USA > North Carolina > Haywood County > Mount Zion United Methodist Church : a history, 1850-1982 : Upper Crabtree Community, Haywood County, North Carolina > Part 2
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
17
The building contrasted greatly with the old one . Its shape was rectangular with straight, simple lines. Four clear, sparkling glass windows were set into each of the two side walls. Wooden shingles covered the steep roof. There was no bell tower or steeple at that point - they would be added later. Two sets of narrow, double doors provided separate entrances for men and women. The lower walls were very sturdy, with solid brick, four thick, forming them.
Inside, plaster covered the brick to form smooth, plain walls. The floors were made of wide pine planks. Kerosene lamps set in a metal frame surrounded by a glass shade and trimmed with glass fringe were suspended from the ceiling. A stove stood in the center of the aisle near the chancel, its long pipe piercing the roof almost at the ridgecap. Though its heat was meager in the cold winter months, it provided some warmth for those who sat close by. An organ, now owned by Mrs. Gladys Neal of Farrogate, Tennessee, stood at the front.
The pews on the left were occupied by the men, while the women sat in the ones on the right. They were made out of two poplar boards and turned over easily, according to R.F. Rogers. 26 They were re- placed in 1895 by oak benches made by Johnny Glance, John Best, and Pink McCracken, and served for seventy eight years. 27
In the spring of 1890, neighboring Rock Springs Baptist Church, which had been established in 1884, burned.
18
"Our neighbor Mount Zion M. E. Church was very helpful during this struggle, offering their church building for our Sunday School and Church services, which was greatly appreciated," writes Franklin McCracken. "Each church had preaching services usually twice each month at different times, so we could serve with each other, giving us a preaching service each Sunday ... we were able to come back to our church in 1893. „,28
Francis McGee Davis, former legislator and county sheriff, often visited his daughter, Mrs. Asbury Rogers, on Upper Crabtree. An entry in his 1892 diary reads : "I and wife and two little granddaughters went to Crabtree to daughter Lorena's." The next day, Sunday, he wrote, "Came home. Stopt at church at Mount Zion. Took dinner with M.A. Kirkpatrick." 29
19
THE CENTURY TURNS
Three Sunday School record books containing the names of members, visitors, attendance figures, and financial information from 1894 to 1914 have revealed information about the turn-of-the-century activities at Mount Zion. The following entries are taken from these books:
"June, 1894. Sunday School was postponed June 3rd on account of a session of 'love feast. ' Also Quarterly meeting and Quarterly Conference. This June 3rd. J. R. Kirkpatrick, Secy."
"Mt. Zion S.S. met June the 17th, 1894, in the absence of both the Supt. and Asst. Omission was made of the general order and the school proceeded with the lesson. Several new scholars joined the school. After the lesson Bro. McGee delivered an excellent sermon to the young folks principally. Doxology, Bendiction and dismission following. J. R. Kirkpatrick, Secy."
"Sept. 8, 1894. The Brethren of R.S. and Mt. Zion Churches met at R.S. Sun. Aug. 26 and organized a prayer meeting. J.T. Kirkpatrick and J.L. Chambers appointed Superintendent. J. F. Rogers, Secretary. The following joined: J. L. Chambers, J. N. McGee, M.A. Kirkpatrick, M.B. Rhodes, Ganes Furr, J.H. Sandford, W.C. Smart, G.P. Messer, R. L. Rogers, A.F. Whitley, O.O. Sandford, R.L. Liner, James Bryson, J.M. L. McCracken, H.W. McCracken, A.P. Liner, Maggie McCracken, Clara Haynes, Celia Haynes."
20
1 1
1
"April 16, 1899. M.A. Kirkpatrick S. Supt. Amount of literature ordered for the year: 24 Sen., 12 Int, 3 Lesson Paper. Cost of same $5.00."
"Feb., 16, 1908, J.B. Best, Supt. opening song: 180, All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name. Officers
and Teachers present: 2; Absent: 3. Scholars present: 21; absent: 27. Scripture lesson: John IV 43-54. Subject : Jesus Heals Nobleman's Son. Collection: 18 cents. Weather: Bright but roads very muddy and frozen. Remarks: Some tardy, some did not come at all."
Somewhere between 1896 and 1906, John Best and Pink McCracken combined their woodworking skills to make a communion rail. They lined the alcove, and probably the ceiling, with narrow pine paneling. Each window was trimmed with the same wood. It may have been at this same time that Mr. McCracken made 30
the pulpit still owned by the church. Although he was a Baptist preacher, his wife, Addie Kirk- patrick, had attended Mount Zion prior to their marriage.
