Hello all! Welcome to part two of my photo tour of downtown Huntsville, AL. In case you missed part one of the tour, you can find that here:
So, I was going to use this post to show you all of the historic areas and buildings downtown, but then I realized how many of them were church buildings, so I decided to give them a post of their own.
This area of the country isn't known as the "bible belt" for no reason and as you'll see in the following images, religion has been a big part of the area for a very long time.
Personally I'm not really what you would call the religious type, but I absolutely adore the old church buildings in the downtown area. I love the stunning old architecture and I thought some of you might enjoy seeing the buildings and reading a bit about their history as well. All of these churches are within blocks of each other in the same general area downtown.
First off, we have the oldest Catholic church building in Huntsville. The cornerstone for the building was laid in 1861, but due to the civil war, it was not completed until 1872.
It can be a little difficult to get a good shot of the building due to it being surrounded by trees and its close proximity to other structures, but I did my best to get at least one good shot of it.
This next little church is actually pretty easy to miss due to its small size. It is the St Charles Anglican Church. There are actually no historical markers anywhere and info on its history is a bit difficult to find, so I'm not really sure of its age, but it's a nice little building, so I got a shot of it.
Next up, we have the oldest Jewish Synagogue in continuous use in the entire state of Alabama. Construction was completed in 1899.
Next up, we have the Central Presbyterian Church. Construction began on this building in 1899.
Next we have the First United Methodist Church. It is by far the largest of the old church buildings downtown. It takes up nearly an entire city block.
Next is the Randolph Street Church of Christ. Construction began on this building in 1886.
This next building is probably my second favorite in the downtown area. The Church of the Nativity was completed in 1859. It is an absolutely stunning building.
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One of its most unique features is the beautiful courtyard area.
And here's the best shot I could get of the main building. It's another one that's somewhat difficult to get a great shot of due to the surroundings.
Finally, we have my personal favorite church building in the downtown area. It is the First Presbyterian Church, completed in 1860. It honestly looks more like a castle than a church. It is a really amazing piece of architecture.
Okay! That concludes part two of your tour of downtown Huntsville, Alabama!
If you enjoyed this post, please let me know with an upvote. As always, comments and resteems are welcomed as well!
Again, if you missed the first part of the tour, be sure to check it out here:
In part three, we'll take a look at some other historic buildings and sites in the area.
Have a great day everyone!