The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, April 28, 1939, Image 3
FRIDAY, APRIL, 28, 1989
THE SUN
—
PAGE THREE
Aveleigh Church Is More Than 100 Years Old
As early as 1822 there was a
Presbyterian church in Newberry,
with an organization and occasional
preaching servicer in the court
house. This was the earliest church
organization in the town, but with
its small and scattered membership
and its irregular and insufficient min
istry of the Word, it soon fell to
pieces and was no more.
Under its present name, and as a
During the first three years after
the organization, services were held
occasionally by Rev. Moses Waddell
Rev. S. B. Lewers, Rev. E. Holt, Rev.
Joseph Johnson, Rev. Isaac Waddell,
Rev. James Lewers, and Rev R. C.
Ketchem.
Five acres of land were donated by
Robert Boyce for Aiveleigh’js first
church site. This location is on the
north side of the east extension of
ORIGINAL SITE
permanent institution, the Aveleigh
Presbyterian church was organized
May 30, 1836 by Rev. Moses Waddell
and Rev. S. B. Lewers with 32 mem
bers. The first ruling elders were
Isaac Keller and Alexander Cham
bers. In March 1839, Chancellor
Job Johnstone and Dr. George. W.
Glenn were ordained and added to
the number of ruling elders. Chan-
Main street, about 200 yards from
intersection of Main street and the
highway cue-off, joining B. L. Bish
op’s place. Today there may be
seen on this lot, vaults that stood in
the old cemetery.
In 1852 the church was moved to
its present location on Calhoun
street, because it was “inconvenient
ly” situated at the first site. Being
PRESENT CHURCH BUILDING
cellor Johnstone, because of his lead
ership in the organization of the
church, and in the building of the
house of worship, and being the
practical founder of it was asked to
give it a name. He named it Ave
leigh for the church to which his
parents belonged in Ireland before
they came to this country.
a mile and a half from town, it was
but seldom that any of the town
people found it convenient to attend
and yet, since it was thus located so
as to secure their attendance, the
country people regarded it as a town
church and they did not care to at
tend. This resulted in a split with
a number of members, about 27,
building an edifice in town. The
name, Aveleigh, was kept.
The lot on the corner of Calhoun
and Martin street was given by E.
Y. McMorris. On December 17th,
in 1852 the new building was dedi
cated. This church was enlarged in
1892 at a cost of 83,500, but on March
29, 1907 it was completely destroy
ed in the fire that swept Newberry.
The manse and outbuildings were
also destroyed.
Immediately after the fire another
building was put up in the same
location at a cost of 86,500. The
building committee consisted of Alan
Johnstone, F. Z. Wilson, W. A. Mc-
Swain, and John W. Chappell. The
present manse was built at the same
time at a cost of 83,027.
In 1930, under the leadership of
Rev. C. M. Dendy, Aveleigh’s pastor
at the time, the church was remodel
ed and the Sunday school annex was
erected at a cost of about 817,000.
The building committee consisted of
R. D. Smith, Jr., chairman, Mrs. F.
D. Mower, James Smith, Mrs. E. B.
Purcell, B. M. Scurry, A. S. Paine,
Mr. Dendy, and Mrs. R. D. Smith, Jr.
This is by far the most attractive
building Aveleigh has ever had and
is one of the prettiest churches in
the city today.
During its century of existence
Aveleigh has had only 16 pastors.
They are as follows: Rev. R. C.
Ketchum, 1838-1839; Rev. John Mc-
Kittrick, 1840; Rev. E. F. Hyde,
1845; Rev. W. B. Telford, 1850; Rev.
A. D. Montgomery, 1856; Rev. E. H.
Buist, 1862; Rev. R. A. Mickle, 1866;
Rev. R. A. Fair, 1874; Rev. John S.
Cosby, 1886-1894; Rev. R. P. Pell,
1895; Rev. J. L. Williamson, 1896-
1907; Rev. E. L. Wilson (S. S.), 1908;
Rev. J. E. James, 1908-1911; Rev. E.
D. Kerr, 1912-1927; Rev. M. C.
Dendy, 1928-1931; Rev. C. A. Cal-
cote, 1923-present.
Beginning with 32 members, Ave
leigh Presbyterian church now has
on roll 251 members. The greatest
growth has been in the past seven
years under the pastorate of Mr.
Calcote. •
Aveleigh’s present session of eld
ers include the following: Rev. C. A.
Calcote, Moderator; R. D. Smith, Jr.,
Clerk; H. M. Boozer, O. F. Armfield,
Dr. Hugh Senn, D. W. A. Neville,
B. M. Scurry, George Davenport,
and S. A. Williams. The board of
deacons include E. B. Purcell, chair
man, James Smith, G«orge Hunter,
William Hunter, C. F. Smith, Warren
Abrams, J. D. French, W. R. Reid,
Dr. Theodore Neely, R. W. Culbert
son, L. D. Nichols, Joe Keitt and
Wilton Todd.
D. W. A. Neville is superintendent
AVELEIGH’S PASTOR
Amazing Prophecy of Early Newberry Quaker
..
,
REV. C. A. CALCOTE
of the Sunday school and Mrs. E. B.
Purcell, president of the Woman’s
Auxiliary. The work among the
young people is carried on by Mrs.
Hugh Senn who is leader of the
senior group and by Miss Constance
Armfield who had charge of the in
termediate boys and girls.
Aveicigh church also sponsors two
thriving outpost Sunday schools. One
is located at Helena and the other
at the McCullough school near Whit
mire. Both were begun by Mr. Cal
cote and the work is carried on by
members of Aveleigh.
