The colorful stained-glass windows that adorn Central Baptist Church are a story of triumph over adversity.

The church, which finished construction in 1928, began a collection for the windows soon after.

Then, the Depression hit. But by collecting a dime here and a dime there, and by families purchasing windows to honor loved ones, the stained glass arrived.

Since then, it has stood as a reminder of the church's strength so many years ago.

"It was built in a time when it was a struggle to be alive because of the Depression era," said Y.J. Seay, deacon and longtime member at Central Baptist Church. "And people bought the windows and paid for them individually.

"They started this building in 1925 ... it was finished in 1928 and a lot of these old bricks were made right here in Gainesville at the old Hudson brickyard."

The church sanctuary is flanked with the tall, brightly colored windows. Set on top are semi-circle stained glass, all with blue, yellow, purple, green and pink tones.

Down the center of the church sit original solid wood, hand-carved pews. There is a large stained glass piece above the baptistry that Seay said cost $275 when it was purchased about 80 years ago.

The also are two large circular stained-glass windows in the stairwell leading up to the balcony.

The tall rectangular windows in the sanctuary are named for old Gainesville residents such as the Burchfields, the Owens and judge AC Wheeler.

Then toward the back of the sanctuary there are three windows without names.

"Sometime years ago they had a little difficulty with the church and got mad at the church or something - had their names taken off," said Seay, who didn't know whose names were on the windows.

The Depression-era stained glass, according to Richard Gross, is very similar to what you would find today.

"From the 1920s to now there are very minor differences," said Gross, editor and media director of the Stained Glass Association of America. "You start with the sheet of colored glass, you score them to the shape the design calls for, cut them to that shape and they are assembled and soldered together. And the same time of surface treatments are used ... (there are) some new technologies, techniques, that make processing glass quicker and easier since then, but really the technique is very much the same."

Gross also said stained glass was much more popular in the 20s compared to today.

"It was used a lot more then. It was used not just in churches; people used it in their homes, as well," Gross said. "It's an extremely labor-intensive process to build stained glass, and that is where the cost comes from."

Seay and Central Baptist Minister of Music Eddie Simmons said they think the stained glass makes the church special.

"On Sunday morning the sun shines through the windows on that side (High Street) and is just beautiful, and then on Sunday afternoon at 5 p.m. when we come in it shines the other side and it's beautiful," Seay said. "It's really, from the era that it was built in, it's one of the most magnificent buildings you'll ever see. Those windows are irreplaceable."

Simmons added, "With the high ceilings and all they make the decor more beautiful ... just kind of reminds of you church."

Central Baptist has a long history in the Gainesville community in addition to its old stained-glass windows. The church, originally called Chestnut Street Baptist, is 118 years old and was originally created as a mission of First Baptist Church.

The church later moved from Chestnut Street to the corner of Myrtle and Maple streets (today, Myrtle Street is Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard). From there the church built its current building on Main Street.

Seay said he has been a member of the church since not long after it opened its doors on Main Street.

"I was born in March of 1927. I had two older sisters that started bringing me here in October on 1927," he said. "I have been accused of being born in the nursery."