WALNUT GROVE CHURCH HISTORY

The first Walnut Grove church building was built around 1830 and used as a Methodist Episcopal Church. As was common for that day, the building was likely used as a school house and as a community building. The building burned by the early 1840s.

A second Walnut Grove church was built in the early 1840s and it also burned. History shows that slaves worshipped with their owners in the same church. The slaves sat in the back of the church. Around 1857, a two-story building was built. The lower level was used as the church and school and upper level was used by Masonic fraternity and Temperance organizations. In December 1862, Union troops occupied the Walnut Grove church. When the troops left, they burned the building. A fourth church/school building was used from 1866—1886 and then a larger building was constructed in 1886. The denomination of the church was changed at this time from Methodist to Presbyterian. This building also was used as a school until the mid-1940s when schools in the area were consolidated.

Early history of the Walnut Grove church shows that first reverend was John Jacob Sexton, who was a circuit rider preacher from Cane Hill. Early Walnut Grove church families were Tollett, Johnson, Lawrence, Jobs, Hamblen, Lewis, maybe Van Hoose. Many of the early members’ names are engraved on the stain glass windows.

The current building was built in 1903 of bricks which were made and fired at the Terpenning kiln nearby. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places on Dec. 7, 1995. The national listing gives the name of the church as Walnut Grove Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

The National Register says, “This compact little brick church sits on a sandstone base like a small jewel beside a grove of large old trees.” The church has a square bell tower and a large tri-part stained glass window in addition to single windows that are stained glass.

Inside the church is a striking example of local carpentry work. The whole ceiling has been painted white, creating an airy space and allowing the beautiful stained glass windows to be seen at their best.