Historical marker tells of stained glass windows for Confederate dead

'First United Methodist Church' marker in Elba, Ala. 

This week’s featured historical marker is the “FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH” marker in Coffee County, Ala. This marker is located on the south side of U.S. Highway 84, near the intersection with Claxton Avenue, in front of the Elba United Methodist Church in Elba, Ala.

This marker was erected by the Alabama Historical Association in 2003. There’s text on both sides of the marker, but both sides are the same. What follows in the complete text from the marker:

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“FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, Earliest Church in Elba: A congregation of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South existed in Elba even before Rev. Robert Shaw Rabb was assigned as the first minister to the Elba Circuit on Dec. 15, 1853. This site was purchased in 1909 and the church officially opened on Feb. 12, 1911. Large panels of stained glass windows are a memorial to Confederate soldiers from Coffee County. The historic Church bell was cast on Feb. 21, 1908 in Hillsboro, Ohio.”

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If you visit the Elba United Methodist Church’s Web site, www.elbaumc.org, you’ll find even more information about the church’s history. According to “A Brief History of the Elba United Methodist Church,” which was compiled by Lamar S. Rainer Jr. for the church’s homecoming in 1974, it’s believed that an early Methodist church existed in what is now Elba before 1853, but no record of what that church was called remains today. Rainer also noted that the property where the present church is located was bought from the Knight family for $750.

The name Robert Shaw Rabb also caught my eye, and it made me wonder if he’s the same Robert Shaw Rabb who died in Evergreen, Ala. in 1885. If so, he was born in Forsyth, Ga. in 1825. If any one knows, let me know. I tried to find his grave, but didn’t have any luck. Also, there’s a chance that this isn’t the same man.

I was also especially interested in the bit about the stained glass windows and their connection to the Civil War. As it turns out, these windows were the results of efforts of Confederate widow, Cordelia Lee Costello. Her husband was Pierre Costello, an Irishman who was elected Coffee County’s second probate judge.

When the Civil War began, Pierre joined the Confederate army, but was killed on Jan. 4, 1863 in Murfreesboro, Tenn. After the war, Cordelia began an effort to erect a monument to the Confederate dead and her work led to the installation of a group of stained glass windows in the church, which was under construction at the time.

Also, I can’t honestly say that I’d ever heard of Hillsboro, Ohio. As it turns out, Hillsboro is a small town in Southwest Ohio, and it’s also the home of the C.S. Bell Company, which is currently known as Prindle Station. Charles S. Bell started the company in 1858, and they’ve been making church, school and farm bells ever since.

In the end, visit this site next Wednesday to learn about another historical marker. I’m also taking suggestions from the reading audience, so if you know of an interesting historical marker that you’d like me to feature, let me know in the comments section below.