Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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r NEWS-SUN-CmZEN TRICENTENNIAL EDITION Newberry County, S. C., November 12, 1970 County Homos And Churches On Tricontonnial Tour The organization of St. Luke's Episcopal Church dated from 1846, although at least one ser vice was held in the town of Newberry as early as 1839. Construction of the church on the corner of Main and Calhoun Streets was completed early in 1855; the consecration service was held August 26, 1855. The building of Gothic design has a self supporting roof and 19 foot walls. The exterior is brick covered with stucco. Originally there was a tower at the south east corner but in 1864 it was removed, being considered un safe. The front entrance ves tibule is separated from the nave by cloister windows, or draft boards., these havingbeen made stationary in recent years because of air-control require ments. The organ is thought to be considerably older than the church. The old pine pews are enclosed. A narrow stairway in the vestibule leads to a gal lery. The chancel was enlarged in 1894, and the stained-glass window of St. Luke over the al tar bears the same date. Built in 1838 by Jacob Kibler, “Timberhouse' was acquired by the present owners, Mr. and Mrs. Emerson E. Westwood, in 1943. A two-story frame house, its exterior is a com fortable* country ' style with double, columned porches ac ross the front, and four massive chimneys. Inside there are nine fireplaces, eight of them match ing. The house is constructed of heart pine, and the extensive panelling has been restored to its natural color. The wind ows are panelled underneath. The kitchen, once seperated from the house, was joined to the house in recent years and enlarged. Note the handmade brick in the kitchen fireplace, and enclosed stair way in the front entrance hall, the banquet table in the dining room which seats 28, and the collection of antiques and fur niture throughout the rooms. During the restoration process, army gearfbullet pouches, bay onet and revolver) was found under the attic floor, giving evi dence to the belief that Yankee soldiers were garrisoned in the house during the War Between the States. * * * Built in the 1840's by Dr. James Epps, “Jasper Hall' is located three miles south of Whitmire, and is the home of Mr. and Mrs. T.J. Abrams. It is a four-story house, with full basement and attic. The ori ginal columns were made of brick, plastered over, but they crumbled over the years and were replaced. The large win dows are fitted with latticed sectional shutters. Interior walls are plaster, white wood work, and mahogany trim. The medallion on the parlor ceiling is said to be the work of Fin ger. The spiral staircase in Faith Church Is Youngest Lutheran Church In County Faith Lutheran Church, at he junction of Harrington St. and By-Pass Seventy-Six, is a nission church—the youngest Lutheran church in the New- jerry area. Even though the :ongregation is young in years, juite a bit of history surroui.ds icr birth and early years, quite a bit of interesting and con fusing history.. The congregation was orga nized at the time when the na tional church (United Lutheran Church in America) was under going an historic merger to form the Lutheran Church in America. Of course this na tional merger made necessary some changes in the South Car- jlina Synod, and it was a time jf great concern for the church leaders of our state, and a time when operational procedures were not clear. For a mission congregation to be formed in the UCLA in the late 50’s and early 60’s, the Home Missions Board of the Synod was to sur vey the area under considera tion and to recommend it to the UCLA Board of American Missions as a promising loca tion for a new congregation; sixty confirmed adults were ne cessary for a new congrega tion to be formally organized. After the merger, from the early 60’s on, a regional secre tary, employed by the Board of American Missions of the LCA, was to survey the area an to recommend it as a possible site. Again, sixty members were ne cessary to form a new congre gation. Faith came at the end of the ULCA and at the begin ning of the LCA, and she was not organized precisely accord ing to the procedures of either body. To confuse the issue still more, during this same time an older congregation in the New berry area became faced with the need for additional educa tional facilities. As members of this congregation studied their church locale, they began to discuss the possibility of re locating and building on a new site. The South Carolina Synod was then included, in the dis cussion and the synod attempted to guide the congregation as she decided her future. In January of 1961, the synod learned of a church building for sale in the Harrington Heights area of the city. The building had once served a congregation from the Church of God, and the mortgage on this building was held by the Whitner family. Receiving this information, the synod secured permission from the Board of American Missions to purchase the property and to offer it to the above Lutheran congrega tion as a site for re-location. Faced with the reality of mov ing to a new place, however, this Lutheran congregation de cided in a congregational meet ing to stay in their present nlace and to refuse the offer of the Harrington Heights pro perty. Still, the synod was anxious to havie a congregation in this area. Harrington Heights seem ed to J)e the growing edge of the city, and, also, a well-tra veled street passed in front of the building, making the church very accessible to the entire population of Newberry. Both of these were promising points to consider. In July of 1961, the South Car olina Synod bought the pro perty in Harrington Heights from the Whitner family. Even though there was no congrega