Building faith : a history of church construction from 1821 to 1910 in Henry County, Indiana

This thesis is a comprehensive study of the church buildings built between 1821 and 1910 in Henry County, Indiana. The dramatic transformation from wilderness to an agricultural landscape dotted with small towns is echoed in the pattern of churches constructed. From member homes, congregations next moved into hewn-log buildings, that were replaced by vernacular frame buildings, and sometimes later with architect-designed brick or stone edifices. Congregations of the many different denominations organized during this time period in Henry County (Quaker, Methodist, and Church of Christ were the most numerous ) followed this pattern, though at varying speeds. The result of this cycle of building replacement, as well as the decline of individual congregations and occasional natural disasters, is that the forty-two existing buildings represent only about a quarter of the total number of church buildings erected during these ninety years. A survey of these forty-two buildings can be found in Appendix B.The research focused on where congregations built, how they built-obtaining land, raising funds, and what they built-materials, forms, and architectural styles, such as Greek Revival, Italianate, and Gothic Revival. Possible sources of plans and designs, including architects and nineteenth-century pattern books are discussed, although the influence of these sources was difficult to determine based on the brief accounts usually found in original church records. The thesis concludes with an overview of what has happened to pre-1910 Henry County church buildings after they were completed. Case studies of eight structures, including frame gable-front churches and masonry auditoriumplan churches illustrate the life-cycles of these Midwestern church buildings, revealing that continuous change has been their fate.Department of ArchitectureThesis (M.S.H.P.