Centennial Spotlight: Avery Baptist Association
Michael Hardy / (news@averyjournal.com)
Every week in 2011, The Avery Journal-Times is celebrating the 100th birthdays of Avery County and Banner Elk with a Centennial Spotlight compiled by members of the local community. This week, we continue to provide answers to the 100 questions about Avery County posed in our print editions in January and February.
Those envisioning the region’s first pioneers often picture a familiar scene: An early settler, traversing the wild, mountainous countryside, with a long rifle in one hand and a Bible in the other. In reality, the rifle probably was ever present, but the Bible was usually safely packed in away in the traveler’s meager belongings.
Early settlers did bring their love of their God with them as they settled the Western North Carolina frontier. These individuals and families would often gather periodically for corporate worship. The Baptists were the first denomination to establish formal churches west of the crest of the Blue Ridge. Three Forks Baptist Church in Watauga County, constituted in November 1790, was one of the earliest. These churches often had circuit-riding preachers, who held formal services and formalized marriages when they rode into the community. Baptist churches often chose to join Baptist associations for mutual support.
Some of the earliest Baptist churches established in the Avery County area no longer exist. In 1849, Roan Mountain Association was created with at least two churches located in present-day Avery County: Three Mile and Linville. It is believed that the Linville Baptist Church was located off Goose Hollow Road, near the baptizing hole. Three Mile Baptist Church was last reported in the records in 1857, while Linville River Church is reported as being “destitute of Baptist preaching” in the early 1860s. The Linville congregation attempted to rejoin the association in 1869, but it was rejected until it purged itself of members who were “living in violation of law and good morals …” It is unclear if the church did, in fact, remove the offensive members to find its way back into the association’s fold.Other churches were formed long before there was an Avery County, churches that still exist today. Big Meadows Baptist joined Roan Mountain Association sometime between 1851 and 1858. At Big Meadows, the families often met in homes before securing a more permanent meeting location. Yellow Mountain Baptist Church was organized on June 18, 1869, with Rev. Leonard L. Buchanan as pastor. Like other early churches, Yellow Mountain reportedly met in an old log cabin, with crude benches and a dirt floor. Many of these new churches shared space with the community's one-room schoolhouse. Mt. Pleasant Church was organized a few months later, in August 1869, in the home of Wilson Burleson. Beech Mountain Church, like Mt. Pleasant and Yellow Mountain, also joined Roan Mountain Association in 1869. Other churches were slowly created over the next few decades; among them was Aaron Baptist in 1889. Aaron is believed to be the descendant of the Linville Baptist Church. For many years, Aaron Baptist met in a pipe factory in Montezuma.
Other churches from different denominations were also being formed in the era right before and right after the Civil War. Methodists were meeting at what eventually became Pisgah United Methodist Church near Linville Falls as early as the 1830s. In the Ingalls section of Avery County in the 1850s, another Methodist congregation began meeting, and the current building for Pine Grove Church was built in 1878.
A year after Avery County was formed, delegates from 10 different local churches met at Aaron Baptist in September 1912. The delegates represented Aaron, Saginaw, Henson’s Creek, Elk Park, Roaring Creek, Jonas Ridge, Green Valley, Pleasant Hill, Minneapolis and Big Meadows. It is interesting to note that the Rev. J. W. Hall served as pastor of six of the 10 churches at the original meeting since it was common for a single minister to serve a number of different congregations. Rev. W. H. Ollis was elected to serve as moderator, and at the end of the two-day meeting, Avery Baptist Association was formed. In 1913, the total membership of those churches was 1,022. The church in Saginaw closed soon thereafter, but in 1913, Cranberry, Crossnore, Mt. Pleasant, Newland and Oak Grove all joined Avery Baptist Association.
Other churches have been added over time. Often, several members of an existing church decide to break away from their own church and establish a new church in the community in which they live. Often, the former church gives the new church their support in establishing this new ministry. Before transportation was convenient, churches were often established so individuals would not have long journeys to their places of worship. On Sugar Mountain, those seeking opportunities for corporate worship traveled to Forest Home Methodist Church, or Aaron Baptist Church in Montezuma, before deciding to establish their own place of worship. They began meeting in a one-room schoolhouse in the 1920s, but were not formally organized until 1950.
As Avery County celebrates its Centennial in 2011, Avery Baptist Association prepares for its own Centennial in 2012. The 22 churches that today make up the association are involved in numerous local and out-of-state mission projects ranging from disaster relief efforts to youth-led construction projects. In 2010, the association spearheaded the new Avery County Pregnancy and Resource Center, offering support and education to local people. Though Avery County Baptists no longer have to brave the frontier with their trusty rifles, they are still involved in carrying the gospel and sharing the love of Christ.
