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A few years ago, Dunwoody historian Lynne Byrd gathered a group of people to collaborate on history and information needed to nominate the chapel at Dunwoody Methodist Church to the National Register of Historic Places. Byrd, who had already placed other local historic buildings on the register, was the leader. I was fortunate to work with her on the project. Unfortunately, the response to the request was that the chapel was too changed since it’s original construction. This primarily had to do with inside the chapel, not the outside construction or the classrooms.
Dunwoody Methodist Church began in 1899, when members of the community met in the local Dunwoody school. In 1903, a one room wood structure was constructed on the south side of Mount Vernon Road. This building served as the chapel until about 1936.
The earliest Dunwoody Methodist Church was located across Mount Vernon Road from the present-day church.
In 1933, the building committee of the Dunwoody Methodist Church was authorized to begin plans for a new chapel. The decision was made to build the chapel on one acre at the site of the old parsonage, across Mount Vernon Road from the original 1903 chapel. $450 was collected from members to begin construction.
The community came together to help accomplish their goal of a new Methodist chapel. In 1935, Euil Spruill donated the use of his two mules to excavate the land.
Fred and brother Fletcher Donaldson drove to Stone Mountain to pick up granite for the basement, walkway and steps of the church. Their father Will did the stonework around the new building. The old four-square wooden building that sat across the street still held Sunday School and preaching during the construction.
History tells that everyone, all ages, helped with the construction of the church. Younger students gather stones. Older students dug sand from nearby creeks to make cement. Local residents donated timber, which was taken to the Cheek saw mill. The ladies of the church made homemade varnish from roofing tar and gasoline.
Services began even before the planned brick exterior was installed. Black waterproof material was used for the exterior of the building, until the membership could afford to add brick. Once the Chapel was bricked in 1941, a dedication ceremony was held and the church was declared to be debt free. Homemade wooden benches were used until new pews could be ordered.
In 1954 and 1955 a $35,000 addition was begun, including columns around the front door and a steeple. Church school classrooms were added at this time.
The Dunwoody Methodist Chapel is important for many reasons. First, some of the earliest Dunwoody families were involved in the church from its beginnings and they were also instrumental in the building of the 1941 Chapel.
The Spruill family were large landowners nearby, particularly along Ashford Dunwoody Road. Members of the Spruill family were part of the group which constructed a new parsonage in one day in 1948.
The Austin family was also there to help build the parsonage and has been involved in the church from an early time. Nettie Southern married Glenn G. Austin at Dunwoody Methodist Church in 1906, the first marriage at the church. Between 1918 and 1929, the couple served together as Sunday School Superintendents. She was the church organist for several years.
Ten year old John Austin had the job of sweeping out the church, filling a glass of water for the preacher, and ringing the church bell to call the community to services. The baptismal font in the Chapel was donated by the children of Glenn Greer Austin in 1948. He served as Dunwoody’s Justice of the Peace.
Dunwoody Methodist Church chapel before steeple was added. Photo from Anderson family, whose grandmother married Calhoun Spruill. He is pictured second from the left on the third row standing.
The Dunwoody United Methodist Chapel is typical of a rural one room structure and the type of one room church which is rarely seen today. It is a larger version of the first chapel which was across Mount Vernon Road. The church began in a sparsely populated community and has evolved to become an integral part of today’s Dunwoody.
A new sanctuary was built adjacent to the chapel in 1972. Since then, that sanctuary has gone renovations including a major one in 2018.
In 1975, Mrs. Hugh (Gerry) Spruill and the other members of the Dunwoody Methodist Church Board of Trustees, voted to allow fine arts classes to be held in the Chapel basement. The Stephen T. Spruill Chapel had been named in honor of Hugh Spruill’s late grandfather.
The 1993 Dunwoody Crier newspaper celebrates the 90th anniversary of Dunwoody Methodist Church.
Today, the Dunwoody Methodist Chapel still stands next to the newer sanctuary. The church complex includes the sanctuary, fellowship hall, gym, ball fields, Sunday School classrooms (also used for Preschool) and a Scout Hut (built in 1997). The church grounds are busy with activity each day of the week, with people of all ages benefitting from church programs. The Chapel is still a vital part of the community used for Sunday School, weddings, funerals, and community functions. It is also a reminder of the bygone days of small town Dunwoody.
History is also available on the Dunwoody United Methodist Church website.