Alabama Christian College of Berry, Alabama

 

Alabama Christian College of Berry was located on this site from 1912-1922. The College was coeducational and was composed of Primary, Intermediate, Academic, Collegiate, Music Expression and Art Departments. Emphasis was placed on the teaching of the Bible with every student attending a daily Bible class. In the advanced classes, Latin, Greek, French and Philosophy were offered, along with English, History and a complete business course. Members of the Church of Christ supported the school. Four presidents served the school during its existence: G.A. Dunn, J. Paul Hanlin, John T. Smithson and Hal P. McDonald. J.C. Shepherd of Berry was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Due to economic factors attributed to World War I, the school closed at the end of the 1922 session and the property was sold to the local school board.
[2006: Hwy 18 East, Berry]

 

Berea Church of Christ

 

Berea Church of Christ was established in 1829 when John Taylor preached the ancient gospel to a large gathering at the nearby home of David Thornton; the baptism of forty souls was the result. The church assembled in the homes of members until the early 1840s, when a meeting house was constructed near Stud Horse Creek, one mile west of this site. The building burned in 1858, and a new building was built here. That building was destroyed during the Civil War, and a third building was built in 1867. In 1959, the current structure became the fourth home for the church. Berea is one of the oldest Churches of Christ in Alabama. For several years, it was the only Church of Christ between Moulton and Montgomery. Rising from the ashes of the Civil War and the hard years of Reconstruction, its influence was felt throughout the northwest section of the state.  Berea was the oldest and largest church in the area, and many congregations were started by members of Berea Church. The pulpit at Berea has been filled by many of the most prominent preachers in the Restoration Movement.
[2013: 335 Co. Rd. 50, Fayette]