The organ was sold to Philete McCracken during this time, and a new one purchased. 31 Lizzie Rogers was one of the organists and taught many new songs to the congregation. Esther Rogers and Grace McCracken were later organists. 32
21
THE BELL
Major Benjamin Kirkpatrick contributed a bell to the church in 1907. There had been no bell for the first twenty five years and young Ben was deter- mined to buy one. Evidently, the church was very important to him because he had served as secretary of the Sunday School when he was only seventeen. While he was in the Carribean during the Spanish- American War, he contracted tuberculosis. As the disease weakened his body, he grew afraid he would not live long enough to see a bell installed. But, only a few months before he died at the age of thirty, the bell rang out and his dream was fulfilled. On the morning of his funeral, November 8, 1908, Sunday School was suspended and the bell tolled continually until a procession of horses and buggies a mile and a half long reached the church.
The bell tower was damaged only a few years later, perhaps by the wind. John Best and Jesse Davis donated their time and talents to repairing it, as well as mending the foundation. 33
22
THE CHURCH MOVES ON
Mount Zion housed a community school in 1914-15. A dispute among neighbors resulted in several children being pulled out of the Rock Spring School and a school being set up in the church. John Ferguson, son of Winfield Ferguson, and a previous Sunday School Superintendent of Mount Zion, was chosen as the teacher. When his father was seriously injured in a barn fire, he had to resign from the position and Monnie McCracken was asked to take his place. "I'll always remember that we had the school here the year Mr. Winfield Ferguson died," Monnie recently said, pointing to the stained glass window that is a memorial to the former trustee. "They talked me into taking his son's place as the teacher when he got burn so bad. "
"We had a stove up there in the front of the church and the pipe went straight up through the roof," she added. "One day it caught the roof on fire and the boys had to carry water from the creek to put it out ! "34
"I got the thrashing of my life in here, " chuckled Dwight McCracken, her brother. "One day at dinner my brother and I had a rabbit cornered in a log across the creek, when the bell rang for us to come back in for class. Well, we didn't want to lose that rabbit because we knew we could trade it down at Claude Williamson's store for a sack of candy. So we were late. When we finally got here, the school committee -- Mr. John Rogers and
23
some others -- were here, and they stood and watched us get our lickings. That made it hurt much worse !! "John Reno used to come up to Rock Spring Church and teach singing school in the early spring or summer. It would last a week or two, and every- body would go. We'd take our lunch with us," remembers Hilda Luther. "Quick as church was over, if one church didn't have preaching, everybody would walk to the other church."
35
"Yes, and when we had revivals, Uncle Hosea Mauney would come over from Hyder Mountain and stay at our house," Monnie adds. "He would help with the revival. I remember him shouting 'Amen' a lot! He had to walk all the way over here. "36
"In the summer, a group of us -- say the
Ladies Sunday School Class and the girls -- would get together and walk to the Bald or to Canton Gap. We'd take our dinner and go all over the mountain. Some- times it would be a group of young people, and a chaperone would go with us."
It was customary for whole families to go home with another family after church for Sunday dinner. Most of the food preparation was done on Saturday, with very little cooking on Sunday. "We never knew how many to expect for dinner, " Monnie recalls, "but it would be a wagonload or two. We younguns would play all evening."
24
She remembers that before church each Sunday, some of the girls would take a large glass pitcher to the spring near the Big Rocks (where Robert Shook's barn is now). After filling it, they carried it back to the church and placed it on the pulpit. Finally, someone stole the pitcher along with the pulpit Bible. The preacher remarked, "Well, I hope they open up the Bible and read it!"
One special activity Jim Best tells about is the collecting of money and goods for the preacher. One of the members would drive a wagon from house to house, gathering hams, corn, canned foods, potatoes, hay, or whatever else people had to offer in lieu of money. John Smith and Wilson Kirkpatrick were among those who performed this service. 37
25
THE WESLEY BIBLE CLASS
A Wesley Bible Class was organized a little later in 1914. The young people of the First Senior Class of the Sunday School met on Sunday morning, May 4th, and elected the following officers for the new group: Miss Lillie Ferguson, teacher; Ray Best, president; Frank Rogers, vice-president; Awa McCracken, secretary treasurer; Esther Rogers, Claude McCracken, and Monnie McCracken, membership committee; and Fay Best, Hilda McCracken, and Marion McCracken, missionary committee. "All in One" was chosen as their motto, purple and gold were selected as the colors, the pansy became the class flower, and "America, the Beautiful" was named the class song. Even two cheers were agreed on in July :
No. 1 No. 2 Hip, rah, ree
Wesley, Wesley,
Is our yell.
Who are we?
