contributed By Morgan Bryce
Contributor to the Restoring Uchee Chapel Project
RUSSELL COUNTY —
The Russell County Historical Commission is asking for the surrounding community’s help in its endeavor to restore the historic Uchee Chapel Methodist Church.
Located directly on the historic Old Federal Road (now known as Russell County Road 22), the earliest record of the church’s congregation was in 1833 when the Chattahoochee Mission of the Alabama Methodist Conference was established in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1832. The current structure was erected in 1859, and services were actively held there for 130 years until 1989.
In 1997, the commission added it to the National Register of Historic Places.
The church has been inactive for more than 30 years, except for the occasional holiday service. Major repairs to the building include windows, electrical problems, bathroom facilities and interior plaster.
Once restored, plans for the church are for it to be used by the community for events such as weddings, funerals, revivals, non-denominational church services and historic education. These events will help generate the necessary funding to preserve the church.
Individuals and organizations may make donations to Russell County Historical Commissions. Please earmark for Uchee Chapel Methodist Church, P.O. Box 3411, Phenix City, AL 36868.