Lindsey Wilson College and the John Begley Chapel

John B. Begley Chapel
Lindsey Wilson College
Columbia, Kentucky

A road trip today to Lindsey Wilson College about two hours south of my home. I drove through farmlands and around small town squares to the town of Columbia, Kentucky.

The college, which is affiliated with the United Methodist Church, sits atop a hill overlooking the courthouse tower. Columbia is the county seat and boasts about 4,000 residents. The college has an enrollment of 2700. 

The reason I wanted visit the college is evidenced by the photo I took today (above) of the John B. Begley Chapel. It was designed by architect E. Fay Jones. Jones was inspired by the many farm silos that dot the landscape in the area. I love that his design was influenced by the surrounding farmland.

And how serendipitous. Totally unknown to me, today was the 15th anniversary of the chapel's dedication. There was to be a ceremony in celebration of that event, but I was unable to stay for it. 

Antique Bibles from a collection
at Lindsey Wilson College

Of course I visited the college's Katie Murrell Library. Here, upon request, I was shown to the archives where I viewed a collection of antique Bibles owned by the school. One was from 1860 (the red one above). The leather binding was the softest you ever felt. The school also owns the library of Kentucky historian Thomas D. Clark. Like the books comprising Robert Penn Warren's library that reside at Western Kentucky University and which were part of the Grand Southern Literary Tour, I was impressed by the range of intellect of Mr. Clark. Most of his library consisted of history - American, British, French. As he was born in 1903 and died at the age of 101 in 2005, the books from his shelves were soft and lovely. 

What a wonderful way to spend a stunning autumn day.