Those envisioning the region’s first pioneers often picture a familiar scene: An early settler, traversing the wild, mountainous countryside, with a long rifle in one hand and a Bible in the other. In reality, the rifle probably was ever present, but the Bible was usually safely packed in away in the traveler’s meager belongings.
Early settlers did bring their love of their God with them as they settled the Western North Carolina frontier. These individuals and families would often gather periodically for corporate worship. The Baptists were the first denomination to establish formal churches west of the crest of the Blue Ridge. Three Forks Baptist Church in Watauga County, constituted in November 1790, was one of the earliest. These churches often had circuit-riding preachers, who held formal services and formalized marriages when they rode into the community. Baptist churches often chose to join Baptist associations for mutual support.
Some of the earliest Baptist churches established in the Avery County area no longer exist. In 1849, Roan Mountain Association was created with at least two churches located in present-day Avery County: Three Mile and Linville. It is believed that the Linville Baptist Church was located off Goose Hollow Road, near the baptizing hole. Three Mile Baptist Church was last reported in the records in 1857, while Linville River Church is reported as being “destitute of Baptist preaching” in the early 1860s. The Linville congregation attempted to rejoin the association in 1869, but it was rejected until it purged itself of members who were “living in violation of law and good morals …” It is unclear if the church did, in fact, remove the offensive members to find its way back into the association’s fold.Other churches were formed long before there was an Avery County, churches that still exist today. Big Meadows Baptist joined Roan Mountain Association sometime between 1851 and 1858. At Big Meadows, the families often met in homes before securing a more permanent meeting location. Yellow Mountain Baptist Church was organized on June 18, 1869, with Rev. Leonard L. Buchanan as pastor. Like other early churches, Yellow Mountain reportedly met in an old log cabin, with crude benches and a dirt floor. Many of these new churches shared space with the community's one-room schoolhouse. Mt. Pleasant Church was organized a few months later, in August 1869, in the home of Wilson Burleson. Beech Mountain Church, like Mt. Pleasant and Yellow Mountain, also joined Roan Mountain Association in 1869. Other churches were slowly created over the next few decades; among them was Aaron Baptist in 1889. Aaron is believed to be the descendant of the Linville Baptist Church. For many years, Aaron Baptist met in a pipe factory in Montezuma.
Other churches from different denominations were also being formed in the era right before and right after the Civil War. Methodists were meeting at what eventually became Pisgah United Methodist Church near Linville Falls as early as the 1830s. In the Ingalls section of Avery County in the 1850s, another Methodist congregation began meeting, and the current building for Pine Grove Church was built in 1878.
A year after Avery County was formed, delegates from 10 different local churches met at Aaron Baptist in September 1912. The delegates represented Aaron, Saginaw, Henson’s Creek, Elk Park, Roaring Creek, Jonas Ridge, Green Valley, Pleasant Hill, Minneapolis and Big Meadows. It is interesting to note that the Rev. J. W. Hall served as pastor of six of the 10 churches at the original meeting since it was common for a single minister to serve a number of different congregations. Rev. W. H. Ollis was elected to serve as moderator, and at the end of the two-day meeting, Avery Baptist Association was formed. In 1913, the total membership of those churches was 1,022. The church in Saginaw closed soon thereafter, but in 1913, Cranberry, Crossnore, Mt. Pleasant, Newland and Oak Grove all joined Avery Baptist Association.
Other churches have been added over time. Often, several members of an existing church decide to break away from their own church and establish a new church in the community in which they live. Often, the former church gives the new church their support in establishing this new ministry. Before transportation was convenient, churches were often established so individuals would not have long journeys to their places of worship. On Sugar Mountain, those seeking opportunities for corporate worship traveled to Forest Home Methodist Church, or Aaron Baptist Church in Montezuma, before deciding to establish their own place of worship. They began meeting in a one-room schoolhouse in the 1920s, but were not formally organized until 1950.
As Avery County celebrates its Centennial in 2011, Avery Baptist Association prepares for its own Centennial in 2012. The 22 churches that today make up the association are involved in numerous local and out-of-state mission projects ranging from disaster relief efforts to youth-led construction projects. In 2010, the association spearheaded the new Avery County Pregnancy and Resource Center, offering support and education to local people. Though Avery County Baptists no longer have to brave the frontier with their trusty rifles, they are still involved in carrying the gospel and sharing the love of Christ.
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