BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
Old Autauga Historical Society (OAHS) will host a very special Christmas exhibit at the old Vine Hill Presbyterian Church for the month of December.
The church is located in western Autauga County near Jones and was built in 1887. Services at the church ended around 1990 and the building lay dormant for many years. It is now under the loving care of OAHS, as members and volunteers work to preserve the building and the history. Major renovations have already taken place, and continue. Work has also been done to clean and upkeep the cemetery with graves back to the 1800s of former church members.
For December, Vine Hill will be decorated with a live tree and other old Christmas decorations and memorabilia. The public will be invited to come see this beautiful old church in the wildwood during the Christmas season. Members, guests and the general public will be invited to visit during the following times:
Sunday, Dec. 5, – Noon to 4 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 11 – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 12 – Noon to 4 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 14 – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 19 – Noon to 4 p.m.
Additional time slots during the week may be available for special visits or groups. Email for further dates, information and directions to church – larrycaverjr@yahoo.com
The ladies of OAHS will have a decoration party on Tuesday, Nov. 30th. Any and all are invited to come help decorate that day. If you have old Christmas artifacts to loan for the event, contact Larry Caver, Lynn Langston Burrell , Beth DeBusk , or Barbara DeBusk Eischens. Email for Larry Caver is larrycaverjr@yahoo.com
This event is sponsored by OAHS, P.O. Box 622, Autaugaville, AL 36003.
OAHS is always looking for new membership! Dues are just $10 a year. Email Larry Caver, listed above, for more information.
For a video of Vine Hill Presbyterian prior to many of the renovations, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIz1cMRKg5I
More about Vine Hill Presbyterian Church and OAHS
Some happy surprises have happened along the way of renovations, as well as some of the original components of the church being discovered, and/or returned. An original Preacher’s Chair was restored by Beth DeBusk. An old piano was donated for the church by Joan Smith.
On the church grounds over a year ago, grapes were found growing in an old oak tree. It is believed these are related to the vineyards once planted by the Urmi or Lapsley families. The hope is to unwind the vines from the tree and get them started on a grape arbor.
On Feb. 25, 2020 OAHS and the two remaining board members of the Vine Hill Cemetery Association signed an agreement of understanding. The cemetery board granted OAHS permission to preserve and protect Vine Hill Presbyterian Church with the understanding that if and when the cemetery association is dissolved, OAHS would have first option of ownership at the property.
“We plan to make two permanent displays inside the church,” Caver said. “One will have photos and history of former church ministers. The other will have photos and history of the early church members.”
OAHS was formed in mid-2019, and was a spinoff of the Autauga County Bicentennial Fair held in 2018. Some of the volunteers and patrons who helped felt there was a growing need to address historical issues for the entire county equitably.
According to Caver, some felt that most efforts were focused on Prattville and that there are historical structures, places and people in old Autauga County who were also noteworthy.
“We were concerned that many structures not in Prattville were being forgotten, and would slowly disappear to neglect,” Caver said. “So many people had expressed worries that Vine Hill might fall in or have to be torn down in the future for safety issues.”
In essence, Caver said he appreciates the efforts of any individual or group that has preserved and will preserve history be it in Prattville or the entire county. With so many historic buildings in danger throughout the county, everyone’s efforts are to be applauded.
The Old Autauga Historical Society (OAHS) has a Facebook page for members only. The volume of photos and stories on the page alone is worth the $10 membership fee.
The group meets quarterly throughout the county. It also publishes a historical quarterly (PDF) every January, April, July and October, which is distributed to members by email. The group works to preserve local historical structures in dire need of preservation.
