Every year, Picayune Main Street makes a collectable ornament that represents an iconic and historic property in the area. This year, Main Street will release its unique 2016 ornament that depicts the New Palestine Baptist Church.
The church was established in 1898 to serve as a place for the community to worship the Lord, William Nathan Smith said, a local resident who gave four acres for the development of New Palestine Church. Prior to its construction, there was a lot of discussion about whether the community wanted to build another church, but an agreement could not be reached. In the argument of deciding if a new church should be built closer to Nicolson, the church members separated. New Palestine Baptist Church is located near Picayune off of Palestine Road, while Old Palestine was built in Nicholson, Smith said.
“With this ornament we hope to bring awareness to our local history,” Reba Beebe, director of Picayune Main Street said. “We have a very interesting history here that we want people to know and keep alive.”
Each year, the Main Street Historic Committee requests submissions for ornament ideas and selects their favorite. Each theme for the ornament is selected by appeal, relevance to the area and current significance of the historic property, Beebe said.
Local artist Sandra Bowering Booker rendered a sketch used in the creation of the ornament. In the sketch, cypress trees surround the church, which is enclosed by an artistic border. The brass ornament is gold-plated.
“This ornament is beautiful,” Beebe said. “It is a great building and she turned in an amazing sketch that we all think represents the area perfectly.”
The ornaments will be available at multiple local shops, including Glass Porch, Crystal Gallery, Melinda’s Fine Gifts, Bubble n’ Bliss, Braze Place Antique and Collectives Mall and the Intermodal Tourist Center. The cost of the ornament is $15.