This blog is primarily to show off three of the creepiest and most fun pictures I took on the inside of the church.

This first photo is of a fire extinguisher like no fire extinguisher I’ve seen before. Check out the detail. This thing is a work of rural Missouri art:

Puttin' Out Fires, photo by smalltowngirl

And then there was the creepy old electric lift chair. Notice the leather seat strap. Vaguely reminescent of the less holy electric chair, no?

Electric (Lift) Chair, photo by smalltowngirl

Finally, an maybe the creepiest of these three creepy old church photos, is a self-portrait of me, smalltowngirl, in a old, old mirror.

smalltowngirl haunted self-portrait, photo by smalltowngirl

Down the Aisle, photo by smalltowngirl

Bellevue remains locked to the public the majority of the time, but I had a special opportunity to see the inside of the church a few weeks ago.

The church, founded in 1816, is very, very simple on the interior. Humble wooden pews line the sanctuary, and simple red carpeting pads the floor beneath your feet.

A piece of the church’s original carpet hangs framed in the narthex (thanks @gregscherer) of the church. Purchased in 1907, 90 yards of carpeting cost the church $63.95.

$63.95, photo by smalltowngirl

The windows at Bellevue are not elaborately stained or colorful. Instead, they are plain, tranparent glass with peeling paint on their wooden frames.

Window, photos by smalltowngirl

One of the things I like the most in the church’s interior was the sanctuary ceiling, pieced together with slats of wood running diagonal at 90 degree angles to the straight edges of the church’s walls.

Ceiling, photo by smalltowngirl

The hour or so that I spent inside the old building left me with an eerie headache and fatigue that the ghost-story-lover in me wanted to believe was caused by the spirits of angstful old Presbyertians, but which I should honestly attribute to allergies. Bellevue has been around for almost two hundred years. That’s a lot of mold and dust.

The Good Book, photo by smalltowngirl

Bellevue Presbyterian Church is located in Caledonia, Missouri. To read more about the church and see photos of its exterior, see my first post about Bellevue.

To read more about Caledonia, check out the following blog posts: Caledonia, Missouri, Smalltowngirl’s Many Hats, and Caledonia, Missouri Pt. II.

For more photos of my adventures in Small Town, Missouri, check out my flickr photostream.

The proud small town girl in me would love to believe that the future of independent film is, indeed, in Caledonia, Missouri, as Purely Productions, LLC claims it to be.

This building in Caledonia (pop. 158) appears to be the Williamsburg loft of Southeast Missouri:

The Future of Independent Film, photo by smalltowngirl

What kind of independent film company makes its home in a tiny Missouri town?

What kind of business has a posterboard business sign?

Maybe a smart one. The cost of living here is super low, and low overhead theoretically means more resources devoted to projects and less to paying the rent.

These guys have me curious…

Posterboard Sign, photo by smalltowngirl

The company’s website shows a small cast and crew who produced six short films in six months, but I couldn’t find any clips on YouTube. Does anyone out there know more about Purely Productions, LLC? Leave me a comment.

Hansome Man, photo by smalltowngirl

Oh, that thin little tie! Oh, that bright white smile! Oh, those dimples! And with spectacles like those, I’m sure he’s a smart and successful man.

I never expected to find love in such a small town, but my encounter with the gentleman in the top hat has inspired new faith. There may be love in Small Town, Missouri for a girl like me, afterall.

Bellevue Presbyterian Church, photo by smalltowngirl

The oldest Presbyterian church west of the Mississippi River is in Caledonia, Missouri, one block away from the main street that I wrote about yesterday.

Bellevue Presbyterian Church, photo by smalltowngirl

Founded in 1816, the church isn’t currently open to the public, but it’s in remarkably good condition on the outside.

There is no parking lot, just a big patch of grass. But watch out for the tough little guard dog who lives next door. She’s got a big bark, but his girl loves to have her belly scratched…

Guard Dog, photo by smalltowngirl

I’ve heard rumor that this church is being renovated for use as a visitor center/historic center. I have a meeting in July with the Washington County Tourism Committee, so I’m hoping to gather more information then.

If you live in this area and are looking for a nice afternoon drive, I’d suggest Caledonia. It’s a neat little town.

August 3, 1816, photo by smalltowngirl

Population 158

The entire downtown of Caledonia, which straddles Missouri State Highway 21, is approximately three blocks long. Most of the buildings in Caledonia are dated from the mid-1800s.

Parking in Caledonia means pulling onto the shoulder of the highway. This photo shows the bulk of downtown…

Downtown Caledonia, photo by smalltowngirl

I took this shot standing in the middle of State Hwy 21. No traffic. At all.

Downtown Caledonia, photo by smalltowngirl

A nice local guy and his grandaughter stopped and visited with me. Our clothes stuck to us, and sweat dripped in our eyes in the afternoon sun as he told me about Caledonia’s Scoth-Irish history and the ice cream parlor down the street in the back of Carr House Antiques.

Just as I pulled into Carr House’s gravel parking lot, the batteries in my camera died. The ice cream was good, although the ice cream parlor itself looked like it was under renovation.

This tiny little village really does have some nice people and some fantastic buildings. Stay tuned for a post on the oldest Presbyterian church west of the Mississippi River and it’s big, tough guard dog.

The weather, a muggy 113 degree heat index, was stereotypical of a Missouri summer afternoon. I parked my car along the side of the road and stepped out into a blanket of heat.

My first stop was Old Village Mercantile. Dated “Post-1909″, the Mercantile building is among the many in Caledonia on the National Register of Historic Places.

I’ll do another post about the store itself, but this post is all about the fun discovery I made on the second floor of the mercantile; a room filled with old hats, gloves, purses, antique wedding gowns, and more. In short, this room was like a giant, antique, little girl’s stage for playing dress up.

So what did this big girl do?

Funny Blue Hat, photo by and of smalltowngirl

Funny Peach Hat, photo by and of smalltowngirl

Funny Yellow Bonnet, photo by and of smalltowngirl

Life’s short, and you’ve gotta have some fun. There’s plenty of amazing history in Caledonia, and I’m planning to tell you more about that history another day.

For tonight, I encourage you to take time to try on silly hats.

In researching Caledonia tonight, it seems like I’ll find more to explore and photograph than I’d originally expected.

Turns out, Caledonia, celebrating its 190th anniversary in 2009,  is home to the oldest continually operating church and cemetery west of the Mississippi River.

I’m looking forward to checking out the town’s Greek Revival Architecture; to getting ice cream at the old mercantile; walking the tiny community; and exploring the cemetery.

Did I mention that my day will end with a glass of wine in Caledonia’s “Wine Cottage”?

Check back tomorrow night!