After transportation improved and as the country became more thickly
populated, churches were built. Rural Piney Woods churches were simple
structures. Boykin Methodist Church (Fig. 28) near Burns and Piney Grove
Church at Polkville are typical examples. The pioneer church building
was rectangular, made of rough sawn pine, with pine shutters at the
windows and home-made benches fronting toward the home-made pulpit.
There was no ceiling, with the room rising to exposed hand-hewn rafters.
Often there were two front doors, one for the men and one for the women,
and one rear door. On the grounds of Piney Grove, one can still see the
long stretch of tables which were built for “protracted meetings” which
took the place of camp meetings. Instead of camping out, the people
attended services during the day and went home for the night. There was
always “dinner on the ground” at the protracted meeting.
Churches in more affluent areas generally had slave galleries, cabinet
work on the pews, and glass windows. China Grove Methodist Church built
in 1854 in Walthall County is a good example (Fig. 29).