Barr’s Chapel CME Church 1 |
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Barr’s Chapel CME Church, School, and Cemetery
5560 Briarpatch Lake Road
Midway, Henry County, TN 38242
Photos and text by Carroll Van West
Description
Barrs Chapel CME church historic district is at 5560 Briarpatch Lake Road,
approximately eight miles west of Paris, Henry County, Tennessee. The approximately
three and one-half acre historic district is well defined as an open space within the
surrounding farmscape and woods. It rests at a bend in the Briarpatch Lake Road in a
rural part of the county. The district contains three contributing properties: a one-story
concrete block church building (1953); a one-story frame school building (c. 1906, 1935);
and a community cemetery, where burials date c. 1870 to the present.
1. Barrs Chapel CME church (1953, c. 1970)
The chapel is the most visible building on the site. It is a one-story gable-front concrete
block building, constructed in 1953. The building rests on a concrete foundation and has
an asphalt shingle-covered gable roof with exposed rafter tails on the sanctuary roof.
The church is a T-shaped building that has three major sections: an entrance with male
and female restrooms; the sanctuary; and a wing with three classrooms and a church
office. The church (south) facade has a projecting central entrance that has a metal and
glass door and a concrete and metal rail handicapped access ramp. Both the door and
the ramp were installed c. 1970 to provide safer access for the congregation’s older
members. A plastic rectangular sign with the name of the church is above the central
entrance. To the east of the entrance is a dedication stone that contains the lettering,
“Barr’s Chapel C. M. E. Methodist Church Erected 1864.” Also visible from the facade is
an original section of the weatherboard exterior of the c. 1900 church building, in the top
third of the gable end. When laborers first constructed the present building, they built
the concrete walls abutting the weatherboard walls so services could still be held in the
building. Once the concrete walls were completed, they then removed the wood walls,
except for the top third, which contained the roof and roof supports.
The east elevation has five bays. The southern most bay contains a fixed two-pane
window for an interior restroom; the northern most bay is a fixed two-pane window for
the classroom wing. The three central bays each have three-over-one windows that
provide light to the sanctuary.
The north elevation is a solid concrete block wall, punctured by a single pane glass
window and a ventilation grille in the classroom wing end of the elevation.
The west elevation is similar to the east elevation, except that the classroom wing takes
up half of the elevation, leaving two three-over-one windows to provide light in the
sanctuary.
The interior of the church contains three distinct areas. The entrance foyer is flanked by
men’s and women’s restrooms. Double wood doors, with diamond-shaped lights in the
top third of the door, provide access into the sanctuary.
The sanctuary contains the original wood floors of the c. 1900 church building covered
Object Description
Description
| Title | Barr’s Chapel CME Church 1 |
| Transcript | Barr’s Chapel CME Church, School, and Cemetery 5560 Briarpatch Lake Road Midway, Henry County, TN 38242 Photos and text by Carroll Van West Description Barrs Chapel CME church historic district is at 5560 Briarpatch Lake Road, approximately eight miles west of Paris, Henry County, Tennessee. The approximately three and one-half acre historic district is well defined as an open space within the surrounding farmscape and woods. It rests at a bend in the Briarpatch Lake Road in a rural part of the county. The district contains three contributing properties: a one-story concrete block church building (1953); a one-story frame school building (c. 1906, 1935); and a community cemetery, where burials date c. 1870 to the present. 1. Barrs Chapel CME church (1953, c. 1970) The chapel is the most visible building on the site. It is a one-story gable-front concrete block building, constructed in 1953. The building rests on a concrete foundation and has an asphalt shingle-covered gable roof with exposed rafter tails on the sanctuary roof. The church is a T-shaped building that has three major sections: an entrance with male and female restrooms; the sanctuary; and a wing with three classrooms and a church office. The church (south) facade has a projecting central entrance that has a metal and glass door and a concrete and metal rail handicapped access ramp. Both the door and the ramp were installed c. 1970 to provide safer access for the congregation’s older members. A plastic rectangular sign with the name of the church is above the central entrance. To the east of the entrance is a dedication stone that contains the lettering, “Barr’s Chapel C. M. E. Methodist Church Erected 1864.” Also visible from the facade is an original section of the weatherboard exterior of the c. 1900 church building, in the top third of the gable end. When laborers first constructed the present building, they built the concrete walls abutting the weatherboard walls so services could still be held in the building. Once the concrete walls were completed, they then removed the wood walls, except for the top third, which contained the roof and roof supports. The east elevation has five bays. The southern most bay contains a fixed two-pane window for an interior restroom; the northern most bay is a fixed two-pane window for the classroom wing. The three central bays each have three-over-one windows that provide light to the sanctuary. The north elevation is a solid concrete block wall, punctured by a single pane glass window and a ventilation grille in the classroom wing end of the elevation. The west elevation is similar to the east elevation, except that the classroom wing takes up half of the elevation, leaving two three-over-one windows to provide light in the sanctuary. The interior of the church contains three distinct areas. The entrance foyer is flanked by men’s and women’s restrooms. Double wood doors, with diamond-shaped lights in the top third of the door, provide access into the sanctuary. The sanctuary contains the original wood floors of the c. 1900 church building covered |
