Free Will Baptist Church of Pennytown facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Free Will Baptist Church of Pennytown
|
|
 Location in Missouri
Location in the United States
|
|
| Nearest city | Marshall, Missouri |
|---|---|
| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1925 |
| Built by | Percy Watson, Will McCue, Richard Lewis, Mike Molden, et al. |
| NRHP reference No. | 88000388 |
| Added to NRHP | April 19, 1988 |
The Free Will Baptist Church of Pennytown is a special old church in Pennytown, Missouri. Pennytown was a small, unincorporated community in Saline County, Missouri, about 8 miles (13 km) south of Marshall, Missouri. The church was built in 1925.
This historic church is important because it is almost all that remains of Pennytown. Pennytown was a unique town founded by formerly enslaved African-Americans. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. This means it is recognized as a very important historical site in the United States.
Contents
The Story of Pennytown and its Church
A New Home: The Pennytown Community
Today, the Free Will Baptist Church is the only building left from the small community of Pennytown. Pennytown was a "freedmen's town." This means it was a settlement created by formerly enslaved people after the American Civil War.
The community began around 1871. It was founded by Joseph Penny, who had been enslaved in Kentucky. After the Civil War, he moved to Saline County, Missouri. He used all his savings to buy eight acres of land. His goal was to create a safe place for recently freed slaves to start new lives.
Joseph Penny divided his land into building lots. He sold these lots to new residents at prices they could afford. Other formerly enslaved people also bought small pieces of land nearby. By 1879, the community had grown to about forty families and covered sixty-four acres.
By 1880, Pennytown had about 200 African-American residents. It had a school, two churches, a blacksmith shop, and other small businesses. Many freedmen's settlements faced problems from people trying to trick them out of their land. However, Pennytown largely avoided these issues. This was mainly because Joseph Penny made sure residents had clear legal ownership of their properties.
Because they owned their land, Pennytown residents avoided the problems of "sharecropping." Sharecropping was a system where farmers rented land and paid with a share of their crops. This often led to unfair situations for many former slaves after the war. Instead, the men of Pennytown earned wages working on nearby farms or in Marshall. The women often worked as domestic helpers in homes.
While the adults worked, older community members cared for the children. This was a helpful community arrangement. Pennytown's population started to shrink in the 1920s. This happened as farms began using more machines, which meant less need for hired workers. The Great Depression in the 1930s also made it harder to find work. The last family moved away from Pennytown in 1943. Only a few elderly residents remained until they passed away.
Building and Saving the Church
In 1886, a white neighbor donated half an acre of land for a church. Before this, church services were held in people's homes or outdoors in "brush arbors" (shelters made of branches). A simple wooden church was built on this spot. Sadly, it was destroyed by fire in 1924.
The current church was built in its place between 1925 and 1926. It is made of tile blocks. The church members did not have enough money to buy all the building materials at once. So, over several months, they bought a few tile blocks at a time as they could afford them. They stacked the blocks at the building site. Finally, in the fall of 1925, the foundation was laid. Most of the construction was done by the men of the community and the church members over the next few months. At first, a large hanging carbide lamp lit the completed church. Later, kerosene lamps were added to holders on the walls.
As Pennytown's population decreased through the mid-20th century, the church building also started to fall apart. By the 1980s, the church was in very bad condition. Vandals had broken the windows. The harsh Missouri weather had badly damaged the roof and foundation.
Despite its poor state, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This was largely thanks to the hard work of Josephine Robinson Lawrence, a historian and former Pennytown resident. Money for repairs and renovation was raised from people locally and across the U.S. They sold Pennytown cookbooks, held raffles, and organized bake sales. By 1994, $18,000 had been collected. This money helped match a grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in early 1995.
By 1996, most of the restoration work was finished. A new foundation was built. New windows and doors were added. The original tile blocks were repaired. A new roof was put on, and the inside was refreshed with paint, drywall, and a new wooden floor.
The Church Today
The Free Will Baptist Church building is now cared for by a volunteer group called the Friends of Pennytown Historic Site. Every year, on the first weekend of August, former residents and their families hold an annual reunion, or "Homecoming." This Homecoming tradition began shortly after World War II. Former residents, who had moved all over the Midwest and the country, wanted to stay connected to their roots.
Next to the church, there is a natural pond. This pond was used for baptisms when the church was active. A large sign on a pole on the property explains the history of the community and the church.
