History
The
building was erected on the corners of Fifth and Washington Streets in
1858. The style of the building is of Romanesque Revival style, with the
use of brick almost entirely for ornamentation, except for a stone belt
course. They used brick in the arches to give the effect of dentils
for all the windows and arches over the doors and in panels in the front
of the building. The sills are stone with stone brackets for
support. The stained glass windows have designs of lilies in a
stained glass sash. The Trinity Triangle and the Eternity Circle
make up the upper part of the windows. The doors are not the
original, but probably date from 1869, and include heavy hinges from the
original church. The square tower rises three stories high, to add a
small spire with
finial.
The
church had disasters by nature, and fire to deal with during the first few
years. The first fire came one year after the church was built, in
1859. The fire destroyed much of the interior. The members put
their love and money, along with skill, into rebuilding their
church. Again, fire struck in 1867, gutting the entire
interior. And again, the people worked along side one another to
rebuild the
church.
Three
floods have entered the building, in 1889, 1921 and 1937. The worst
was the 1937 flood, which was in the sanctuary, doing considerable
damage. The love and pride of its people once again proved worthy of
the cause, and the sanctuary was
restored.
The
only addition to the original structure was the addition of the Sunday
School area in
1906. The
Bigelow Methodist Church at that time was one of the oldest congregations
in Portsmouth. The church had always had a strong influence in the
community for moral standards. The last Methodist service was held in the
building on the last Sunday in December, 1982.
The
present Bigelow congregation began to meet on Sunday, January 1,
1984. Thirty-three people were present for the first service. The
newly formed congregation took possession of the building on March 1,
1984, retaining the name "Bigelow" as an expression of respect
for the man for whom the church was named, Russell Bigelow. He was a
circuit rider and young minister with the Kentucky Conference of Methodist
Churches serving the Wyandotte Indians in the Upper Sandusky area, which
covered territory from Chillicothe, Ohio, down into the northern Kentucky
border. Pastor Bigelow was a very powerful man and many souls were led to
the Lord through his work.
The
Bigelow Church building is now on the National Register of Historic
Buildings. The church places a strong emphasis on Bible teaching and
practical Christian
living.
If
you do not have a place of worship, please consider this an invitation to
be with us on Sunday.
