Following in the Footseps of Evans, Christenberry

On a recent road trip, online PH student Garrick Morgenweck encountered some iconic photographic subject matter. Here he shares one building's history:

In my travels through the Black Belt, I kept coming across objects photographed by both Walker Evans and William Christenberry. One of the most famous was the small St. James Missionary Baptist Church in Sprott, AL. Christenberry photographed it for years and even made a sculpture of it, taken by the uniqueness of the spires. However, at some point in the past the spires disappeared, ostensibly to expand the church sanctuary area. Here is a look at this church through the last 80 years.

Church, Sprott, AL, 1936 by Walker Evans

Church, Sprott, AL, 1971 by William Christenberry

Church, Sprott, AL, 1974 by William Christenberry

Church, Sprott, AL, 2015 by Garrick Morgenweck

This article originally appeared on August 24, 2015, as an entry in Garrick's online journal .