Kellie Conwill found the stained glass mural that was in the Baldwyn First Baptist Church many years ago. It is now in a church in Bay St. Louis, MS.
If you recall, it was in the baptistery and many of us, including myself, were baptized next to it. It was given back to the Shellnut family when the church was torn down, and then was given to the church it is in now.
________________Kelly Conwill is the daughter of Ed and Lane Sue (McVey) Kesler of Baldwyn.
From Facebook.
17 comments:
Tom shellnut must know something about tha.
Carl, that is a delightful bit of news. I was also baptised next to that stained glass. My thanks to Kelly for the discovery.
Indeed, Tom Shellnut did give the information about the mural quite a while back. He lives in that area, and so does Kellie, who went out looking, found and photographed it.
In the beginning, E. A. Shellnut and family donated the glass to the Baptist church, and Tom did the right thing by rescuing it and placing it at another location.
Tom, any idea when that stained glass was originally installed at First Baptist?
The first church building on that lot was a frame structure built in 1870. It was torn down and a new brick building was built in 1923. The basement of the new church was dug out by mules and slip scrapes.
I suppose the mural was installed around that time, Milton.
Info from Simon's book "The way we were".
Thanks Carl, speaking of slip scrapes, my father-in-law built a half acre lake with nothing but horses and a slip scrape in the early forties. It was used for the annual August baptisms for many years. The dam finally broke through in the late fifties.
The window that Kellie Conwill photographed is in the St. Rose de Lima Roman Catholic Church in Bay St. Louis.
My parents gave it to the First Baptist Church in about 1951-52 when the interior of the church was renovated with the white pews, brass candalabra, new baptistry and this new baptistry window, a scene of the River Jordan with bright hues of blue and green. It was given in memory of my maternal grandmother and maternal great-grandmother both of which were stalwards of the FBC. I recall standing up in the pulpit (scared, of course) with the WBIP radio microphone there telling the congregation who was being memorilized. More later.. Tom
More on window -- when the FB church was to be torn down, my Mother, with her Scottich frugality, asked that the window be returned to the family. They kept it in their garage there on Water St until that house was cloed down. In 1986 we took the window to Pass Christian where it stayed on our back porch for several years until a friend contacted us saying that St. Rose was being renovated and would we donate the window. I had always wanted to use it in our house, but giving it to St. Rose seemed like a better idea, so that it where it is. I recommend going to the church to see the window and to see the other artwork that is there. Impressive. Tom Shellnut
Lastly, Bro. Eugene Crawford was the pastor at the time of the renovation of the church in Baldwyn. He engineered the renovation amidst much grumbling over the cost. Another example of stiff necks like Moses encouintered. Tom
Thanks for the update Tom. Brother Gene Crawford was also the pastor who Baptised me so many decades ago.
Brother Crawford's wife Mary was beautiful and could really play the piano and sing. He discovered her when he was in Louisville Baptist Seminary and she was a night club singer in New Albany, IN, just across the river from Louisville. I'm not suggesting that he ever went to a saloon though.
Tom, I'm really glad you saved a part of our "history". Growing up in Baldwyn was the "best"!
I am writing my memories and experiences growing up in Baldwyn. I have finished 21 pages beginning with my birth, the more I write the more I remember. So to all my friends on this "blog" I'm throwing out a question-- do any of you remember "Lige" -- and if so,do you remember what he did? He was a wonderful man, he sticks in my memory well.
John Melvin
The Lige I recall brought ice around in the Summer and coal in the Winter. He also delivered animal feed for Mr. Hatley Barber.
I think this is the one you are referring to. Thanks!
His outstanding feature: his nose!
I was going to ask if that was the same ice man with the wide flattened nose. He used to challenge me to see if I could lift a block of ice with those tongs and I would do the best I could for a 7 or 8 year old.
I'm looking forward to JMD's memories. I'm sure it will be as lively as he was back then.
Joe C.
Thanks Carl, and Milton
You both scored a "Touchdown" I remember looking forward to a visit from the "ice man" Watching him chip the small block my grandmother needed and using the tongs to carry it to the wooden ice box in our kitchen. In addition, Jimmy Durante had nothing on Lige when it came to the "nose"
By the way guys, I never knew his last name -- any ideas?
John Melvin
According to a very reliable source, John O. Cunningham, Lige's last name was Anderson.
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