“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”
— Elliott Erwitt

Today: A few churches and Main Street

I have shared several photos of Howard Memorial Presbyterian Church over the past couple of weeks. But this is the first time I have packed my Nikon and tried to shoot some serious images.

Also, HMPC is the first building I pass when I leave our house, so it was absolutely first on this tour.

The history of the congregation is interesting. In a nutshell, the original Anglican church fell out of favor during the War of Independence and the site was repurposed as a community hall and the town cemetery. Eventually the hall fell into disrepair.

In the years following the Civil War, a Presbyterian congregation was organized and eventually purchased the land. I love the following description from the Tarboro “Historic Church Tour” text:

A small group of Presbyterians began meeting in the Methodist Church in 1867, led by three women who were all named “Anna.” The congregation
received permission to build a church on one corner of Old Town Cemetery,
the public burying grounds.

The church was chartered in 1874, then built its current sanctuary in 1909. Just a few years ago, Tarboro deeded Old Town Cemetery (neglected, overgrown, and in disrepair) to the church. HMPC has lovingly cleaned, restored, repaired, renovated, rebuilt, and otherwise redeemed the entire city block.

The Episcopal Church:

Immediately beyond HMPC, catty-corner across the intersection of Saint Thomas and Saint David streets, Calvary Episcopal Church is surrounded by an expansive cemetery that is also an arboretum.

I plan to share photographs from inside the sanctuary after Sunday evening’s service of lessons and carols, where our church choir will be joining their voices together with those of Calvary.

From the outside, the old church is a mixture of beautiful and – with the classic graveyard – just a little mysterious.

Exploring the cemetery amounts to a real unfolding of history here in Tarboro. It is absolutely worth taking the time to look around, or just stroll through.

Walking through the town:

There have been enough initiatives, grants, investments, and entrepreneurial spirits over the past few decades to keep the Tarboro town center both alive and interesting.

From recovering and restoring old windows, to building an assisted living center right downtown, to first class dining, to a homegrown brewery front and center on Main Street, to locally owned storefronts, to a real coffee shop, to restoring classic buildings, to strong church congregations not running away to the suburbs, to other innovative businesses, our downtown is alive and thriving.

I love the fact that the coffee house is just a short walk from our home, or that I can write a letter and stroll the couple of hundred yards to the Post Office.

The Town Common is less than a quarter mile away, and Max often enjoys his morning walk outside some of the community’s more elegant residences.

Don’t misunderstand, there is still a ton of work to be done, a lot of calculated risks to be taken, and a lot of room for creative imagination before historic downtown Tarboro is as lively and energized as it could be.

I have more photographs from the town, as well as the churches, in the “gallery” below, starting with the Methodists, who meet just across the street from our congregation. I think the collection is absolutely worth taking a minute or two to scroll through.

And that is where I will leave today’s report. I promise to follow up soon, with more from my walk, featuring a sampling of magnificent homes… and a few that absolutely need some serious help.

Peace and more peace – always – DEREK

Photographs, in order of appearance: St. James UMC; Howard Memorial Presbyterian; Calvary Episcopal; St. Luke’s; First Baptist; downtown Tarboro: