The Auburn University Chapel is the second-oldest building and oldest building in its original location on the campus of

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

in Auburn, Alabama.

History

The chapel was built in 1851 as a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

church, using slave labor, in the

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

style. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, the building briefly served as a

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

hospital for wounded soldiers, and later in the century was temporarily divided into classrooms when the main building of the nearby Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical College burned in 1887. Around 1900, the church was renovated in a

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style. The building was sold to the college in 1921, where it became the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

center for a few years. From 1927 to 1973, it housed the Auburn Players Theater, the college's acting troupe. Between 1973 and 1976, the structure underwent a significant renovation for conversion to the Auburn University Chapel, an interdenominational, multipurpose building, a function it still serves today. The building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

as Auburn Players Theater on May 22, 1973.The Auburn University Chapel is believed to be the oldest public establishment in Auburn. It often held weddings and dinners on the lawn. Between 1850 and 1976, the Auburn University Chapel has transitioned from church, to hospital, to classroom, to theatre, and then finally back to a church. The Auburn University Chapel is believed to be haunted. While treating war soldiers, death was inevitable. One death that particularly stands out is the death of Sydney Grimlett. Grimlett was fighting in the Civil War when he suffered an injury and had a procedure to amputate his leg; he did not survive this procedure. The Troupe Theatre group took over in the 1920s, soon audience members began noticing orbs near actors, during state productions. Performers in the group soon noticed objects and props missing from the set. However, Grimlett gained a reputation as a kind ghost and obeys when given candy as an incentive. When the Troupe Theatre group moved they invited Sydney Grimlett to come with and has resided wherever the Troupe may travel.

References

External links

Auburn University Chapel

Auburn University Chapel FloorplanAuburn University Theatre
{{National Register of Historic Places in Alabama Auburn University buildings Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama Churches in Lee County, Alabama American Civil War hospitals Churches completed in 1851 19th-century churches in the United States Gothic Revival church buildings in Alabama National Register of Historic Places in Lee County, Alabama University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama 1851 establishments in Alabama University and college chapels in the United States University and college buildings completed in 1851

History

References

Further reading

External links