To learn more about the Aunt Jane Tabernacle road, you will need to know about Nancy Jane Winders Underdown. Her husband was Robert Pleasant Lee Underdown. Nancy Jane Underdown started the tabernacle meetings in 1905.
Everyone called her Aunt Jane, and that's how the tabernacle came to be called Aunt Jane's tabernacle.
Aunt Jane left the denominational church in 1905 after hearing a message of holiness from a Church of God minister. It wasn't long after that when Aunt Jane began inviting circuit riding Church of God ministers to hold services in her home. The shed meetings that were popular later evolved out of that.
Every summer, Aunt Jane would arrange for traveling evangelists to come preach at her home on the Underdown farm. She would also house the evangelists for the meetings. She would get in her buggy and go to the surrounding farms for miles around to invite all the families to the meetings.
The Shed grew out of a need for the group to have a place to worship.
The Shed was built about 1927, with hand-cut and hand-hewn posts, hand-sawed boards for pews, pulpit and platform with a tin roof. Two outhouses served as toilet facilities. This Shed represented hard work and sacrifice on the part of poor but dedicated people. John Fox hand hewed many of the pillars and helped lead the singing. Lanterns hung on posts, and shaded coal oil lamps sat on post stands and the pulpit. The Shed didn't get electricity until the 1950's.
People came from miles around on foot, horseback, buggies and wagons. There was lots of singing, shouting and long services. The meetings were always held the last two weeks of July.
From the files of the Crittenden Press, June 24, 1938 comes an announcement about the annual revival.
Announcement has been made of the beginning of the annual revival on July 4 and running through July 17 at Mrs. Jane Underdown's Tabernacle in the Hebron neighborhood. Mrs. Underdown extends a very cordial invitation to all to attend these services.
Mrs. Jane Underdown has for many years been a familiar figure to Marion people. In spite of her advanced years and she is right at the four score year mark, she is active and rarely a week passes that she does not come to Marion. Others may believe that there are better towns than the county seat of Crittenden County, but not Mrs. Underdown.
Mrs. Underdown has two very chief interests in life: First, is the flower garden in the Underdown Cemetery at the old Underdown home. In this cemetery in which are planted a million pinks, lie the remains of her loved ones. It is one of the best-kept private cemeteries in this section of Crittenden County. Mrs. Underdown supervises or does with her own hands the work by which this last resting place of her loved one is always kept clean and beautiful.
Her other chief interest is this annual meeting which is held in the "shed" near her home. By her efforts this tabernacle was built and through her efforts from year to year, a revival is held here.
From The Crittenden Press -August 18, 1950 we learn of the death of Aunt Jane.
Funeral services for the beloved Nancy "Aunt Jane" Underdown were held at Aunt Jane's Shed, Saturday August 12th. Interment was in Underdown Cemetery.
Born July 7, 1859, she had been a resident of Crittenden County until her death last Thursday evening at her home. She was known throughout the County as the sponsor of "Aunt Jane Underdown's Shed", a building on her property in which some of the most rousing revivals in this County have ever been held.
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The Aunt Jane Tab. Road, still carries on her legacy today. Gone are her many flowers from the Underdown cemetery, and the wooden shed built so many years ago has sit empty and not used now for several years. But thanks to her Great Grandson, Steve Underdown, the cemetery is still well maintained today.
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