Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church
Encyclopedia
Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church is a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America
, located at 2420 Donelson Drive, Hickory Withe, Tennessee
. Two churches, Prosperity Presbyterian Church and Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church, merged in 1907 to form Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church.
(between Oakland
and Arlington, Tennessee
) in western Fayette County, Tennessee. It was named Prosperity because many of the charter members came from Prosperity, South Carolina
. Prosperity was organized on the fourth Sunday in December, 1834 by 29 congregants. Later the congregation moved to the southeast corner of the intersection of State Route 196 and Donelson Drive. The Prosperity Church soon became a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church in the United States
.
Also in 1834, a Cumberland Presbyterian Church
was established in the Hickory Withe community called Mount Pleasant Church. This church was originally located on Ivy Road at the site of the Mount Pleasant Cemetery. The name was later changed to the Hickory Withe Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and it moved to the location on Donelson Drive, where the present day Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church is located.
On May 10, 1907, the congregation of Hickory Withe Cumberland Presbyterian Church at Hickory Withe voted to dissolve and the membership was received into Prosperity Presbyterian Church. The Cumberland congregation had the larger church building and the Prosperity Presbyterian Church had a pastor, so the congregations united. The name of the church was changed to Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church.
For more than 50 years, the Hickory Withe Church shared a minister with the Oakland Presbyterian Church, and would have Sunday School each Sunday but would have worship services only twice a month.
In 1980 with the recommendation of the session and 100% vote of the congregation, the church withdrew from the Presbyterian Church in the United States
and joined the Presbyterian Church in America
.
structure in the Gablefront house
style. It was erected in the 1850s, and today's structure remains faithful to the original architecture. Changes to the original sanctuary include: closing off the original "slave gallery," which was provided during the early American era when slave-owners were expected to bring their slaves to church in order that they may be converted; replacement installation of stained-glass windows; installation of a raked sub-floor; and replacement of the shingled roof with a metal roof. Nearing condemned status in the 1980s, the sanctuary foundation was fully repaired and the building returned to sound condition.
There was a school located on the west side of the church, and in the 1930s it was determined that there was a need for the old school to be torn down and a new school built by the Works Progress Administration
. Will Weber, a Ruling Elder of Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church and chairman of the School Board, is reported to have prayed alone all night asking God's will on where the school should be built. The next morning he announced that the front of the school should be at the edge of the church property. In 1974, Ruling Elders Alfred Hodges (at that time a county commissioner) and Mayes Webb (a member of the school board) helped in an effort for the church to buy the school building for use as the church's fellowship hall.
Also in the 1980s, an education wing was added onto the sanctuary building, adding multiple classrooms, nursery facilities, bathrooms, utility/storage space, and a Pastor's Study. Wheelchair access was also added with the new wing.
, in Fayette County, Tennessee.
J.E. Eubanks, Jr.
(October 8, 2007–October 16, 2011)
James E. (Jim) Hayes (1997 - February 26, 2007)
Cecil Wells (1996 - April 27, 1997)
Kenneth Lee (Ken) Camp (November, 1981 - October 15, 1996)
Charles Robert Coe, Jr. (October, 1980 - October, 1981)
Charles E. (Chuck) Swann (September, 1975 - December, 1978)
Ben W. Baker (April, 1972 - August, 1975)
C. V. Crabb (February, 1967 - February, 1972)
Dr. Samuel Edgar McFadden (October, 1961 - November, 1966)
Robert Hyatt (April, 1959 - July, 1960)
Algernon Killough (June, 1954 - June, 1958)
George H. Totton (July, 1952 - October, 1953)
Charles H. Hamilton (June, 1939 - June, 1941)
Dr, Walter S. Swetnam (April, 1931 - July, 1935)
P. P. Dawson (January, 1927 - September, 1928)
Haller Shelton Henderson (February, 1921 - March, 1926)
O. W. Wardlaw (November 28, 1915 - September 12, 1920)
J. D. Hemming (April 30, 1911 - September, 1913)
G. H. Kirken (July 13, 1906 - January 10, 1910)
S. S. (Sid) Gill (January 27, 1861 - April 9, 1905)
J. H. Waddell (September 8, 1860—served as Moderator at that time)
Robert McCoy (April, 1858 - January, 1860)
A. D. Metcalf (February 26, 1854 - April 8, 1858)
Louis McNeely (February 26, 1854 - April 8, 1858)
Robert McCoy (May 20, 1848 - January 22, 1854)
T. L. Newbury (September 6, 1846 - December, 1846)
M. T. Alien (October 2, 1841 - April 7, 1846)
Peter R. Bland (November 1, 1840 - April 4, 1841)
Henry W. Kerr (February 21, 1836 - April 4, 1840)
Peter Randolph Bland (December 1834 - August 31, 1835)
Presbyterian Church in America
The Presbyterian Church in America is an evangelical Protestant Christian denomination, the second largest Presbyterian church body in the United States after the Presbyterian Church . The PCA professes a strong commitment to evangelism, missionary work, and Christian education...
