Another notable feature of the church’ s design is the octagonal-shaped interior, featuring pine lumber interior walls that were handmade. The ceiling is vaulted, supported by arched buttresses, while the original bell tower was topped with a brass finial.
Bessie Tift, Henry Tift’ s wife, persuaded him to uproot the older wooden building and move it out to a cotton mill, allowing the children there to have a church to attend. That building still resides where it was placed down on Vanderbilt Road, deteriorating away as time wore on, but it is in the works of being renovated itself.
The First Methodist Church building eventually became The Syd.
The building has always been enriched with the cultural scene in Tifton, even as a church. It was the performance site for several musicians, operas and other events.
For about 50 years, the church was occupied by the Methodist congregation. However, as the congregation grew, the church soon became too small to house it.
The congregation built a new Methodist church and left the older building without a true owner. For a time, other denominations occupied the church, but none stayed long.
Thus, for much of four decades, the church was abandoned. It wasn’ t until 1985 when the county government bought the building, seeking to protect it from any potential harm.
By then, the building was beginning to deteriorate, showing its age.
JANUARY 2026 | TiftonScene 23