St. Luke's Episcopal Church (Cahaba, Alabama)

Infobox_nrhp
name =St. Luke's Episcopal Church
nrhp_type =nrhp

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caption =St. Luke's Episcopal Church, HABS photo taken in 1934.
location= Cahaba, Alabama, United States
area =
built =1854, moved 1876 & 2006-2007
added = March 25, 1975
governing_body = Alabama Historical Commission
mpsub=
refnum=82002008cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|accessdate=2008-01-09|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

St. Luke's Episcopal Church is a historic Carpenter Gothic church, which was built in 1854 at Cahaba, the first capital of Alabama. The unknown builder closely followed plans published by architect Richard Upjohn in his 1852 book "Rural Architecture".Gamble, Robert "Historic architecture in Alabama: a guide to styles and types, 1810-1930", page 83. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: The University of Alabama Press, 1990. ISBN 0817311343.] Exterior features include board and batten sheathing, lancet windows and pointed arch doorways. The building originally had wooden buttresses and a square belltower on the corner to the left of the current main front entrance, the tower was not rebuilt when the building was later relocated.

History

Because of the danger of flooding, the church was dismantled in 1876 and moved to the village of Martin's Station where it was reassembled. It later was used by an African-American Baptist congregation for over 60 years before being abandoned.cite web|title="Some Gwin Gravesite Photos"|work="John Gwin's Genealogy Homepage"|url=http://www.zianet.com/jmcdgwin/gwingravephotospage.htm|accessdate=2008-01-09] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 25, 1982.

During the academic year 2006-2007, students from Auburn University's Rural Project carefully dismantled the church building so that it could be moved back to Cahaba and reassembled on the Cahaba State Historic Site.cite web|title="Auburn students reconstruct St. Luke's Episcopal Church"|url=http://www.selmatimesjournal.com/articles/2007/03/18/news/local/news%201232.txt|last=Leytham|first=Tammy|date=2007-03-18|publisher="Selma Times Journal"|accessdate=2008-01-09] During the current school year 2007-2008, the students are reassembling the building at Cahaba,cite web|title="Rural Studio 2nd Year"|work="Auburn University School of Architecture Rural Studio"|url=http://www.cadc.auburn.edu/soa/rural-studio/second-year/|accessdate=2008-01-09] near the corner of Cahaba Road and Capitol Avenue.

Gallery

chancel in 1934.
Northern_side_view_in_2002.

References

ee also

*National Register of Historic Places listings in Dallas County, Alabama
*Structure relocation

External links

* [http://www.cadc.auburn.edu/soa/rural-studio/second-year/ Auburn University's School of Architecture "Rural Project" blog on rebuilding St. Luke's]