All we do,
We are the Wesleys
We do it well.
of Crabtree
Stand us on our heads
We stand for truth
Stand us on our feet, Wesley, Wesley,
And beauty, too.
Can't beat!
From the depths of earth To the azure blue!
Other members of the class included Willie and Annie Best, Harley Clark, Thomas Ferguson, Elfleda McCracken, Iva and Grady Rogers, and Maude and Esther Wright. 38
Miss Lillie, a serious Bible scholar, was instrumental in organizing the class. Because of
26
hey excellent education, she could pronounce all the difficult Bible names and was a fine teacher, recalls Monnie James.
The wooden shingles of the church roof and the tall, octagonal steeple had badly deterioated by the beginning of the thirties. Rob Davis, with the assistance of young Hiram McCracken, removed the roof and installed one of metal. The steeple was torn down and the bell tower repaired. Rob and Hiram turned a cross on a lathe to top the belfrey. The old steeple, as remembered by Hiram, is pictured on the cover of this book. 39
A few years later, when Cassius Rogers belonged to the MYF, the members of that youth group held ice cream suppers to raise money to help purchase part of the communion service. They also sold a walnut tree to help buy a piano for the church.
Times were hard in the thirties, and the church income was low. The Sunday School offering for Oct. 29, 1933, was one cent, even though sixty one members and a visitor were present. The total income from the six classes during January to November, 1934, was $1.61.
27
WORLD WAR II
Upper Crabtree sent sixty five young men to the armed forces when World War II struck. An "Honor Roll" of their names was hung at Mount Zion, for many fellows attended church there or were members John, Howard, and Roger Best; John Glance; Joel Blaine James; Taylor and Harry McCracken; Charles Ross; Zeb, Jack, Hugh, George, Russell, John and Edwin Rogers; Bobby Ferguson; and Russell Luther.
A community dedication service was observed at Mount Zion on October 10, 1943, with the following program:
Hymn 283: "America" . Congregation
Prayer . Rev. R.P. McCracken
Scripture. Psalm 121
Introduction to Speaker Rev. W. Grady Burgi Address .Dr. E. P. Billups Dedication Service
Hymn 282: "Star Spangled Banner". Congregation Benediction Dr. Billups
Children Unveiling Flag Patsy McCracken
Billy Best
1
28
RENOVATIONS
Once the war was over and the economy revived, changes were made to improve Mount Zion. Double doors were installed to replace the separate entrances in 1952. A vestibule created walls for two class- rooms. The ceiling was lowered to conserve heat, and a gas heater replaced the wood stove. The course of the communion rail was altered, and a gray tweed carpet was chosen to cover the center aisle and the chancel. 40
The most dramatic change was in the windows. Simple, yet beautiful, stained glass windows replaced the clear ones, and two were added to the front of the building where there had previously been no windows. They were given in memory of J. Taylor, Sarah, and Ben Kirkpatrick; Milas, Laura Ann, and Dr. Willie Kirkpatrick; John and Nora Kirkpatrick; John B. Best; Columbus and Emeline Rogers; Asbury, Lorena, and Mary E. Rogers; James Marion, Elizabeth, and William Lafayette McCracken; Winfield, Mary Jane, Lula Anne, and Ina Ferguson; Imogene, David, Sara, and Joel B. James; Henry and Matilda Smith; and Ellen McCracken.
Outside, the road to the cemetery was paved by the Community Development Club. Herschel Rogers planted a boxwood on each side of the steps, and some other minor landscaping was done. The boxwoods thrived in spite of the children jumping over them and swing- ing their feet through the branches!
29
A new parsonage for the Crabtree Charge was built during the fifties and Mount Zion's members worked hard raising money and helping build the modern brick home for their pastors. Under the ministry of Rev. Lonnie Davis, it was both built and paid for. On June 30, 1957, the parsonage was dedicated to "Faith, Hope, and Love ... in recognition of the blessings of Almighty God." Rev. R.J. Hahn was pastor by that time. 41
A major change in parking arrangements was made at Mount Zion in the sixties. Nyal Plemmons was hired to bulldoze out a parking lot at the site of the old log church. An entrance was built at the western end of the lot, as well as at the eastern end near the church.
By the 1970's more changes were taking place. Four-foot-high paneling was installed around the walls to facilitate the installation of electric baseboard heat. . The old piano was sold and a new one given as a memorial. When oak pews were purchased, matching pulpit furniture was contributed. Additional brass altarware items were donated, as were paraments which were handmade by Helen B. McCracken.
