Canton Bend Methodist Church

Located along Highway 28 West, approximately four miles northwest of Camden, Canton Bend Methodist Church stands as a lasting reminder of the deep religious heritage and close-knit rural communities of Wilcox County. Organized on December 12, 1897, the church was founded by many of the area’s longtime families, including the Bryants, Marshs, Strothers, Smiths, Williams, Thompsons, Stoudenmiers, and Cooks.

The present church building was constructed during 1912 and 1913 on land deeded in 1910 by Percy Smith and Irvin Smith to the Camden Circuit Methodist Episcopal Church South of the Alabama Conference. The site chosen for the church was near the location of the earlier Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Canton, whose congregation dated to the 1830s. After the Presbyterian church disbanded, its building was eventually removed, but the sacred history of the site continued through the Methodist congregation.

Like today, the church was historically served by the pastor of the Camden Methodist Church, with Reverend C. P. Atkinson listed as the first minister. In its early years, membership remained near fifty, supported by regular worship services and Sunday School gatherings that played an important role in community life. Over the decades, membership numbers fluctuated as families moved away and generations passed, but the church has remained active and cherished by its congregation.

Adjacent to the church lies the historic Canton Bend Cemetery, whose origins date back to the earliest years of Old Canton. One of the earliest known burials is that of Ann Smith, wife of Duncan C. Smith, who died in August 1823 at only twenty-three years of age. She was buried beneath a grove of oak trees near the spot where she and her husband had shared their farewell before his departure for North Carolina. Upon his return, Duncan C. Smith deeded the property to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church for use as a cemetery, establishing what would become one of the community’s most historic burial grounds.

Over the years, the church has carefully preserved many of its historic features while also making thoughtful additions. In 1989, the M. W. Smith Foundation donated beautiful leaded glass windows patterned after those found in the chapel at Bellingrath Gardens and Home. A brick entrance was also added that same year. The church’s original light fixtures still remain in use today. Before electricity reached the community, the nickel-plated brass fixtures were lowered by hand and filled with oil to illuminate services.

A fellowship hall with a kitchen and bathrooms was later added to serve the needs of the congregation and community gatherings. Today, Canton Bend Methodist Church continues to hold worship services and Bible study while preserving the faith, fellowship, and history of generations of Wilcox Countians.