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“Summertime Blooms at the Methodist
Church” in Cades
Cove
by Steve Norris
J.D. McCampbell, a blacksmith and carpenter, built this church
building in 115 days for $115. He later served many years as its
minister. Methodists were not as numerous as Baptists in the
Cove, but enough of them got together in the 1820s to establish
the church in a log building that lasted until this one replaced
it in 1902. The Civil War and Reconstruction divided the church,
as they did other Methodist congregations.
Notice that the church has two front doors. This usually
indicates the church followed the custom of men sitting on one
side of the house and women on the other. But this church didn’t
follow this custom. The two doors are there because the church
borrowed the building plans of another church that did divide
its congregation by gender.
The number of wildflower species in the Smokies is greater than
in any other place in the United States. The flowers shown in
this painting are typical of those found along the Cove Loop
Road. Steve prefers to paint his Cades Cove landmark paintings
in the timeframe of an era long past. You will notice that there
are no asphalt-paved roads or concrete curbs and wheel stops as
there are today. Steve likes to add little mountain critters in
his paintings. The bluebird shown here is the grown up version
of the baby bird Steve painted in the Tipton Place painting. The
little squirrel is hard to find in the smaller prints, but he
can be found perched in the tall grass looking for fallen
acorns.
Available in 24”x36” and smaller. See Price List page.
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