Idaho’s Overlooked Architectural Wonders

The buildings don’t get the traffic they once did.  We’re told America now resides in a post-Christian culture.  In my hometown, a lovely old church constructed in the 1800s is now a community center.  Many old churches have been converted into homes.  Some even house taverns and dance clubs.  In a city where I once lived, a fellow bought a historic church, threatened to turn it into a bar, and extorted money from the city for historic preservation, and yet.

Many of these beautiful old buildings are still welcoming, and some newer churches have some unusual aspects, like the light above the altar at St. Jerome in Jerome, Idaho.

Many churches that appeared to be dying away are now filled with newcomers to Idaho.  Many immigrants and refugees have revived congregations.

Many times when I’m on the road, I stop and take pictures of what I see in these small towns.  You can almost hear the footsteps, the sound of babies with mom and dad, and get a sense some people celebrated happiness and shared grief.  Something is lost when we lose our identity.

The church that now serves as a community center in my hometown was pastored by a very pleasant man when I was a kid.  Some days after school, we would stop and he would allow us to play inside.  An old labyrinthine structure, we spent hours playing hide and seek.  It was a safe place, and that was a lesson that remains until this day.  I’m hoping today’s young people have the same experience.

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