Bethlehem United Methodist Church

Established in 1818, Bethlehem United Methodist Church is one of the oldest church parishes in Jefferson County. About 1814 James Rutledge settled here to be near Rutledge Springs and donated land for the church building and cemetery. Reverend James Tarrant, a Revolutionary soldier and minister, completed the first church building in 1818. Many local pioneer families, including the Prude, Owen, Sadler, and Jordan families, were charter members. The first known burial was Martha Rose Sadler, 1794-1828, wife of James Rutledge. The 374 tombstones in the adjoining cemetery mark the graves of many prominent plantation owners and settlers of west Jefferson County, including Mortimer Jordan, born in the late 1700s, and his wife Lucy. Much of the growth and development of Jefferson County in its first 100 years is attributed to the pioneers who attended the church. The church remains active, and although the original log building is gone, hand-hewn logs and other pieces of it are incorporated into the current frame building erected in 1880 with later additions.

Hueytown, Alabama · United States