{"nrhp_refnum":"82002172","name":"Magalia Community Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Stirling Hwy.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Magalia","county":"Butte County","state":"CA","lat":39.80981701300004,"lon":-121.57876620199994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-01-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Religion","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small vernacular Protestant church on Stirling Highway in Magalia, Butte County, California, built in 1904 by parishioners from the materials of an 1896 meeting house.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is significant for its role in the social and religious development of an isolated mountain town. It is the town's oldest building still used for its original purpose. It also has a long association with the Women's Christian Temperance Union, which reflects the influence of women's reform groups in early twentieth-century small-town America.","narrative":"Magalia Community Church is a small, simple Protestant church in the old mining town of Magalia, Butte County. Volunteers built it in 1904 from the salvaged materials of an 1896 meeting house that had stood on private land nearby. The rectangular sanctuary measures about 20 by 40 feet, with a rubble foundation, redwood shingle siding, a small vestibule, a belfry and a shed-roofed kitchen at the rear. Carrie Brydon, a Women's Christian Temperance Union member, led the effort to move and rebuild it, with funds raised from union members and a major gift from Annie K. Bidwell. The church was added to the national register in 1982 for its role as the religious and social center of an isolated town and for its link to the temperance movement. It was the town's oldest building used for its original purpose. Any Protestant denomination could hold services there. In 1993 approval was given to move it a short distance to avoid demolition after the land was sold.","period_of_significance":"1904-1931","architect_builder":"None (designed and built by parishioners and volunteers)","architectural_style":"Simple vernacular Protestant church","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Condition listed as fair at nomination, with major foundation and floor joist repairs needed. A 1992-93 request to move the building about 150 yards south, because the property was sold and the building threatened with removal, was approved. Services were still held.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.377937-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/82002172.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002172/97400bffd8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002172/97400bffd8-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Frank Schulenburg","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Magalia_Community_Church_(2024)-L1004302.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Frank Schulenburg</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Magalia_Community_Church_(2024)-L1004302.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858438","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magalia_Community_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14683240"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/butte-county/magalia-community-church-82002172/"}