Remembering Our Past

Church History

    On April 7 1846, J.W. Vick sold the land on which our present building stands to the trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. The first church building was dedicated in 1850 and stood until 1899 when a new building was erected.  On Palm Sunday 1925 the congregation watched in sadness as their church burned.  Under the leadership of Rev. George H. Thompson, plans went forward for a new building.  Under Rev. Thomas Prewitt, plans, the final note was paid on Easter Sunday 1944.

    In 1958, Crawford Street United Methodist Church purchased the English Tudor-style house known as the Adolf Rose home next door to the church at 1414 Cherry Street.  It is now called Memorial Hall and houses a small chapel, reception area, the Youth Department, and additional Sunday School classrooms.

    In 1968 the national church made the decision to unite the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren to become the United Methodist Church.

    The Raworth Home property, located on the northeast corner of South and Monroe Streets, was purchased on April 18, 1988. The house was razed and a parking lot was created.

    After fire gutted the Sydney Building, the property located on the southeast corner of Monroe and Crawford Streets was purchased on September 15, 1997.

    On December 15, 2000, the master plan for a new church educational wing and a family life center was approved.  On June 9, 2002, Wesley Hall was consecrated during a service led by present and former pastors and our District Superintendent.  On February 19, 2006, Wesley Hall was dedicated during a service led by Bishop Hope Morgan Ward.

FunFacts!

CSUMC is older than the state of Mississippi! Our congregation was founded by Newitt Vick around 1814, when the first Methodist Conference of the Southwest was held at his home. Mississippi became a state in 1817.
Crawford Street UMC
One person is buried on our premises--Tobias Gibson, the Father of Methodism in Mississippi.
Crawford Street UMC
The first in-town location of our congregation was at the corner of Grove and Cherry streets, built around 1832.
Crawford Street UMC
The lot for our present location was purchased in 1848 at a discounted rate from Newitt Vick's son, John Wesley Vick.
Crawford Street UMC
The first Crawford Street United Methodist Church was a red brick building, completed in 1850.
Crawford Street UMC
During the siege of Vicksburg, two unexploded shells lodged in the side of the church, and remained there until the church was demolished in 1899.
Crawford Street UMC
In 1899, the red brick church was torn down and a beautiful new church was built in its place.
Crawford Street UMC
In 1912, the ladies of the church began meeting, calling themselves "The Floral Club," in an effort to raise funds to buy a grand pipe organ for the church. One fund raiser included the picking of 120 pounds of cotton! In 1924, the proud ladies saw the new pipe organ play in its first service on Palm Sunday. Less than a year later, the pipe organ would be lost in a fire on Palm Sunday, 1925.
Crawford Street UMC
The church building burned on Palm Sunday, 1925, as parishioners were arriving for service. The entire sanctuary was lost.
Crawford Street UMC
A new church was built on the site of the old church, completed in 1927 and is our current sanctuary.
Crawford Street UMC
The Great Depression hampered fund-raising efforts to pay for the rebuilding of the new church, but the church members did eventually pay off the mortgage.
Crawford Street UMC
During the time the sanctuary was being rebuilt, members met at the Baptist and Presbyterian churches and even the Jewish synagogue.
Crawford Street UMC
Men and women used to meet in separate Sunday School Classes.
Crawford Street UMC
The stained-glass windows in the sanctuary represent the New and Old Testaments.
Crawford Street UMC
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The Story of the Stained Glass

North Windows: Old Testament Verses

Window 1: Creation: In the center: The Hand of God (Gen. 1.1) To the left: Day (light Gen. 1:4-5) To the right: Night (Gen. 1:3-5)

Window 2: The Temptation and the Fall: In the center: The Serpent and Fruit (Gen. 3:1-6) To the left: The Flaming Sword guarding Eden (Gen. 3:22, 24) To the right: The plow with which Adam would earn his living (Gen. 3:22, 23)

Window 3: Judgment of the Flood: In the center: the Ark and the Dove (Gen. 6:5-8; 9-22 and 7:1-24) To the left: The Altar of Sacrifice (Gen. 8:13; 20-22) To the right: The Rainbow, the sign of God’s covenant with man (Gen. 9:8-17)

Window 4: The Law: In the center: The two Tablets of the Law (the first was devoted to the worship of God; the second to the service of man) Exodus 20 To the right: The Ark of the Testimony (Exodus 25:10-22) To the right: The Caduceus (Numbers 21:5-9)

Window 5: The Priesthood: In the center: The Lampstand for the Tabernacle (today the church) (Exodus 25:31-40) To the left: Aaron’s breast piece (Exodus 28:1, 2, 15-30) To the right: a Modern Altar (Exodus 30)

South Windows: New Testament Verses

Window 6: The Life of Christ: In the center: The Nativity (Luke 2:1-7) To the left: The Scriptures (Bible) To the right: The Resurrection (Luke 24:1, 11)

Window 7: The Parables and the Miracles: In the center: The Storm at Sea (Matthew 8:23-27) To the left: The Widow’s Offering (Luke 21:1-4) To the right: Feeding the 5,000 (Mark 6:30-44)

Window 8: The Holy Sacrament of Communion In the center: The Cup (Luke 22:19-30) To the left: The Bread (Luke 22:19 to the right: The Wine (Luke 22:20)

Window 9: War Memorial Window

This is the largest of the nine windows and consists of three arched panels. In the center panel, an angel holds a scroll bearing the following words: In Memoriam To Our Boys Who Made the Supreme Sacrifice 1917

Lt. Henry Cook Allein

Lt. H. B. Aden, Jr.

Wm. H. Allein

Geo. Marshall Feilder

Chas. Henry Rogers

All five of these young men brought honor to Crawford Street UMC, but the fact that two sons of one family–the Alleins–were killed within 22 days of each other made their story of particular significance. They were designated by the media as Doughboy, Private William Weems Allein, the youngest, and his older brother a Flyboy–Henry Cook Allein. The rose garden behind CSUMC features a statue of Private Wm. Allein, holding his Springfield rifle, guarding the monument which is dedicated to the 45 Vicksburgers who were killed in WW1. He is buried in the American Cemetary near Exermont, France, where he was killed.

His brother, Henry Cook Allein, was a daring pilot in the 28th Aero Squadron, 3rd Pursuit Group, killed in action 15 miles from where his brother died 15 days before the Armistice Treaty was signed ending the war. There is apparently a plane on the WW 1 monument behind the church that is supposed to be Henry’s. He was killed when his plane was shot down by German flying aces. He is also buried in France. He and his flying partner, Eugene J. Hardy of Columbus, MS, were credited with inventing the method of dive bombing.

Why Choose Crawford Street United Methodist Church?
“Because it makes me closer to God, and I have friends there! ” -Holden- Jr High Member

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