No one is exactly sure when the antebellum Brushy Creek Methodist Church was established

Brushy Creek Methodist Church near Lenox, Ala.

Many of my friends know that one of my favorite things to do is to ride around and visit historic sites. With that in mind, they often tell me about places that I need to see for myself. Just the other day, I bumped into a buddy in front of the Evergreen post office, and he asked me if I’d ever been to the old Brushy Creek Methodist Church near Lenox.

I had to admit that I’d never seen this old, antebellum church in person, but I knew a little bit about it. I recalled that maps show it located off Brushy Creek Road, a few miles from the Lenox crossroads. I also remembered that no one is exactly sure when the church was established, but most available records indicate that it is at least 170 years old.

Last Thursday morning, I reached a stopping point at the newspaper office and decided to venture down to Lenox to see if I could find this remote church. A short time later, I found myself on County Road 6 and then eventually cut south on Brushy Creek Road. At one point, I stopped to study my trusty National Geographic map of the area and saw that I was in an area bordered by Brushy Creek, Burnt Corn Creek and Interstate Highway 65.

Just before Brushy Creek Road turns from a paved road into a dirt road, I encountered a sign to my left that pointed me down a dim road that led up to the old church. I parked in the shade of a large oak and stepped out. All was quiet except for the distant drone of vehicles moving north and south on I-65.

From a distance, I could tell that the church has to be one of the oldest in the county. Its all-wood construction harkens back to a time in the far past, and I noted that there were no apparent electrical lines running to the one-room building. The church also lacks plumbing as evidenced by the old-fashioned outhouse in the wood line behind the building.

The church grounds also feature a large cemetery that I would guess contains about 300 graves. As you walk among the graves, you call tell that the cemetery is old because of all the various different styles of headstones. They range from the modern markers that are common today to old-fashioned tombstones with hand-carved lettering.

The oldest marked grave that I saw last Thursday was that of Elias Beasley, who passed away at the age of 56 in 1859. Records reflect that he was married to Sarah Beasley, who outlived him by more than 30 years. She’s buried in Escambia County at New Bethlehem Baptist Church.

Apparently, weekly services are no longer held at Brushy Creek, but I’ve been told that they do have a homecoming event there each August. August is just around the corner, so I might make plans to return to the old church when there a crowd of people there. It would be interesting to hear a sermon and listen to folks sing inside the old sanctuary.

In the end, let me hear from you if you know any additional information about the history of Brushy Creek Methodist Church. Also, if you know of any other local historic sites that are off the beaten path, please let me know. I’m always game for a little backroad exploring when the opportunity arises.