Union Springs in Bullock County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Trinity Episcopal Church/Red Door Theater
By David J Gaines, October 20, 2012
1. Trinity Episcopal Church/Red Door Theater Marker, front
Trinity Episcopal Church/Red Door Theater. Trinity Episcopal Church was established in Union Springs by Rev. DeBerniere Waddell in 1872 as a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama with seventeen communicants and an annual budget of $412.50. Until 1879 services were held monthly in the County Courthouse or in churches of other denominations.
In 1879 the congregation purchased a small wooden store building diagonally across Prairie Street from this site. Remodeled as a church, services were held there until completion of the present church.
The current building was designed by a local high school senior, Richard Kennon Perry, who went on to become a notable architect. Erected on a lot provided by the Foster family, the Gothic-revival building features stained glass windows and dual front entrances appropriate for the interior plans popular in southern churches built between 1880 and 1920. The marble cornerstone indicates the church was completed and dedicated to God in 1909.
The Church had seventeen communicants in 1925; in 1993 there were fewer than eleven. Negotiations with the Diocese led to transfer of ownership of the building to the City of Union Springs, in exchange for two acres of land donated by individuals. The service of Desanctification of a Consecrated Building was performed by the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama on August 28, 2002 when the Diocese removed the lectern and bishop’s chair and placed them in other churches.
Under the auspices of the Tourism Council of Bullock County, the building was renamed the Red Door Theater. The first community event held here was a group reading from the script of the play “Conecuh People.” The play, presented four times during April 2004, featured the lives of people in Bullock County.
The church building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and, in 1989, was designated as a historic site by the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama.
In 1879 the congregation purchased a small wooden store building diagonally across Prairie Street from this site. Remodeled as a church, services were held there until completion of the present church.
The current building was designed by a local high school senior, Richard Kennon Perry, who went on to become a notable architect. Erected on a lot provided by the Foster family, the Gothic-revival building features stained glass windows and dual front entrances appropriate for the interior plans popular in southern churches built between 1880 and 1920. The marble cornerstone indicates the church was completed and dedicated to God in 1909.
The Church had seventeen communicants in 1925; in 1993 there were fewer than eleven. Negotiations with the Diocese led to transfer of ownership of the building to the City of Union Springs, in exchange for two acres of land donated by individuals. The service of Desanctification of a Consecrated Building was performed by the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama on August 28, 2002 when the Diocese removed
By David J Gaines, October 20, 2012
2. Trinity Episcopal Church/Red Door Theater Marker, back
Under the auspices of the Tourism Council of Bullock County, the building was renamed the Red Door Theater. The first community event held here was a group reading from the script of the play “Conecuh People.” The play, presented four times during April 2004, featured the lives of people in Bullock County.
The church building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and, in 1989, was designated as a historic site by the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama.
Erected 2005 by The Bullock County Historical Society and the Alabama Historical Association.
Location. 32° 8.608′ N, 85° 42.977′ W. Marker is in Union Springs, Alabama, in Bullock County. Marker is at the intersection of Blackmon Street (U.S. 82) and Prairie Street, on the right when traveling west on Blackmon Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Union Springs AL 36089, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Log Cabin Museum/Old City Cemetery (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Bullock County Courthouse Historic District (about 700 feet away); Union Springs, Alabama
By David J Gaines, October 20, 2012
3. Trinity Episcopal Church
Categories. • Churches & Religion •
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on November 9, 2012, by David J Gaines of Pinson, Alabama. This page has been viewed 530 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 9, 2012, by David J Gaines of Pinson, Alabama. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
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