Part 13. (p. 166) After a heavy rainfall, the morning of the 16th dawned with a clear sky, and long before the time for opening, the streets were filled with people, At 10 A. M. the doors were opened, and at 10.30 every seat in the building was occupied; aisles and vestibules were filled with an eager throng, and hundreds turned away. In the choir loft was Mrs. Cason, leader, supported by Mrs. E. R. Hutchings, Misses Elma Lees, Lily Webster, Lucy Allen, Fannie Reed, Blanche Robertson, Minerva Rees, Mrs, M. E. Lees, Mrs. J. W. Musselman, Mrs. Todd Whaley, and Mrs. R. L. Jameson, sopranos; Misses Maud Smith, Fannie Whaley, and Mrs. H. P. Van Deren, altos; Messrs. D. B. Stevens, A. T. Fitzwater, Herman Rohs, and H. M. Cason, bass; Rev. S. A. McElroy, tenor; with R. DeRoode, of Lexington, Ky., at the organ. Upon the pulpit platform, besides Elder Z. T. Sweeney, the central figure, sat Elder Lloyd Darsie, pastor of the Christian Church at Paris, Ky.; Elder J. J. Haley, pastor of Cynthiana Christian Church; and Elder John S. Shouse, of Lexington, Ky.; also Elders Thos. Arnold, of Frankfort, Ky., and D. W. Case, of Corinth, Ky., both of whom had served this people in years gone by, and the latter of whom had been instrumental in erecting the second church building, more than thirty years ago. (p. 170) The sermon of Elder Sweeney, in the morning, was upon "The Power of the Gospel First, For Civilization; Second, For Unification; Third, For Salvation." The text was Romans 1: 16. That in the evening was upon the "First Principles of Religion," and was treated in a logical manner. Both delighted the magnificent audiences that heard them, and showed Elder Sweeney to be a master in his line. The committee in charge decided to ask the audience for $12,000, and at the close of the day, the subscriptions footed up $12,247.14. This amount has since been increased to $13,268.64. All connected with the enterprise congratulated themselves upon their eminent success, and went home with light hearts and smiling faces. (p. 173) The architecture is an adaptation of the style of churches found in Angouleme, Perigueux, and other parts of Western France, and is a blending of Romanesque, Byzantine, and early Gothic styles. The building is simple in outline, and is constructed with circular arches and domed ceilings. Counting extreme dimensions, it is 106 feet long, 86 feet wide, and 49 feet high, measuring from surface of the ground to apex of gable. The tower is about 80 feet high to top of finial. The walls of the building are of native Kentucky limestone, laid with pitched face in broken ashlar; the trimmings, of Kentucky freestone. The roof is slate, and is supported by massive iron trusses, the work of the well-known and reliable firm, the Covington Architectural Iron Works; the gutters, etc., are of galvanized iron. The windows are of leaded glass, and very beautiful. The memorial windows will be mentioned later. The floors are of yellow pine. All finish and furniture in the main auditoriums are of oak. There are three front entrances-one on Mill Street, one on Main Street, and one on the southwest corner through the tower. No steps are exposed to the weather, except two at each (p. 174) entrance. Inside the vestibules, five steps lead to the auditorium. The main auditorium is about 8 feet square and 35 feet high, and perfectly symmetrical and homogeneous, both in relation to all details and as a whole, even when thrown open in connection with the Sunday-school rooms. There are four arches of equal size, each 25 feet wide and 24 feet high, one of which constitutes the opening between the auditorium and the Sunday-school room; a second separates the auditorium from the choir; the other two form attenuated transepts, each containing large triplet windows, lighting the auditorium. The Sunday-school room is in the form of a quarter of a circle, with pulpit at the center. Around the segment are six class-rooms on the main floor and six in the gallery above. The infant room is separated from the main Sunday-school room by an arch the size of those above described. The ceiling of auditorium finishes with a dome resting on groined archivolts springing from eight attached columns at the angles of the room. The ceiling of the Sunday-school room is a dome starting above semicircular arches and the gallery columns. The choir ceiling is a barrel vault. The floors of the two auditoriums slope on a curve, two feet, from the entrances to pulpit platforms, which are elevated two feet above the lower (p. 175) floor level. The choir floor is elevated six steps above the auditorium floor at the northwest entrance, and three steps above the pulpit platform, and is accessible from the northwest entrance and from the passage connecting the pulpit with the pastor's study. The baptistry is situated directly back of the pulpit platform, and is attained by means of steps on either side leading into the water, so that neither pastor nor candidate is in sight of the audience until they stand in the center of the pool. The steps next to the pastor's study are for his convenience, while those on the other side are for the candidates, and connect with a stairway leading to the robing rooms below. The panneling in the rear of the pulpit raises by weights and pulleys into a pocket above, and forms a front to the baptistry. The pastor's study is on the same level as the pulpit platform, and is immediately in the rear thereof. The Young People's Bible Class room is in the northeast corner of the building, and is about 12 by 20 feet, and is separated from all other rooms. This room is also used as a superintendent's office and for teachers' meetings. -- Bob Francis 1920A Butner St. Ft. Eustis, VA 23604 My Homepage is: http://www.shawhan.com Ruddell's Fort Page: http://www.shawhan.com/ruddlesfort.html Early Bourbon County Families Page: http://www.shawhan.com/bourbonfamilies.html