Historic church resumes annual bell ringing

After a two-year hiatus, the annual bell ringing at the historic Old Providence Baptist Church in Clayhatchee resumed with a standing-room-only crowd Saturday, April 9.

The ceremony and celebration began with a covered dish dinner-on-the-grounds that was moved inside the adjacent Rose Cottage due to windy weather. The group then walked next door to the historic church for the traditional bell ringing ceremony which included music by the Gospel Wonders of Daleville and the Grace Notes from County Line Baptist Church.

Built in 1887 near the intersection of what is now Highways 85 and 92 in Clayhatchee, the white wooden, steeple-topped building is the former sanctuary of Providence Baptist Church.

On May 26, 1849, a group of settlers met in the valley between Claybank Creek and Choctawhatchee River to form Providence Baptist Church in the village of Clayhatchee.

The first church building was built from locally harvested logs. As the church grew, a larger building was built and the white frame sanctuary was dedicated on Feb. 27, 1887.

The building was used for worship services up until 1965 when a modern brick sanctuary was dedicated.

The historic white church functioned as office space and Sunday School rooms until 2010 when the church prepared to build a replacement annex.

In 2010, the Old Providence Foundation was created to preserve and maintain the historic building as a venue for weddings and other celebrations and ownership of the Old Providence Church was transferred to a newly formed foundation. Today, Gayle Pouncey serves as foundation chairman, Danny Fulford as vice chairman, Deloris Salter as secretary and Edna Beam as treasurer and publicity chairman.

The foundation moved the chapel to its current location and restored it to its original beauty. On April 6, 2013, the building was rededicated. “The foundation is honored to have a role in preserving this portion of our heritage, and thanks all those whose generous donations have made it possible,” said Beam. “The foundation was organized for the purpose of procuring, protecting, preserving, maintaining and administering the historic wooden church structure. Our ultimate goal is to make the building available for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.”

The foundation meets at Rose Cottage on the first Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. For more information visit www.oldprovidencechapel.com.