Lee’s Chapel Methodist Church

Lee’s Chapel Methodist Church is one of the few remaining concrete block construction buildings in Independence County. Built in the 1940s, the building was occasionally used as a meeting place as late as the early 2000s. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 10, 2001. The church is located about eight miles east of Cushman (Independence County) on Sandtown Road.

In 1873, a Methodist church was built in the thriving manganese mining town of Sandtown (Independence County). The church served as a gathering place for the community, including being used as the meeting hall for the Montgomery Masonic Lodge No. 360. After more than seventy years, the building was razed and replaced by a new plain-traditional-style building in 1946.

The new two-story building was constructed of concrete blocks and stands on a foundation of poured concrete. The blocks are molded to present a textured surface. The interior ceiling is constructed of boards salvaged from the previous church. The gabled roof is shingled, with a belfry holding the bell from the 1873 church. The original pews were also used in the new church.

The building faces the east and is entered through a pair of doors covered by a gabled porch supported by two concrete block columns. Two windows are located on the second floor on each side of the gabled entrance. The north side of the building has a single door and two windows on the first floor and three on the second floor. The west side, the rear of the building, has one window on the first floor. A wooden staircase, which begins on the south side of the building, leads to a second story landing and door. The landing is covered by a flat roof. This second floor was the meeting place of the local Masonic lodge. The south side of the building has three windows on the first floor and three windows on the second floor. A series of steps leading to a door on the second floor of the west side begins on this side.

The full-time use of the building as a church ceased in the 1960s, and the Masonic lodge moved to Cave City (Sharp and Independence Counties). In the late 1990s, Sandtown native James Haigwood spearheaded efforts to place the church on the National Register of Historic Places. During the process, Haigwood did much of the repair and stabilization of the building himself, using grant money and sometimes his own funds. The building was added to the National Register in 2001.

For additional information:
Crain, Tracy L. “Sandtown in Independence County: Once Abundant with Commerce.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, February 10, 2002.

“Lee’s Chapel Methodist Church.” National Register of Historic Places registration form. On file at Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Little Rock, Arkansas. Online at https://www.arkansasheritage.com/docs/default-source/national-registry/IN0618-pdf (accessed June 29, 2026).

Lovett, John. “Sandtown’s Foothills Were Once Booming with ‘Mountain Ore.’” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, May 21, 2000, p. 6S.

Wallace, Michelle. “Historic Church Marks Spot of Small Sandtown Community. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, February 19, 2006, p. 5S.

Mike Polston
CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas