A Searcy Sunset

We had spent the day in Searcy visiting family, and it was time to head back home. But we didn't make it very far, I had to pull the car over just south of town as the sky erupted in the golden colors of sunset. Of course I didn't have my big camera with me, but the cell phone camera did a fairly good job at capturing it all.

Smyrna Church

Just outside of Searcy is the Smyrna Church, which holds the claim as the oldest documented church building in the state. The one room Greek-revival church was built in 1856, and is one of only a few churches that are still standing in the state that were built before the Civil War.



According to local legend, in the early 1800s there weren't many churches built in the area so the many different congregations would share a "union church." Each week, a different congregation (like the Baptists, Presbyterians and Methodists) would each take turns leading the sermons. One week, the preacher giving the sermon announced that the Methodists weren't going to heaven (which is a little rude). So in response, the Methodists left the union church and decided to build their own, thus creating the Smyrna Church. The church was in use until the 1970s, and was then donated to the city of Searcy. The church was been fully restored and preserved, and can even be rented out for weddings.

Smyrna Church

Just outside of Searcy is the Smyrna Church - a quaint old wooden church that is actually the oldest church in Arkansas. The church was built in 1856, and is one of only five churches in the state that were built before the Civil War. The church is so old, that it's believed the lumber to build it came from trees that first started growing in the 1600s.



The church was built for a Methodist congregation, who worshipped in the church until the 1970s. The church has since undergone a massive restoration, and was been gifted to the city of Searcy. It's now a popular spot for weddings.