Near Moulton in Lawrence County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Pine Torch Church
Photographed by Mark Hilton
1. Pine Torch Church Marker
Inscription.
Pine Torch Church. . In the early 1800s, settlers of Scots-Irish and Indian ancestry begin moving into this area. These mountain people homesteaded small tracts of property on public domain lands of poor sandy soil and rugged terrain. According to tradition, the old church was built as a house of worship for the local community which by 1915 was known as Europe. England, Bolan, Payne, and Nicholson families moved the building here from Holmes Chapel. The church consisted of one room 24 by 27 feet logs hand-hewn by Bud Holmes, Josh England, Jim Nicholson, Dick Payne and others. The original floor was made of hand-hewn planks of poplar as wide as 48 inches. Beginning around 1920, the original flooring was stolen over a period of years; therefore, a new floor was built about 1940. The roof was made of hand split wooden shingles, which were later replaced with tin. The first pews were hewn from solid slabs of poplar trees: Pine Torch got its name from the blazing pine knots that were used to light the church services after dark. After services, the pine knots were used to light the way home. Some say the old building was also used as a one-room school. Today, Pine Torch is considered to be the oldest standing structure in Bankhead Forest with decoration day the 4th Sunday in May.
In the early 1800s, settlers of Scots-Irish and Indian ancestry
begin moving into this area. These mountain people homesteaded
small tracts of property on public domain lands of poor sandy
soil and rugged terrain. According to tradition, the old church
was built as a house of worship for the local community which
by 1915 was known as Europe. England, Bolan, Payne, and
Nicholson families moved the building here from Holmes Chapel.
The church consisted of one room 24 by 27 feet logs hand-hewn
by Bud Holmes, Josh England, Jim Nicholson, Dick Payne and
others. The original floor was made of hand-hewn planks of
poplar as wide as 48 inches. Beginning around 1920, the original
flooring was stolen over a period of years; therefore, a new
floor was built about 1940. The roof was made of hand split
wooden shingles, which were later replaced with tin. The first
pews were hewn from solid slabs of poplar trees: Pine Torch got
its name from the blazing pine knots that were used to light the
church services after dark. After services, the pine knots were
used to light the way home. Some say the old building was also
used
Click or scan to see this page online
as a one-room school. Today, Pine Torch is considered
to be the oldest standing structure in Bankhead Forest with
decoration day the 4th Sunday in May.
Erected by Lawrence County Historical Commission, Inc.
Location. 34° 19.308′ N, 87° 17.966′ W. Marker is near Moulton, Alabama, in Lawrence County. It is at the intersection of County Road 70 and County Road 73, on the right when traveling south on County Road 70. Located within Bankhead National Forest. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2067 Co Rd 70, Moulton AL 35650, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian
Photographed by Mark Hilton
2. Pine Torch Church church, marker and cemetery.
Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Additional commentary. 1. Foundation stones being stolen. Thieves have been stealing the foundation stones of this historic church. The marker refers to the theft of the floor boards starting in the 1920's and in 2019 someone started taking the foundation stones. Work is planned to use sandstone to shore up the church.
— Submitted July 20, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
Photographed by Mark Hilton
3. View of inside of church.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 1, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 20, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,900 times since then and 93 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on July 20, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
