Piedmont in Calhoun County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Piedmont First United Methodist Church
Photographed by Tim Carr, July 19, 2009
1. Piedmont First United Methodist Church Marker
Beginning as a Methodist mission in the 1850's, the Piedmont First United Methodist Church was organized in 1867 as the Cross Plains Methodist Episcopal Church, South, by Wilson Johnson and a small band of local Methodists. In 1868 a small church was built on North Church Street. Neill Ferguson, W. P. Harbor, and Wilson Johnson were trustees. The Rev. Theophilus Moody was appointed the pastor in 1868. In 1898 a more commodious church was erected on the same site, and the Rev. I. Q. Melton was the pastor.
The present sanctuary was built in 1916, the Rev. William Raines Battles serving as pastor. The T. Ben Kerr Memorial Building was added in 1950-51 and the J. Clifton Draper Memorial Building in 1968.
This marker was erected on September 18, 1988, in memory of those who founded the Cross Plains Methodist Church, South, and in tribute to those who have sustained its mission.
Erected 1988.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1945.
Location. 33° 55.524′ N, 85° 36.807′ W. Marker is in Piedmont, Alabama, in Calhoun
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in East Alabama. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. 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 original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Dailey-McCollister-Roberts Home (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); The First Baptist Church / Pastors of The First Baptist Church Piedmont, Alabama (about 700 feet away); Cross Plains / Piedmont (about 700 feet away); The Alabama Tennessee River Railroad (about 700 feet away); a different marker also named Cross Plains - Piedmont (approx. 0.2 miles away);
Photographed by Tim Carr, July 19, 2009
2. Piedmont First United Methodist Church & Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on August 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 26, 2010, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. This page has been viewed 2,221 times since then and 45 times this year. Last updated on August 10, 2026, by Liam Williams of Irvine, California. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 26, 2010, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
