Outdoor amphitheater, visitors center planned for Old McKendree Chapel

The area surrounding Old McKendree Chapel in Jackson looks a lot different now from when Mary Harriet Talbut rode to the chapel on a bike as a young Girl Scout.

Interstate 55 now runs through its once rural landscape. A brand new subdivision stands directly west of the chapel's historic land.

The site of the Old McKendree Chapel will gain some changes of its own.

According to Talbut, president of the board running Old McKendree, changes are underway to make the site of Old McKendree Chapel more accessible and welcoming to tourists.

"Our 200th anniversary was in 2019, so we took a hard look," Talbut said. She explained part of the reason for upgrades with a quote from "Shawshank Redemption."

"It's like the movie says, " Talbut said. "You either 'get busy living or get busy dying.'"

An extensive master plan for McKendree Chapel includes the addition of an outdoor amphitheater, visitor center, trails, picnic areas and more.

The improvements are some of the most sweeping changes the land has seen since Methodist carpenters first erected the structure in 1819, according to Adelaide Parsons.

Parsons is the chairwoman of a campaign committee to finance the renovations. Old McKendree Chapel is the oldest Protestant church still standing west of the Mississippi River, she said.

Tony Limbaugh, left, and Ron Fluegge of Fronabarger Concreters pack down a foundation for stairs at Old McKendree Chapel in Jackson. The stairs, designed in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, are one of several projects planned for the historic Old McKendree Chapel.Monica Obradovic

Work began shortly after the chapel's 200th anniversary. All improvements are in an effort to not only preserve the chapel, but to further share its history.

"We realized (the chapel) was the best-kept secret in Southeast Missouri," Parsons said. "Even some Methodists don't know about it, and we needed to do outreach and have people recognize the value of this ground and sacred space."

The $1 million to 1.5 million project will be financed entirely on donations, according to Talbut. So far, a campaign has raised nearly $350,000, she said.

Improvements will roll out in three phases.

The first involves replacing a protective metal canopy over the chapel's roof and adding handicapped-accessible steps to the chapel's entrance. Retaining walls installed behind the adjacent William Williams cabin near Old McKendree Chapel will eventually house a butterfly garden.

The next two phases will bring about a handicap-accessible parking lot, a new reception center and road improvements to Bainbridge Road, which leads to the chapel.

How quickly all the improvements can be done depends on how much money the committee can raise, according to Parsons.

"We hope to have the building [visitors center] in place within the next seven to 10 years," Parsons said.

History

Until the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Protestants were not allowed to worship in the region because of Spanish and French settlers' Catholicism, according to Parsons.

As Cape Girardeau and Jackson evolved as communities, the site of Old McKendree Chapel hosted outdoor religious meetings, historically referred to as camp meeting revivals, in the early 1800s.

"In the early days, people came for camp meetings to gather for preaching, baptisms, to court people and to visit family and friends," Parsons said. "It was a combination of revival, preaching and social experiences."

In 1819, carpenters built the chapel from hand-hewed poplar logs.

Parsons' family has helped care for the chapel for nearly half its life. Her great-uncles and-aunts were involved in restoring the church in the 1920s and 1930s. She grew up attending New McKendree United Methodist Church in Jackson.

"It's in my blood," Parsons said.

Talbut's mother, Marybelle Mueller, was on the chapel's board for many years. For that reason, Talbut said the chapel will always remain special to her.

"I remember being a Girl Scout and riding our bicycles out to Old McKendree from uptown Jackson," Talbut said.

Despite any changes coming Old McKendree's way, Parsons said the chapel will always remain a place of peace.

"It's always been a place I could escape to when my troubles got me down," she explained. "I could sit there in the chapel or on the ground and observe the silence and the peace and God's spirit moving within me."

Major changes are coming soon to Old McKendree Chapel in Jackson, and some have already begun. Efforts are underway to make the historic property more accessible to handicapped individuals. Depending on how much a fundraising campaign can raise the historic site may also see a new visitors center, outdoor amphitheater, walking trail and more.Monica Obradovic