Buckhead Church Seeks Place on National Register

Sardis United Methodist Church in Buckhead is in the final stages of being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The church, which has continuously occupied its site on Powers Ferry Road since at least 1848 with several different buildings, received approval in early June from the Georgia National Register Review Board, according to Erica Danylchak, executive director of the Buckhead Heritage Society. The society is assisting the church in its effort to be included on the National Register.

After this major step, the State Historic Preservation Office is preparing the final nomination to be sent to the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. for final review and approval. That would result in listing by the Keeper of the National Register, Danylchak said in an e-mail.

The National Register is the nation's official list of historic buildings, sites, structures, objects, and districts worthy of preservation.

The Buckhead Heritage Society began working with the church in 2009 to prepare documentation on the history of the church and its cemetery for the National Register nomination, Danylchak said.

"The church provided the society with pertinent documents it had on the property’s history, including copies of newspaper clippings it had collected over the years, a list of people buried in the cemetery, architectural drawings, etc.," she said.

The society also conducted deed research and searched fpr information on the church’s architect, Owen James Trainer Southwell. In 2010, Buckhead Heritage submitted a completed Historic Property Information Form and the collected documentation to the State Historic Preservation Office for review, leading to June's approval.

In 1925, the Sardis Methodist Church (which became Sardis United Methodist Church in 1968) employed local architect Owen James Southwell to design a new church building, according to the Heritage Socity's website. The church's current building, which was completed in 1927, is at least the third church on the site, the website said.

The church’s original steeple was destroyed by a storm in 1965. The current steeple with its modest spire and Colonial Revival-style details was a later addition, but reflects the original steeple’s design intent. Here is the Heritage Society web site, which has a link to the church's application. www.buckheadheritage.com

See the attached PDF for the summary of the proposed Sardis nomination that was presented to the Georgia National Register Review Board in early June. It was prepared by National Register Historian Denise Messick based on the documentation that Buckhead Heritage provided to the State Historic Preservation Office.