Bethlehem United Methodist Church

Bethlehem United Methodist Church. Jefferson County. , Bethlehem United Methodist Church is one of the oldest churches in Jefferson County, dating back to 1818 and the efforts of Rev. Ebenezer Hearn. In April 1818, the Tennessee Conference of Methodist Churches sent Rev. Hearn south of the Tennessee River to organize new Methodist societies in the Alabama territory. On his arrival in the Possum Valley he found an already flourishing campground at Rutledge Springs. In 1818 James Rutledge donated land for a church and cemetery. The original church was built under Rev. James Tarrant, who was a Captain in the Revolutionary War. Enslaved individuals including Adam, an experienced builder and a slave of Rev. Tarrant, constructed the first church using hand-hewn logs. In the 1890s, the church dismantled the original church walls down to the floor and built a white frame building. The original sills and flooring are preserved and still in use today. In 1954, the church raised the building eight feet to accommodate a basement. The church has grown from a one-room log building to one containing two large auditoriums, a large kitchen, and thirteen classrooms. The church celebrated its Bicentennial on May 20, 2018., Listed in the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on October 25, 2018.