Church In Stokes Photo Book Identified As Former Home Of First Christian, Interim Home For Universalists

  • Saturday, January 24, 2015
Walnut Street Christian Church was temporary home of Universalist congregation when Will Stokes made this photo sometime between 1912 and 1916
Walnut Street Christian Church was temporary home of Universalist congregation when Will Stokes made this photo sometime between 1912 and 1916

A church featured in the Stokes photo book has been identified as an early home of First Christian Church and a temporary home for the Universalist Church.

Tom Kunesh, a Universalist historian, said the photo is of a church at  709-711 Walnut St.  that was used by the Universalist Church from 1912 to 1916. Before that it was home for the Walnut Street Christian Church.

That congregation moved nearby to the former home of First Presbyterian Church at 7th and Georgia when it moved into its present sanctuary at McCallie Avenue and Douglas Street. After that move, the name was changed from Walnut Street Christian Church to First Christian Church.

The present 550-seat Georgian Colonial building on McCallie Avenue near UTC was dedicated by the First Christian Church congregation on May 25, 1952.

The congregation that became First Christian Church was organized by 11 charter members on Nov. 19, 1871, in Clippinger’s Hall on the west side of Market Street, following a citywide revival. In 1885, the 188-member congregation built its first permanent home at the Walnut Street site. It was described as an attractive building with a tall spire, between 7th and 8th streets. It was dedicated on Nov. 10, 1886.

In the Stokes photo, the Universalist name is on the front with Luther Riley Robinson as pastor. He led the local Universalist congregation from 1908 to 1917. The church was organized in 1907 for Dr. Quillen H. Shinn. He was the Southern missionary of the denomination.

The Universalist congregation left Walnut Street after building a church at the corner of Main and Hickory streets, across from Ferger Place. The church, known as the Shinn Memorial, still stands. Its cost was $25,000.

Dr. L.R. Robinson died at the age of 73 at Racine, Wis. After leaving Chattanooga, he had pastorates at Kentucky, California, Minnesota and Wisconsin and was a church superintendent.  

With a second edition of the popular Stokes Photo Book selling out, Chattanoogan.com will publish a third edition of 1,000 copies.

John Wilson, publisher, said, "We continue to get calls and emails inquiring about the availability of this remarkable Chattanooga photo collection. So we have asked College Printing at Collegedale to put the almost 600-page book back on the presses."

It should be ready in about two weeks and will be sold at some of the same locations, including Zarzour's Restaurant off Main Street.

The price of the soft-cover book, which includes some 700 early Chattanooga views, will remain $35.

To reserve a copy of the 11x8 1/2 format book, mail a check for $41 (including $6 for mailing) to

John Wilson

129 Walnut St., Suite 416

Chattanooga, Tn., 37403

Make checks payable to Chattanoogan.com.

The photos are by David and Will Stokes, who were both early commercial photographers in Chattanooga.

The pictures were passed down to great-granddaughter, Connie Cooper Jones, who has graciously allowed their publication. The over-sized, clear photos have been kept in several cardboard boxes for over a century. Most had not previously been published.

The most recent photo in the collection is around 1920, and many are much older.

 

 


Showing Universalist name on the front of the church.
Showing Universalist name on the front of the church.
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