Camp Hill in Tallapoosa County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
First Universalist Church of Camp Hill
Photographed by David J Gaines, January 29, 2016
1. First Universalist Church of Camp Hill Marker (front)
The First Universalist Church of Camp Hill was the largest Universalist church in the southeastern United States in the first half of the 20th century. With roots in the European Enlightenment, Universalism was transplanted to the American colonies by religious sojourners and was flourishing in this country by the time of the Revolutionary War. A Christian denomination, the defining tenet of Universalism was universal salvation, the belief that a gentle God would not condemn any soul to a literal hell. The Universalist Church of America merged with the American Unitarian Association in 1961, forming the Unitarian Universalist Association.
The First Universalist Church of Camp Hill was established in 1846, as Liberty Universalist Church. The name was changed in 1909. The original meeting pace was a brush arbor on the present site of Mt. Lovely Baptist Church. A simple cabin soon replaced the arbor and served until 1884, when a larger wood-framed church was built on this site. Membership burgeoned, and the striking brick sanctuary was completed in 1907. Designed by Daniel A. Helmich, a Birmingham architect, the church was built with local labor using mostly indigenous material.
Erected 2013 by Alabama Historical Association.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed
this page online
Location. 32° 48.249′ N, 85° 39.127′ W. Marker is in Camp Hill, Alabama, in Tallapoosa County. It is at the intersection of Sen Claude Pepper Drive (Alabama Route 50) and Oak Street, on the left when traveling west on Sen Claude Pepper Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 21646 Sen Claude Pepper Dr, Camp Hill AL 36850, United States of America. Touch for directions.
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 New Spain, 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 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Edward Bell High School / Alma Mater (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lyman Ward Military Academy (approx. 0.4 miles away); Carnation Milk Plant (approx. 6.4 miles away); Tallapoosa County High School (approx. 6.6 miles away); Fletcher Napoleon Farrington, Sr. (approx. 6.7 miles away); Johnson J. Hooper (approx. 6.7 miles away); Historic Dadeville (approx. 6.7 miles away); Alabama Mills WWII Memorial (approx. 6.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Camp Hill.
Photographed by David J Gaines, January 29, 2016
2. First Universalist Church of Camp Hill Marker (back)
Photographed by David J Gaines, January 29, 2016
3. First Universalist Church of Camp Hill
Credits. This page was last revised on December 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 7, 2016, by David J Gaines of Pinson, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,501 times since then and 71 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 7, 2016, by David J Gaines of Pinson, Alabama. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
