| A hip-roofed stuccoed building with a projecting distyle portico, the Kingston Methodist Church is a highly significant example of the Greek Revival style. This significance is based on the high degree of architectural finish, the excellent exterior and interior integrity, the integrity of setting, and the unique manner in which the grand temple form is employed on a small scale in a church building designed to serve the needs of a rural, plantation community. The church was constructed shortly after February 1856, when Alexander Farrar, "desirous of having a new church erected in the Jersey settlement at or near Kingston for purposes of religious and moral culture," deeded the present approximate 8-acre tract of land to the trustees of the church (Adams County Deed Book LL:382). Dedicated on May 3, 1857, the Kingston Methodist Church has continually served as a cultural and social center of identity for the residents of the Kingston community. This building was listed on the National Register on 13 May 1982. It was designated as United Methodist Church Historic Site No. 80. It is included in "Shrines to Tomorrow" (1971), "Historic Architecture in Mississippi" (1973) (p. 46), "America’s Religious Architecture" (1997) (p. 286), and "Historic Churches of Mississippi" (2007) (p. 105). [HABS: MS-160 (1940)] |