LEFT WITH THE PLOW
Kilmaurs, Scotland—Working with
a plow, a farmer turned away for
a moment and when he looked again
his two horses had disappeared.
They fell 24 feet irto an old mine
shaft, but were brought out alive.
AUTOMOBILE INCREASES
Of interest is the increase and de
crease in the number of automo
biles registered in Newberry in the
past few years.
There were registered in the
county in 1924, 3,577 autos and
trucks. In 1929 there were 3,259.
In 1930 the figure went up to 3,408
and in 1932 it dropped to 3,216.
Trucks and autos registered here
in 1937 numbered 3,730 and last
year, 1938, the figure reached an
all-high record with 4,129 motor ve
hicles registered in the county.
Looking back into the early history
of Newberry we find that at one time
there was a rather large settlement
of Quakers in the county. It is not
known exactly when the settlement
began or from where the great num
ber of Quakers came, but they set
tled on Bush River and Beaverdam.
The Friends had three places of
meeting. One of them, the oldest
and principal ope, was at Bush
River where today there may be seen
the old cemetery where sleeps hund
reds of the early settlers. However,
we know that today there are few
here who are of Quaker decent. The
question is asked, what became of
the Friends who were so numerous
here?
Between the years 1800 and 1810
there was a great exodus of Quakers
and others who moved to Ohio and
other states. In O’Neall’s section of
the Annals of Newberry we find the
following given as the reason for
their leaving: “Between 1800 and
1804 a celebrated Quaker preacher,
Zachary Dicks, passed through South
Carolina. He was thought to have
also the gift of prophecy. The mas
sacres of San Domingo were then
fresh. He warned Friends to come
out from slavery. He told them if
they did not their fate would be that
of the slaughtered Islanders. This
produced in a short time a panic, and
removals to Ohio commenced, and by
1807 the Quaker settlement had, in
a great degree, changed its popula
tion. John Kelly, Sr., Hugh O’Neall,
Henry O’Neall, James Brooks, Isaac
Kirk, Walter Herbert William
Wright, Samuel Gaunt, William
Pugh, and Timothy Thomas alone re-
COUNTY COMMISSIONER
wmW
■
PAUL H. HAILE
mained. Land which could often
since, and even now after near forty
years cultivation in cotton, can be
sold for 810, 815, and 830 per acre,
was sold then for from 83 to 86. New
berry thus lost, from a foolish panic
and a superstitious fear of an insti
tution, which never harmed them or
any other body of people, a very val
uable portion of its white population.
But they are gone, never to return!
It is our business to repair the loss,
by better agriculture, more attention
to the mechanic arts, and more enter
prise. Thus acting, our wasted fields
will yet blossom like the rose, our
streams will resound with music of
machinery, and our hills will be vocal
with the songs of industry and
peace.”
More of the teachings of Zachary
Dicks and his amazing prophecies are
recorded in Chapman’s portion of the
Annals of Newberry. We find from
there the following:
“During the year 1803 this minis
ter (Dicks) made a visit to Wrights-
borough monthly meeting, in Georgia,
an integral part of Bush River quart
erly meeting. He there told the
Friends of a terrific internecine war
not far in the future, during which
mpny men like those in the Apo
calypse would flee to the mountains
and call on those mountains to hide
them. With reference to the time
of fulfilment, he said the child was
then born that would see it; thus in
timating the time, not as immediate,
but not very far off. He also advis
ed them to leave there, which they
did. Forty-eight years after came the
predicted war. I heard this account
more than forty years ago from a
BUSINESS MAN — LAWMAKER
man who was at the meeting. From
Wrightsboroug, Z. Dicks went to
Bush River meeting, held in a well
house erected only five years before
with the full calculation of a long
continued occupancy. I give his
first words there as related by a dear
aunt of mine who was present, and
was just blooming into womanhood:
‘O, Bush River! Bush River! How
hath thy beauty faded away, and
gloomy darkness eclipsed the day!’
Going into particulars, he depicted
the silence and loneliness that would
attend that house after its abandon
ment by those who had erected it;
that (lerbage would ere long grow in
its now well beaten paths. I did not
understand that he advised removal
here as at Wrightsborough, but only
foretold it. Indeed, it did not suffer
during the war like the other place,
for I have learned no hostile troops
came near it.
“Friend Dicks must have been at
this time rather elderly, for I am in
formed that not long before the Re
volution he had been at Guilford,
North Carolina, and foretold that
war. Pointing to the walls of the
meeting house he said its floors and
walls would be stained with human
blood. This was literally fulfilleed for,
after the bloody battle of Guilford,
the Friends carried the wounded sol
diers, both British and American, in
to the house and performed for them
the part of the good Samaritan; the
stains of whose blood, though faded
were on its walls many years after
wards. To those who are skeptical
as to Z. Dicks’ prophetical attain
ments, I will only say that ho was
at least a ‘good guesser’.’’
NEWBERRY POSTMASTER
J. KESS DERRICK
GEORGE K. DOMINICK
E. B. PURCELL, Pres. &. Treas.
JOS. L. KEITT, JR., Vice-Pres. & Sec’y
1905 — 1939
The Newberry Insurance & Realty Co
\
has been in the Insurance business
actively for Thirty Four years....
“YOUR PROTECTION OUR BUSINESS”
J. TAZ SENN, Collector
MRS. WYCHE DICKERT
MISS EVA JAMES DAVIS