CityView Magazine

24 | April 2020 First Baptist Moore Street 302 Moore Street Longtime church member Louise Morgan remembers making a symbolic walk to the current site of the church from the former site on Maxwell and Franklin streets. at was in 1963, when the new construction was punctuated with the installation of a large steeple constructed of copper. "During that particular time, seeing that steeple go up served as a beacon for a new place of worship for a church with a rich history," said Ricardo Morgan, Louise's son and the church's archivist and historian. "at steeple has taken us through some turbulent times – 9/11, the war in Afghanistan, and it still does today. "It's a safe haven," he said. "at steeple covers us symbolically. It represents our presence in our community." e church is one of Fayetteville's oldest, having begun in 1868. e property on Maxwell and Franklin streets was purchased in 1877. e Rev. C.R. Edwards preached his first sermon in the church in 1953, beginning a period of leadership that would lead to impressive growth and the new sanctuary on Moore Street. "I still have bricks from the old church in my yard," Morgan said. St. Joseph's Episcopal Church 509 Ramsey Street St. Joseph's emerged from St. John's in the spring of 1873, becoming a cornerstone for one of Fayetteville's booming African-American neighborhoods. It is Fayetteville's second oldest Episcopalian church. Fayetteville historian Bruce Daws said St. Joseph's bell tower also is unusual. "Fascinating," he said. "It's a combination of Gothic, Queen Anne and Spanish Mission." Highland Presbyterian Church 111 Highland Avenue Wagoner was also the architect who designed Highland Presbyterian Church, which was completed in 1960. Like the steeple at Snyder, Highland's was constructed on the ground, then heed by crane to the top of the church where it stands as a beacon in Haymount. First Baptist Moore Street Highland Presbyterian Church St. Joseph's Episcopal Church

• Cover