30
Today
THE FELLOWSHIP HALL AND EDUCATIONAL BUILDING
Dreams of a fellowship hall and classroom build- ing began many years ago, and a building fund that grew slowly was set up. During 1979 and 1980, the dreams turned to decision and plans were formulated. By July, 1980, an architect, Robert Moody, of Waynesville, had been named to design the new structure and plans for finance were implemented. A ground- breaking ceremony was held in November.
Meanwhile, several improvements were made to the church building. The exterior was painted, roof repairs were made, and the belfrey was covered with aluminum siding. Harley Tate constructed a new cross for the top of the belfrey. The steps were covered with brick, the old walk repaired, and two new ones were poured.
The fellowship hall, kitchen, two bathrooms, and a storage room were built adjacent to the church in 1981, after a well was drilled. Paul Smart, a former member, donated his services in March to bulldoze out the site. Terry Rogers led the building crew of Don Crawford in the construction. He was assisted by Roy Howell, Jack Ledford, and Bruce Crawford. Tommy Carpenter and Ted Reeves aided in the masonry, and Clay Woody installed the plumbing. The application
31
of Radex to the ceilings and the walls of the fellow- ship hall was done by Jack Grant and his son. Don Crawford built the kitchen and bathroom cabinets with walnut lumber given by Terry Rogers, and made two large storage cabinets for the hall.
John Rogers led in the installation of the solar heating system, which is supplemented by a wood heater. Harley Tate, Chairperson of the Building Committee, served the building crew in multiple ways, especially by delivering materials to the worksite. John Best designed and directed the landscaping project.
The Committee on Furnishing and Decorating was led by Eva Tate. Other people of Mount Zion per- formed hours of volunteer labor and planning. Setting out shrubbery, ditching, grading, cleaning, and sowing the lawn were among the tasks they carried out. The building was largely financed by pledges and gifts of members, friends, relatives, and descendents of former members. The Duke Endowment Fund provided a third of the money, and the Waynesville District Mission Society made a generous donation. Renée Roger contributed a drawing of the church that was reproduced for one fund raising project. Virginia Best served as Church Treasurer during this time.
An open house was held in the new building on Sunday afternoon, December 14, 1981.
32
A "COMING HOME"
Don Bryant, a descendant of Columbus and Emeline Rogers, came to Upper Crabtree seeking information about his roots in the autumn of 1980. When he noticed the name of John Rogers on a list of church officers posted in the vestibule of Mount Zion, he realized John was possibly a cousin named for his own great-great grandfather. Returning home to Anderson, West Virginia, he excitedly called John, who responded with warmth and enthusiasm, and a friendship was begun .
As Mount Zion had been a part of the lives of Don's grandmother and his great-grandparents, he wanted his relatives in Virginia and West Virginia to journey to Crabtree and to worship where their ancestors had worshipped. He particularly wanted to bring his eighty two year old mother, who had moved away as a very young child. So, in October, Don, his mother, and twenty-two family members came to Mount Zion for a "coming home." Don, a licensed lay speaker, addressed the large congregation of members, relatives, and former members with a thrilling message of love for Jesus Christ and his fellow man.
After the worship service, the group traveled to Antioch Baptist Church where other relatives joined Mount Zion in spreading a covered dish luncheon.
33
PROGRAMS
The Sunday School has always been an extremely important part of Mount Zion. The organization has varied according to the age levels and number of persons enrolled. Currently, all the adults meet in one class; they use the International Sunday School Series. The children meet in four classes. A Vacation Bible School is held for them each summer, with others from the community joining the sessions.
The Mount Zion Choir was reorganized in 1979 to provide music for both the worship and Sunday School services. The members go caroling in the homes of the elderly and the shut-ins each Christmas. They join with the Crabtree Church Choir for special services 1 and revivals.
A chargewide unit of United Methodist Women was organized in 1977. The group meets monthly, with most of its funds going to mission projects. The men of the charge formed the United Methodist Men in 1981. They meet monthly for a meal and a program.
A number of Bible Studies have been held on a chargewide basis during the past two decades, as have revivals and youth activities. A series of Christian growth services have been held during the fall for the past five years. Mount Zion members also participate in an ecumenical revival each spring, and take part in a Community Sunrise Service held at the Upper Crabtree Cemetery on Easter morning.
34
Mount Zion has responded generously to calls for financial help from agencies of the Methodist Church over the years, especially those calls involved with mission -- UMCOR, Church World Service, etc. One member, Terry Rogers, has twice joined volunteer work teams from the WNC Conference to help build new churches and a school in Haiti and Puerto Rico. He also helped construct a building at Hinton Rural Life Center, a Southeast Jurisdiction Retreat and Training Center.
For the past two years, Harley Tate, another member, has served as the delegate from Crabtree 1 Charge to the WNC Annual Conference.
