Crossett Methodist Church

The home of the first congregation organized in Crossett (Ashley County), the Crossett Methodist Church is a historic house of worship located on Main Street. Constructed in both Tudor Revival and Gothic Revival styles, the complex includes five separate buildings. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 17, 2010.

The church organized on October 12, 1902. The town was founded just three years before and was completely dependent on the operations of the Crossett Lumber Company. When Edgar “Cap” Gates, the head of the company in the town, learned that a businessman planned to apply for a permit to open a saloon just north of the settlement, he relied on an 1837 Arkansas statute that prohibited the sale of liquor within one mile of a church. The original church, a wooden structure located at the corner of Main and Second Streets, was constructed overnight, leading to the denial of the permit by the county judge the following day.

As Gates was a Methodist, the church became part of that denomination, and a minister was hired. A second church constructed in 1904 stood at the corner of Main and Third streets. The congregation grew, and additional structures were built, including a parsonage. A proposal for a third building was made in 1943 and scheduled for construction after the end of World War II.

The Crossett Lumber Company donated the land for the third building, located between Fifth and Sixth streets on Main. After the site was cleared, construction began on the main sanctuary building, designed by John Parks Almand. It was dedicated on July 1, 1949. The building received an addition in 1959 to include a fellowship hall and daycare; the addition was designed by the firm of Trapp, Clippord & Phelps.

Facing east, the sanctuary is centrally located in the building complex, with two additional structures located to the south and another two located to the north. Each building is connected by a loggia with the exception of the daycare wing, located at the extreme south of the complex. It is connected by an enclosed hallway. The loggia extending in either direction from the sanctuary includes four pointed arch openings trimmed in cast stone, while the northernmost loggia includes four unadorned arch openings.

The red brick building is topped with green clay tiles, randomly arranged. The color green is seen throughout the building, with exterior doors painted in the color and green gutters present around the structure. A half-circle drive is located in front of the main sanctuary entrance. The front doors of the building are topped with a pointed arch and stained-glass panels. Cast stone angel statues are present on both sides of the front doors. A steeple above the entrance includes a bell. Stained-glass windows are present in the sides of the sanctuary but have been covered with storm windows.

As the First United Methodist Church of Crossett, the church is an active congregation of the United Methodist Church in the twenty-first century.

For additional information:
“Crossett Methodist Church.” National Register of Historic Places registration form. On file at Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Little Rock, Arkansas. Online https://www.arkansasheritage.com/docs/default-source/national-registry/as0105-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=93757e2d_0 (accessed May 9, 2025).

First United Methodist Church of Crossett. https://www.fumcoc.org/ (accessed May 9, 2025).

David Sesser
Southeastern Louisiana University