The Church of Christ was a historic church located at 102 Main Street in

Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also mad ...

, Pike County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

Architecture

The

Carpenter Gothic Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic or Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massing applied to wooden structures ...

church was built in 1880 for Perry's Church of Christ congregation, which formed in 1837. The one-story wooden building with board-and-batten siding had a

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

foundation. The front facade featured a three-section

steeple In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religi ...

and chimneys at the two corners; the steeple consisted of a tower with arched windows, a lantern with

louver A louver (American English) or louvre (British English; see spelling differences) is a window blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain and direct sunshine. The angle of the sla ...

ed windows, and a spire atop a mansard roof. The

Gothic arch A pointed arch, ogival arch, or Gothic arch is an arch with a pointed crown, whose two curving sides meet at a relatively sharp angle at the top of the arch. This architectural element was particularly important in Gothic architecture. The earlie ...

ed front entrance to the church was located at the base of the tower. Arched

stained glass window Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

s with floral and geometric patterns were located on either side of the entrance. The church 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 ...

on August 8, 2006.

Destruction

On October 1, 2014, the church was struck by lightning. Firefighters from eight local areas (Perry, North Pike, Griggsville, Baylis, Pittsfield, Mount Sterling,

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

, and Meredosia) were unable to save it. The remnants of the church were demolished. The site is now a memorial park with a historical marker.

Notes

{{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Pike County, Illinois Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Carpenter Gothic architecture in Illinois Churches completed in 1880 Church fires in the United States