Clarendon AR: Where We've Been: Sites

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Cumberland Presbyterian Church and Lodge Hall
Cumberland Church

After the sinking of the Union gunboat Queen City by General Steele, CSA, General Carr of the invading Union army burned Clarendon. The citizens of Clarendon were several years recovering from the devastation wrought by the war. It is an interesting note to the character of the citizens of Clarendon that the first permanent structure erected was a church, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Construction of the building was begun in 1869 and finished the following year. The first floor was used by not only the Cumberlands, but also the regular Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists. Cache Lodge 235 owned the upper floor.

The Cumberland congregation disbanded in 1920 and a new lodge was built in the mid-60's. After 1920, the lower floor was used for a city library, kindergarten, teenage club, and Boy Scout Hall. Over a decade ago, the Boy Scouts abandoned the building due to its disrepair. In 2000, the citizens again organized, this time to save this oldest building in town. Ownership was transferred to the newly formed Clarendon Historical and Charitable Foundation. Since then, matching grants have been obtained for the restoration of the church from the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. The citizens, especially the local American Legion, have been generous in raising the matching funds. Upon completion of the restoration, the building will be used for a community hall and programs for strengthening the family.

Photo by Tricia Rogers.

First United Methodist Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church South, which later became the First Methodist Church, and is now the First United Methodist Church, was organized at Shady Grove in about the year 1845. Shady Grove Campground was located northeast of Clarendon and the original two acres now comprise the older part of Shady Grove Cemetery, to which more land has been added through the years. Members of the congregation held their services at various locations throughout the years, including the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Their first building, which was built in 1884-85, burned in 1911.

The current church was built in 1912. Estes Mann was both the architect and the builder of the Clarendon First United Methodist Church, and also a similar church in Como, MS. The church was placed on the National Historical Register in 1984. The beautiful church has a ten foot vestibule, elaborate woodwork, and brass organ pipes. Stain glass windows adorn the walls and doors throughout the church, and the decorative brass radiant steam heaters are still in use. The most notable feature of this building is the prominent dome, which is crowned with a large decorative spire.

Photo by Tricia Rogers.

The Galloway House

Built in 1910 as a residence for Orth C. Galloway, the owner and operator of J.B. Galloway Company sawmill in Clarendon, "Linger Longer" stands as an example of the work and influence of George Franklin Barber (1854-1915). Barber, a Tennessee architect of great eclectic ability, enjoyed considerable influence in the southern and Midwestern United States. Barber produced a number of popular house pattern-books which made him something of an arbiter of architectural taste in America. The Galloway House is an excellent example of Georgian Revival architecture. This finely detailed house gives some indication of Barber's understanding of "high style" design. It is still occupied by descendants of O.C. Galloway.

Arkansas Historical Quarterly, Volume 39, 1980. Photo by Tricia Rogers.

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