Seasons at the White Church

A Brief History of Seasons at the White Church

Considered a true pioneer church, the Collierville Christian Church is the home of the Disciples of Christ, the first religious movement in the USA. Founded at the close of the Civil War between 1864 and 1866, its congregation had been organized since 1890, after a quest for freedom from imposed creeds and rigid denominations.

The original pastor was a circuit rider named Matthew Webber, who established pockets of followers near Barton, Union, LaGrange, and Mt. Pleasant. After the war, Webber and many followers moved to Texas. But the remaining local souls began to hold services in a boys’ school on Burrows Road in Collierville. Dr. B. W. Lauderdale was the first minister.

Construction began in 1868, when the first church was erected at 160 Poplar. The second building (now Seasons) was begun in 1873. The property was purchased for $ 250.00, and for $ 6,000.00 the building was constructed of lumber, cement, and hardwood furnishings, then finished with the exquisite art glass windows designed in Chicago. Renovations in 1906 included the addition of the bell tower. The largest bell in Shelby County, it measured 40 inches across and weighed 800 pounds. Its unique wooden pulley wheel ensured that the pure bell tone would not be compromised.

The architectural splendor of the church is displayed in its predominantly High Victorian Gothic style. This can be seen in the pointed arches of the windows and doors as well as the tower pinnacles adapted from the decorative style of 16th and 17th Century French Gothic churches.

The unique design of the angled building, thought to the last in Shelby County, resulted in its pews becoming smaller and smaller as the angles converge. This left a charming pew for only two people, a most desirable location for courting couples at the time. Two of the original curved pews, bearing a stamp of “1892” on the back, now stand in the restaurant.

The unusual wall that raises and lowers between the auditorium and the auxiliary pew space was considered an outstanding architectural accomplishment for its time. It created one of the first “crying rooms”, separating the sedate congregation from its boisterous babies and energetic toddlers.

In the 1950s, Sunday school rooms were added and a new parsonage (the brick house at 186 N. Main) was built. But in July of 1992, after the congregation began building a new church on Byhalia Road, the property was sold. The famous bell was moved to the new site, as were a pulpit Bible and silver communion service ware believed to have been in use since 1868. Reverend William R. Reed led the last service on December 13, 1992.

Today, Seasons at the White Church stands at the site of the original church.

Renovation of the main sanctuary, which began in January of 2002, is complete. The room has been returned to its former 1873 glory with the renovation of the original pressed tin ceiling and oak floors, and the addition of new color to the walls. The resulting area is superb for a reception, party, meeting, or private dinner. The exquisite stained glass windows in tones ranging from purple to gold to green are accented by the Victorian woodwork and the copper ceiling. Art Deco inspired light fixtures suspended from the twenty-foot ceiling to complete the look of this uniquely beautiful site.