, located at 2420 Donelson Drive, Hickory Withe, Tennessee
Hickory Withe, Tennessee
Hickory Withe is an unincorporated community in Fayette County, Tennessee, United States. For several years it functioned as an incorporated town, and was so treated at the 2000 census...
. Two churches, Prosperity Presbyterian Church and Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church, merged in 1907 to form Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church.
History
Prosperity Presbyterian Church was located near Oakland, TennesseeOakland, Tennessee
Oakland is a town in Fayette County, Tennessee, United States. In 2010 the official popoulation of the town was 6,623, a gain of 417.8%, which was the largest gain of any municipality in the tri-state area of Memphis TN-MS-AR.-Geography:...
(between Oakland
Oakland, Tennessee
Oakland is a town in Fayette County, Tennessee, United States. In 2010 the official popoulation of the town was 6,623, a gain of 417.8%, which was the largest gain of any municipality in the tri-state area of Memphis TN-MS-AR.-Geography:...
and Arlington, Tennessee
Arlington, Tennessee
Arlington is a town in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,569 at the 2000 census and 11,517 at the 2010 census, for a gain of 348.3% during the decade...
) in western Fayette County, Tennessee. It was named Prosperity because many of the charter members came from Prosperity, South Carolina
Prosperity, South Carolina
Prosperity is a town in Newberry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,047 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Prosperity is located at ....
. Prosperity was organized on the fourth Sunday in December, 1834 by 29 congregants. Later the congregation moved to the southeast corner of the intersection of State Route 196 and Donelson Drive. The Prosperity Church soon became a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church in the United States
Presbyterian Church in the United States
The Presbyterian Church in the United States was a Protestant Christian denomination in the Southern and border states of the United States that existed from 1861 to 1983...
.
Also in 1834, a Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Cumberland Presbyterian Church
The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Christian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening. In 2007, it had an active membership of less than 50,000 and about 800 congregations, the majority of which are concentrated in the United States...
was established in the Hickory Withe community called Mount Pleasant Church. This church was originally located on Ivy Road at the site of the Mount Pleasant Cemetery. The name was later changed to the Hickory Withe Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and it moved to the location on Donelson Drive, where the present day Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church is located.
On May 10, 1907, the congregation of Hickory Withe Cumberland Presbyterian Church at Hickory Withe voted to dissolve and the membership was received into Prosperity Presbyterian Church. The Cumberland congregation had the larger church building and the Prosperity Presbyterian Church had a pastor, so the congregations united. The name of the church was changed to Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church.
For more than 50 years, the Hickory Withe Church shared a minister with the Oakland Presbyterian Church, and would have Sunday School each Sunday but would have worship services only twice a month.
In 1980 with the recommendation of the session and 100% vote of the congregation, the church withdrew from the Presbyterian Church in the United States
Presbyterian Church in the United States
The Presbyterian Church in the United States was a Protestant Christian denomination in the Southern and border states of the United States that existed from 1861 to 1983...
and joined the Presbyterian Church in America
Presbyterian Church in America
The Presbyterian Church in America is an evangelical Protestant Christian denomination, the second largest Presbyterian church body in the United States after the Presbyterian Church . The PCA professes a strong commitment to evangelism, missionary work, and Christian education...
.
