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Beth Salem Presbyterian Church: exterior view of church showing front and side facades

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Beth Salem Presbyterian Church: exterior view of church showing front and side facades

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Title	Beth Salem Presbyterian Church: exterior view of church showing front and side facades
Creator(s)	West, Carroll Van, photographer
Date	1998
Coverage	1990-1999
Property name	Beth Salem Presbyterian Church and Cemetery
Property type	Church
National Register Reference	00000728 listed June 22, 2000
Community Name	Athens, McMinn County, TN
Description	Color photograph of a rectangular, white weatherboard-covered building with metal gable roof; angled front view with door on front facade and three rectangle windows on left facade; trees in background; building largely cast in shadow
Historical Notes	Beth Salem Presbyterian Church, organized in 1866, was the first African-American congregation established in the three-county area of Polk, McMinn, and Meigs. Its establishment is a significant example of the impact of white missionaries on Tennessee's religious institutions in the wake of the Civil War. The log church building also served as a public school for African Americans. The congregation used the initial log building until it was destroyed in a fire c. 1920. The building that replaced it is representative of simple, unadorned church buildings during the era of Jim Crow segregation. Regular use of the building for church services ended in the 1950s but the building has been used for community and church gatherings.
Collection Name	African American Churches
Subject-LCSH	African American Churches -- Tennessee
Subject-TGM	Churches
Type	Still image
Genre	Photograph
Medium	Slide
Extent	35 mm slide
Copyright status	Copyright of the creator. Reproduced with permission
Contributing Institution	Center for Historic Preservation, Middle Tennessee State University
Conditions for use	Credit Center for Historic Preservation, Middle Tennessee State University Reproduction permitted for non-profit educational and research purposes only
Digital Publisher	Digital Initiatives, James E. Walker Library, Middle Tennessee State University

Beth Salem Presbyterian Church: exterior view of church showing front and side facades

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