The little white church.

Last week the group Little Big Town visited the Wayne County fair. One of their signature songs is

“Take me down to the little white church’ . As they sang the song, I thought we have one of those…

I am not sure if the composer had ever been to Rittman or not. If so, this is the one they are talking about.

Its called the Old Knupp Church and was built in the early 1800s. The building it located on Decoursey rd. in Rittman.

The church was restored by the Rittman Historical Society in 1960 and is currently only used for special events.

As I looked at this building I was drawn back to my youth. At the age of five I was visiting my great-grandmother at her home in rural West Virginia. It was Sunday and a church similar to the Knupp was located a short distance from her home.

We arrived at the church early and I recall a man standing near the entrance with a rope in his hand. “do you want to ring the bell?” the man said to me.

What five year old boy would say no?
I pulled the rope and the bell began to clang. Soon I would see others walking down the road to attend the little white church.