Cane Hill Presbyterian Church

Canehill, Arkansas

Completion Date 2020

Project Details Historic Restoration and Renovation

Services Condition Assessment Report, Historic Structures Report, Architecture

Awards Preserve Arkansas Award for Excellence in Preservation through Restoration

The Historic United Presbyterian Church of Cane Hill was built in 1891 and is a prominent landmark in town. Cane Hill is the last remaining house of worship that is still functioning as such today. It is also an example of the Gothic Revival Vernacular style and constructed of native stone.

The church is an important landmark along the main road in town and is a reflection of the town’s early Cumberland Presbyterian roots. The first Cumberland Presbyterian congregation was founded here in 1828, where members were crucial to the growth and development of Cane Hill.

Cumberland Presbyterians were also responsible for establishing the Cane Hill School, a school to train young Presbyterian ministers and which later became Cane Hill College, one of the oldest institutes of higher learning in the state.

The church had been actively used since its founding and so had remained in fair condition. However, later modifications to the church changed the look, such as the asphalt shingle roofing. WER worked with regional craftsmen to restore plaster walls, original pine floors and decorative graining on doors and trim. Custom designed and fabricated light fixtures are the highlight of the restored sanctuary and Sunday School room.

Today, the church has been returned to the Cane hill Presbyterian congregation for weekly services, as it has for over a century and also serves as a historic venue space for Historic Cane Hill.