Broad Street Church of Christ

Cookeville, Tennessee's Broad Street church of Christ was the first church of Christ congregation in the city of Cookeville. The land that the building sits on was donated by church member Jeremiah "Jere" Whitson. A Gothic Revival architectural style building was constructed in 1908, by Cookeville architects Joseph F. Scott and William Smoot. The brick and stone used in construction were all hand hewn at Scott's brickyard. The most notable features of this old church building is the stained glass on the facade, and also the tower, on the eastern edge of the facade. The steeple on top of this tower has been removed recently. The interior of the building contains an open auditorium or sanctuary, as well as classrooms and offices. Early leaders in the Broad Street congregation included Jere Whitson and Robert "Bob" Capshaw. These men and the other members of this congregation have a legacy that goes well beyond religion. The two men, and others saw the need for a Christian school of higher learning in the area. In 1909 a charter was issued to members of the Broad Street church of Christ to establish University of Dixie Bible School. The charter gave Whitson, Capshaw, and others full control over what curriculum would be taught at the new school. The school thrived for a few years, but financial problems finally did it in. In order to save the school, Whitson, Capshaw, and others decided to reincorporate the school as a four year college, dropping the Bible school degree option. The school was reorganized in 1915 as Dixie College. The Bible was still taught, but more emphasis was placed on secular subjects. This time the school survived and is now known as Tennessee Technological University. The Broad Street congregation continued to meet until the mid 19th century. As men such as Whitson and Capshaw passed on, efforts were made to expand the Church of Christ group throughout Cookeville. Collegeside church of Christ was established as a place of worship for college students. Congregations on Willow Avenue and the then rural Sycamore congregation were established to serve Cookeville residents in the western and southern parts of the city. Eventually the Broad Street congregation decided to vacate the above building and relocate to Jefferson Avenue. These pioneer religious leaders such as Whitson and Capshaw are responsible for getting the "Big 4" churches of Christ started. Their contributions to the religious and educational history of Cookeville is admirable, and it is worth noting that both men have schools which bear their names. The original Broad Street church of Christ building is now owned by the First United Methodist Church of Cookeville, and is used as their food and clothing drive facility. In 2002 the building was nominated and subsequently accepted into the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A for its overall history.

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