Historic buildings
The sanctuary of the Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church is a simple Carpenter GothicCarpenter Gothic
Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic, and Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massing applied to wooden structures built by house-carpenters...
structure in the Gablefront house
Gablefront house
A Gablefront house, also known as a Gable Front house or Front Gable house, is a vernacular house type in which the Gable is facing the street or entrance side of the house. They were built in large numbers throughout the United States primarily between the early 19th century and 1920...
style. It was erected in the 1850s, and today's structure remains faithful to the original architecture. Changes to the original sanctuary include: closing off the original "slave gallery," which was provided during the early American era when slave-owners were expected to bring their slaves to church in order that they may be converted; replacement installation of stained-glass windows; installation of a raked sub-floor; and replacement of the shingled roof with a metal roof. Nearing condemned status in the 1980s, the sanctuary foundation was fully repaired and the building returned to sound condition.
There was a school located on the west side of the church, and in the 1930s it was determined that there was a need for the old school to be torn down and a new school built by the Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
. Will Weber, a Ruling Elder of Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church and chairman of the School Board, is reported to have prayed alone all night asking God's will on where the school should be built. The next morning he announced that the front of the school should be at the edge of the church property. In 1974, Ruling Elders Alfred Hodges (at that time a county commissioner) and Mayes Webb (a member of the school board) helped in an effort for the church to buy the school building for use as the church's fellowship hall.
Also in the 1980s, an education wing was added onto the sanctuary building, adding multiple classrooms, nursery facilities, bathrooms, utility/storage space, and a Pastor's Study. Wheelchair access was also added with the new wing.
Location
Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church is located at 2420 Donelson Drive in Hickory Withe, TennesseeHickory Withe, Tennessee
Hickory Withe is an unincorporated community in Fayette County, Tennessee, United States. For several years it functioned as an incorporated town, and was so treated at the 2000 census...
, in Fayette County, Tennessee.
List of pastors
Douglas (Doug) Barcroft (February 21, 2010–present)J.E. Eubanks, Jr.
J.E. Eubanks, Jr.
John Edgar Eubanks, Jr. is the Senior Pastor of Dove Mountain Presbyterian Church in Tucson, AZ. He is also the Co-Director and Principal of Doulos Resources and the Publisher with Kalos Press....
(October 8, 2007–October 16, 2011)
James E. (Jim) Hayes (1997 - February 26, 2007)
Cecil Wells (1996 - April 27, 1997)
Kenneth Lee (Ken) Camp (November, 1981 - October 15, 1996)
Charles Robert Coe, Jr. (October, 1980 - October, 1981)
Charles E. (Chuck) Swann (September, 1975 - December, 1978)
Ben W. Baker (April, 1972 - August, 1975)
C. V. Crabb (February, 1967 - February, 1972)
Dr. Samuel Edgar McFadden (October, 1961 - November, 1966)
Robert Hyatt (April, 1959 - July, 1960)
Algernon Killough (June, 1954 - June, 1958)
George H. Totton (July, 1952 - October, 1953)
Charles H. Hamilton (June, 1939 - June, 1941)
Dr, Walter S. Swetnam (April, 1931 - July, 1935)
P. P. Dawson (January, 1927 - September, 1928)
Haller Shelton Henderson (February, 1921 - March, 1926)
O. W. Wardlaw (November 28, 1915 - September 12, 1920)
J. D. Hemming (April 30, 1911 - September, 1913)
G. H. Kirken (July 13, 1906 - January 10, 1910)
S. S. (Sid) Gill (January 27, 1861 - April 9, 1905)
J. H. Waddell (September 8, 1860—served as Moderator at that time)
Robert McCoy (April, 1858 - January, 1860)
A. D. Metcalf (February 26, 1854 - April 8, 1858)
Louis McNeely (February 26, 1854 - April 8, 1858)
Robert McCoy (May 20, 1848 - January 22, 1854)
T. L. Newbury (September 6, 1846 - December, 1846)
M. T. Alien (October 2, 1841 - April 7, 1846)
Peter R. Bland (November 1, 1840 - April 4, 1841)
Henry W. Kerr (February 21, 1836 - April 4, 1840)
Peter Randolph Bland (December 1834 - August 31, 1835)