Union Chapel, Marietta, Georgia facts for kids

The ruins of Union Chapel, also known as Nesbitt Union Chapel, are found on Powder Springs Street in Marietta, Georgia. This old chapel was special because it welcomed people from all Christian churches. It also played a big part in the history of Cobb County, especially for farming and social life.

The chapel was built using a unique material called rammed earth. This is like making walls from packed-down dirt. It also had a Gothic Revival style, which was unusual for churches in rural Georgia back then. The building had beautiful arched windows and doors. By the 1940s, it was falling apart and wasn't safe to use. Today, only a small part of the original building is still standing, hidden by trees.

The Chapel was important because it allowed local families to worship close to home. This was a big deal since traveling on dirt roads by horse and buggy was hard. Different churches, like Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, and Presbyterian, took turns holding services there. This idea of different churches sharing one space was very unusual for the time.

Chapel History

Land and Legal Beginnings

The land where Union Chapel stands was first recorded in the 1832 Gold Lottery of Georgia. Later, in 1886, Robert T. and Rebecca Nesbitt gave the land to a group of five trustees. These trustees included James G. Hughes, Robert C. Irwin, Robert T. Nesbitt, Hugh N. Starnes, and John R. Ward.

The Nesbitts' gift meant the property had to be used for worship, schools, and farming groups. Even when the building started to fall apart, people still met there. This was to keep the original agreement alive. Around 1972, there were some tax issues, and the land's ownership became unclear for a while.

Chapel Site Returns to Public Use

In 2002, a group called the Friends of Nesbitt Union Chapel (FUNC) was formed. This non-profit group wanted to bring the chapel site back to life. They held small events and services there.

Sadly, in 2004, most of the remaining chapel structure was torn down. This made the FNUC fight even harder to get the property back. In 2010, a court decided that the Cobb County Commissioners would become the trustees of the property. Today, the FNUC still uses the site for educational and worship events. They hope to restore the site in the future.

The 1886 Chapel Building

The chapel had a wooden door with a pointed arch in the middle of its front side. Above the door was a vent with wooden slats. A small wooden porch covered the entrance. A wooden steeple stood in the center of the roof. It had a bell made of cast iron inside, which stayed there until the mid-1900s.

The chapel had four tall, narrow windows on its east and west sides. On the back, two more windows were on either side of a rounded section that stuck out. Inside, the walls were covered with white plaster, and the floor was made of wood planks. There was a carved pulpit at the front. An organ, bought in 1881, was also in the chapel. This was a reed organ, which was easier to move than larger pipe organs.

People also remember a school being on the property. Mary Anne Irwin, a local teacher, taught at the "Old Union Chapel School" for over thirty years. It's not clear if the school was in a separate building or if classes were held inside the chapel itself.

Earlier Chapel Structure

Before the 1886 chapel, there was likely an older wooden chapel that burned down. Newspaper articles from 1886 talked about fundraising to rebuild the chapel after a fire. This suggests that Union Chapel was active even before it was officially given to the trustees in 1886. The women of the congregation worked hard to raise money for the rebuilding.

Community and Important Families

Marietta's Growth

Marietta was a busy town even before Atlanta was founded. It was named after Mary Cobb, the wife of Senator Thomas W. Cobb. The railroad helped Marietta grow a lot after 1845. Because it was high up and had natural springs, Marietta became a popular summer getaway. Wealthy families from other parts of Georgia came to escape the heat.

The Nesbitt Family's Role

Some summer visitors, like the Nesbitt family, decided to live in Marietta permanently. Robert Taylor Nesbitt (1840-1913) came from a well-known Georgia family. He helped manage his family's large farms from a young age. After serving in the Civil War, he moved to Marietta for his health.

Robert Nesbitt was important in public service. He served in the State Senate and was the State Commissioner of Agriculture from 1890 to 1900. He even wrote a monthly column about farming in the local newspaper. He was buried in the Episcopal Cemetery after a service at Union Chapel.

His wife, Rebecca Lanier Saffold Nesbitt (1845-1937), was also very involved. After she and Robert donated the land, she played the organ in the Chapel. She was also the first president of the Kennesaw Chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy.

The First Trustees of Union Chapel

The people chosen as the first trustees of Union Chapel were important members of the community.

• John R. Ward (1831-1900) was the County Surveyor for many years.
• Robert Cessne Irwin (1843-1921) was the son of Judge David Irwin, another important figure. Robert served in the Civil War and later became the Solicitor General of Cobb County. His funeral was held at Union Chapel.
• Hugh O'Keefe Nesbitt Starnes (1856-1926) was related to the Nesbitt family. He studied agriculture at the the University of Georgia. He worked in farming and education, including as a horticulturist at a State Experiment Station. He also taught at the University of Georgia's College of Agriculture.

Union Chapel as a Community Hub

Union Chapel was a busy place. It hosted regular church services, weddings, funerals, and christenings. Community events like revivals and ice cream socials also took place on the grounds. Many of the people involved with the Chapel were descendants of the founding families.

Mary Anne Irwin (1875-1963), a granddaughter of Judge David Irwin, was a dedicated teacher at the Union Chapel school for over thirty years. She also wrote a social column about the Chapel community for the local newspaper. She was known as the "Guardian" of Union Chapel because she worked hard to repair the building and keep it in use. She even saved the chapel bell.

Agriculture and Innovation

Union Chapel was a center for learning about farming. In 1885, the "Phoenix Club," a group of Marietta farmers, met at Union Chapel. This club was founded in 1883. Its name came from the idea that the chapel was built "over the ashes of an antebellum structure," like a phoenix rising.

Farming clubs like the Phoenix Club were very important in the 1800s. They were part of a national movement to improve farming methods. Farmers, scientists, and publishers shared new ideas through journals, local meetings, and fairs. This was influenced by the Age of Enlightenment, which encouraged scientific study and sharing knowledge.

In Georgia, cotton farming had worn out the soil. Farmers looked for new ways to improve their land and crops. The first agricultural society in Georgia was formed in 1837. Journals like The Southern Cultivator helped spread new farming ideas.

Many of the Chapel's founders were deeply involved in agriculture. Robert Taylor Nesbitt, a trustee, managed large farms and became the State Commissioner of Agriculture. Hugh O'Keefe Nesbitt Starnes, another trustee, had a degree in agriculture and worked as a horticulturist and professor. He helped teach future Georgia farmers.

In 1886, there were twelve farming clubs in Cobb County. The Nesbitt/Union Chapel was where "the most intelligent farmers of Cobb county assembled." The fact that the chapel's deed included agricultural societies shows how important farming education was to its founders.

Images for kids

• Marietta, Georgia

  Union Chapel ruins today