35
THE FUTURE
As Mount Zion neared its hundredth year, John Rogers generated the idea of applying for nomination of the church building to the National Register of Historic Places. A history was written and submitted to the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. The church was approved for nomination in April, 1981, by the State Professional Review Committee of the Division of Archives and History. It is hoped that
the nomination will be accepted by the National Register in time for the Centennial Celebration which is planned for the summer of 1982.
The members of the church eagerly look forward to the Centennial Celebration for all former members, friends, relatives and others will be invited to worship together and share in memories of the past. Music, special services, an audio-visual show, and picnics are among the events being planned. A great time is anticipated.
Another special event planned for the summer is the annual McCracken Reunion. This will be the first time it has been held at Mount Zion. The proximity - to the cemetery where pioneer settlers Joseph and Sarah McCracken are buried makes the location appropriate for the family gathering. As noted earlier in this history, both sites for Mount Zion were once owned by McCrackens.
36
Another dream of Mount Zion's members may be actualized during the next year or two. Plans to put a new roof on the church and to replace or paint the ceiling are now being formed. The badly peeling plaster may be removed from the interior walls and replaced with Radex, the material used on the walls of the fellowship hall. The estimated minimum cost of the project is $12,000.
Mount Zion has endured while other buildings and institutions around her have crumbled and fallen or have been torn down in the name of progress. For a hundred years, this building has symbolized the Christian faith to the people of the caves and the creeks of Upper Crabtree. May she ever stand thus, a real and vibrant monument to the past, the present, and the future!
37
FOOTNOTES
1. Joseph McCracken, Deed dated Oct. 28, 1850. (Register of Deeds of Haywood County, N.C. ) , Book F, pp. 447-48.
2. W. C. Allen, Annals of Haywood County 1808-1935 (Spartanburg : Reprint Co., 1977) , p. 222.
3. R.N. Price, Holston Methodism From Its Origin to the Present Time (Richmond: Smith and Lamar, 1913) Vol. I, p. 150.
4. Ibid., IV, pp. 415-419.
5. General Minutes of the Holston Conference (Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1850) .
6. Franklin Y. McCracken, The McCrackens of Haywood County, North Carolina (Waynesville : Atlas Press, Inc., 1946), p. 26.
7. Allen, pp. 279-80.
8. Quarterly Conference Minutes of the Waynesvill Circuit, Holston Conference, 1862-1882. Microfilm owned by General Commission on Archives and History, United Methodist Church.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
11. Ibid.
12. Ibid.
L
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid.
38
16. Bransom's North Carolina Business Directories, "Haywood County: 1860-1870,"
17. W. Clark Medford, Land of the Sky (Asheville: Miller Printing Co., 1965) , pp. 50-51.
18. Interview with Pauline Rogers, Jan. 2, 1982.
19. Hazel Chapman. Unpublished manuscript of conversations with R.F. Rogers: 1973-79.
20. Helen B. McCracken, "Mount Zion Is Among Haywood's Oldest Churches," Waynesville Mountaineer, Nov. 17, 1976.
21. Interview with Louise Randleman, July 19, 1981.
22. Congaree Highfill, letter dated Feb. 23, 1981.
23. U.S., Bureau of the Census, Census of 1880.
24. J.M.L. McCracken, Bond, dated August 7, 1883, Book U, p. 319.
25. Ibid., Deed dated April 27, 1889, Book U, pp. 420-21.
26. Chapman .
27. Helen McCracken.
28. Franklin McCracken, pp. 14-15.
29. Francis McGee Davis, personal diary, 1884-1894.
30. Interview with Johnny Best and James Best, Dec. 13, 1981.
31. Interview with Gladys McCracken Neal, July 19, 1981.
32. Interview with Monnie James and Hilda Luther, March 1, 1981.
39
33. Helen McCracken.
34. Interview with Monnie McCracken, Dec. 1981.
35. Interview with Dwight McCracken, Dec. 1981.
36. Interview with Hilda Luther and Monnie James, March 1, 1981.
37. Interview with Jim Best, January 22, 1981.
38. Awa and Monnie McCracken, Wesley Bible Class Minutes, 1919-1920.
39. Interview with Hiram McCracken, Feb. 13, 1982.
40. Interview with Cassius Rogers, Nov. 1980.
41. Interview with Pauline Rogers, November 28, 1981
40
IMPORTANT PEOPLE
OLDEST REGISTER OF MEMBERS
These names are listed in the order given in the oldest register of membership owned by the church - the 1910's, the 1920's, and the 1930's. Some of the people listed had moved their membership or were deceased, but their names are included here.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.