Like Rocky Springs Methodist Church, Bethel Presbyterian is no longer an active church but is maintained very well–bring a few dollars to help with the maintenance, and sign the guest book. Built around 1829, the building’s stern classicism is an early example of the Greek Revival, moving away from the more dainty trim and arches of the Federal style. It’s located on the east side of Highway 552 (Rodney Rd.) south of Port Gibson and north of Alcorn State University, at the intersection with Russum-Westside Road.

The MDAH Historic Resources Database has this to say about the building:

Organization of the Bethel Presbyterian Church, fourteen miles southwest of Port Gibson, marked an important step in the expansion of Presbyterianism into the Old Southwest during the first half of the nineteenth century. Bethel Church also brought concomitant educational and sociological benefits to its immediate area. The architectural significance of the structure lies in its application of classical detail to a form small in scale yet striking in the context of its rural surroundings. The congregation is no longer active.

You can read more of the building’s history, which included use as a school and a damaging tornado in 1943, in the National Register nomination.

Categories: Antebellum, Churches