, 6:58 pm