Hymn Fest at Old Cahawba draws diverse crowd to sing songs, tell tales of history

The idea behind the first Hymn Fest at Old Cahawba was to bring the community together to sing some traditional music and maybe even learn a little history. It worked. 

After an invocation by Pastor Jerry Light of Selma Community Church, archaeologist and Old Cahawba Archaeological Park Site Director Linda Derry introduced members of Selma’s St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, who sang traditional hymns that would have been sung in St. Luke’s when it was the Episcopal church at Cahawba.

Derry pointed out that St. Luke’s in Cahawba was designed by Richard Upjohn, and St. Paul’s in Selma was designed by his son, also named Richard. The selection included a hymn that Derry said “is included in almost every hymnal. It’s included in over 1,600 hymnals with almost universally similar text.” The song was “Holy, Holy Holy,” written by Church of England Priest Reginald Heber to honor the Holy Trinity. 

As Cahawba’s population began to shrink after the Civil War, St. Luke’s building was abandoned. In 1880 it was moved about 15 miles away to Martin’s Station, where it became Azion Missionary Baptist Church. Representing this era of the church were members of First Baptist Church of Selma, including Selma City Council President Warren “Billy” Young. 

Young and the singers from First Baptist sang a selection of traditional songs that would have been heard in the building during its life with a Black congregation, including the classic “Swing Low Sweet Chariot.” 

Young shared stories of growing up in the church. “Growing up, I was in one of three places: church, sitting on the first pew at First Baptist Church; home, sitting at the kitchen table eating my mother’s meals; or I was at school,” Young said.

Young said his entire family was in the choir except his sister Dr. Wanda Young, who played piano and organ in the church and was there accompanying the singers at Hymn Fest. 

There was one special song from First Baptist. Seven-year-old Alice Lowe and her father John led the congregation in “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” 

After the First Baptist segment of the program, Derry said that when the building was dismantled and moved back to Cahawba in 2006, a bell was found above a faux ceiling. “This bell does not belong to this church. It belongs to Azion Baptist church,” Derry said. “It’s with great joy we are able to give it back.” Accepting the bell on behalf of Azion Baptist Church was Joe James Williams,chairman of the church's deacon board.  

Williams, who told the crowd he was 76 years old, told stories of growing up in Azion Baptist Church in that very building. “I remember this church from my childhood,” Williams said. “I got three brothers buried over there where the church came from. My mother and father are buried over there and three sisters.” He said he and one sister are all who are still living. He added he had hoped his sister, who is 86, could have been at Hymn Fest because “she knows the history better than me.” 

The last group to perform was the Chanterelles. Christine Weerts, who headed up Hymn Fest, is a member of this group. They performed a selection that included a song with a close connection to Cahawba. Derry explained that the hymn “Sweet Hour of Prayer” was most likely popular withUnion soldiers held in the POW camp Castle Morgan at Cahawba. At the end of the war, the POWs were marched to Vicksburg and loaded on a steamboat to be taken home.  

Derry said Chester Berry, a POW held at Cahawba, “wrote that he had spent the day memorizing this hymn. As darkness closed in, he began to sing this hymn for the boys. They began to sing with him.” The steamboat was the Sultana, and that night was the night it exploded, killing, 1,719 of the 2,128 on board. Derry added that Berry wrote, “Little did I know how soon I should have to test the power of prayer.” 

After Hymn Fest was over, Weerts said she was thrilled at the outcome. “We are very excited about the turn out,” Weerts said. “And not only that, but everybody sang. It was a beautiful sound bringing people from all kinds of churches from all over the county to raise the rafters of this beautiful, historic church.”  

Derry expressed how happy she was at the turnout and the music. “It was so cool to hear these hymns that would have been in this church,” Derry said. “And such a diverse group coming together and singing together. I don’t have the words for it. It was wonderful.” 

Weerts and Derry said there will be a Hymn Fest next year.  

You can find more about St. Luke's here https://www.loc8nearme.com/alabama/mountain-brook/st-lukes-episcopal-church/7737181/