Building reborn

Historic Walnut Grove church reopens as chapel

LYNN KUTTER ENTERPRISE-LEADER Plaster was removed during the renovation to reveal this original brick wall in what is now the bride's room.
LYNN KUTTER ENTERPRISE-LEADER Plaster was removed during the renovation to reveal this original brick wall in what is now the bride's room.

The historic Walnut Grove Presbyterian Church on Arkansas 170, near Farmington, closed its doors five years ago, but it has found new life with a new owner and a new purpose.

Robert Dennis and his wife Mary purchased the church about a year ago, and Robert has spent the past year remodeling the building to make it available as a wedding chapel and hopefully as a place for church services in the future.

The couple held an open house and dedication service for The Chapel at Walnut Grove earlier this summer and invited former members to drop by to share their stories about growing up and attending the rural church in the Walnut Grove community.

Dennis told the church members they will always have a place in their former church.

"Thank you to Walnut Grove Presbyterian Church for letting us do this," Dennis told the crowd of about 75 people who attended the dedication service. "Thank you for your trust. We feel we are caregivers of this facility. You will always be welcome here, and you are always a member here. Your key still works here."

Church History

A church was started when the Walnut Grove area was settled in 1828. The building was constructed in 1902. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places on Dec. 7, 1995.

Leda Hamblen was 12 years old when she first started going to the Walnut Grove Presbyterian Church in 1943.

For families living in the area, the church was the center of community. Everyone walked to get anywhere, including church and to the two-room school located next door. (The school closed in 1946 and was used as a community building for many years. It burned in 2014.).

"The church served this community," Hamblen said. "There were not others around at the time."

She remembered spending Christmas holidays at the church. Church members drew names and celebrated Christmas together. Every year, the church put up a Christmas tree that was as high as the ceiling.

Hamblen said at least 75 people were attending the church in 1943. When the church closed its doors 70 years later in June 2013, only about seven or eight people were coming at the time.

Hamblen said she loved the improvements at the church, adding she was happy to see it will continue to be used.

Ted Belden said he remembered how loud the cows were in the pasture next door to the church.

"One of the most difficult things for me was to be here the day they closed the church," Belden said.

Lay pastor Bruce Schlegel of Fayetteville said he remembers that last day.

"The day I walked out of here, I was having trouble with 'the God is everywhere' thing," Schlegel said. "I was so disappointed. We were down to very few people. The fact you've given so much time, trouble and expense to this church means a lot to me."

Robert Dennis attended the church until he was in fifth grade and his family moved. He and Mary have lived next door to the church for the past 35 years.

He was at the last service five years ago and said it was the "saddest service" he's ever seen.

After the church closed, college students with the Presbyterian church would stay at the church. Dennis said he helped mow the grass and do some upkeep.

Renovation Begins

When the Arkansas Presbytery decided to sell the building, a representative with the organization called Dennis and asked if he would be interested in bidding on it.

His bid had to include a letter about what he planned to do with the building, and Dennis said he would turn it into a wedding venue and hoped to find someone interested in having a church service in the building.

Dennis said he bought the church because he wanted to protect the building and the community.

"If someone else bought it, they might tear it down and build houses or apartments. I didn't want it torn down," Dennis said.

Work and remodeling over the past year has included rewiring, repairing water damage from flooding, new plumbing, replacing a water line, new paint and replastering the walls.

The Chapel has the original pews and original floors. Dennis added two new stained glass windows and pulled away plaster in the bride's room to expose a brick wall. The pews now face the opposite direction, toward a beautiful stained-glass window. The bride's room is in the back of the chapel.

The outside has been painted and new additions are a sidewalk, landscaping and a picket fence.

Dennis thanked the former congregation for the privilege to work on the church. He said he was humbled by the comments thanking him for restoring and saving the building.

"I did it because I love the building. I love the church, and I love the people."

NAN Religion on 08/18/2018

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