College Hill Presbyterian Church, built 1844 In Lafayette County Mississippi went up in flames late Saturday night, the Lafayette County Fire Department said in a news release.

Crews were called at 11 p.m. for a report of visible flames at College Hill Presbyterian Church on County Road 102.

Firefighters were pulled out of the interior as the building’s structural integrity deteriorated. All units were cleared at 3:20 a.m. Sunday.

No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

College Hill Presbyterian was organized in 1835 and the building was constructed in 1844, according to the church’s website.

College Hill Presbyterian Church

This fellowship of Christians was organized as a local church on January 11, 1835, in the home of Alexander Shaw, one of the early Scot-Irish settlers in North Mississippi. Originally the church was named Neriah Church, but shortly thereafter it was re-designated Ebenezer Church. In 1836 members migrated to this area, and on Jan 11, 1841, the church was renamed College Presbyterian Church in recognition of the founding of the North Mississippi College.

https://chpcoxford.org/about/our-history/

The church claims it is the oldest Presbyterian structure in north Mississippi and the oldest church of any denomination near Oxford. Union troops camped on its grounds in the Civil War and author William Faulkner was married there.