tion, and no survey had been made, Dr. Shelton Moose, an official of the synod who led the first worship services, felt a group would be drawn to the new area—and he* was correct. Within six months over seventy people had signed the charter rolls. December 17, 1961, is the date for the formal organization of the congregation. Dr. Karl W. Kinard, president of the South Carolina Synod, led the new church in a special service of organization. The name became Faith Lutheran Church. The young, new congregation was faced with many sizable problems: it had to reimburse the synod and the Board of Ame rican Missions for the original property; a larger acerage was needed; the church building was in need of repair, and up-dating needed to be done; the limited number of rooms had to be di vided to provide educational space; a pastor had to be call ed; a parsonage had to be pro vided; a strong and continuing evangelistic effort was neces sary-notifying people of the new congregation and her de sire to serve God. The officers of the new Faith congregation proceeded in good order to face the problems con fronting them, but the problems were great ones, and, with no constant pastoral leadership, progress was slow. The build ing was air-conditioned, the roof was repaired, the rooms were years until August of 1966. The next pastor, Lloyd W. Mitcham, came to Faith in January of 1967 and was here for a year and a half until July, 1968. Pas tor William E. Stone, the pre sent pastor, has served Faith since April, 1969. During periods of vacancy the congregation has been served notably by Dr. F. I. Fesperman, professor at New berry College. It is significant that, though the congregation has had only scant full-time pastoral leader ship during her years of in fancy, important advances have been made. The congregation grew from 70 to 120 adult mem bers and approximately 65 young people under the age of fifteen. Financially the congre gation has been very secure; enough money has been con tributed to pay off the original debt, to build a parsonage, to buy five lots near the church, and to make concrete plans for additional Sunday School faci lities in the fall of this year. The rate of growth and the financial security of the congre gation are both factors which point out the stability of the congregation and the level-head ed guidance of the lay leader ship. Every job is not always filled, but the concern and in terest among members are such that the important work of the congregation is done wonder fully well. The congregation needs to continue in its growth, of course. There are many inactive people of varying denominations within the reach of the church. Many are within sight of the church. Greater community involvement is becoming a necessity; over thirty young children live within two blocks of the congregation, and numerous elderly people in the congregation or in the Har rington Heights area need the fellowship the congregation can afford. Even though our history is short, it has been bright and interesting. With God’s help we, at Faith, have faced and over come significant difficulties in the past, and, with his help, we shall continue into the future offering his promise to those in our fellowship and to those in our community. God be praised. the entrance hall reaches the top floor, its steps carved from solid pine. There are two other stairways in the house--a cir cular one leading to the base ment, and a third “servant’s stair' from the dining room to the second floor. The doors throughout are finished with brass hardware imported from Europe (note the porcelain key covers). Mr. Abrams has lived in the house for 77 years, his father having bought the house after the death of the builder’s widow in 1890. * * * Now located at 1213 Crenshaw St, the HenrySummer house was built at a site around the cor ner on Main Street. HenrySum mer built the house between 1831-46. It is a two story white clapboard structure, featuring double porches across the front The entrance opens onto a wide center hall with the stairway ascending at the rear. The parquet oak floors are the ori ginal. Victorian partitions which once divided the hall were removed when the present own ers, Mr. and Mrs. C.D. Cole man, acquired the house. The mantel in the den is original, although it was removed from another room in the house. In the living roon, the bevelled mirror over the mantel is note worthy; in' the dining room, the brass pulls on the center drawers are the original. The present kitchen was formerly a porch, the original kitchen having been detached from the main house. SOUTH CAROLINA TRICENTENNIAL divided, and several additional pieces of land were either bought or received as gifts. But the congregation could not ne gotiate any financial settlement with the synod and with the board concerning reimburse ment for the church building; several proposals concerning the buying and-or building of a par sonage were discussed, but no concrete action was taken for eighteen months or more; a number of people were consi dered before a pastor accepted a call to serve Faith. In September of 1962, the Rev. Robert Addy came to Faith to become the first pas tor. During the fifteen months since the first service had been held, Dr. Shelton Moose from the synod office and Dr, John Cooper from the college had provided limited pastoral gui dance. However, both of these men realized a new and strugg ling congregation desperately required a full-time pastor. Pastor Addy was a very ag gressive leader, and, within a short time after he came, con structive action was taken on the two “problems” mentioned above. A satisfactory schedule of payment was arranged for the church building, and a par sonage was begun on land im mediately behind the church. Thus far, as the congrega tion approaches her ninth birth day, three pastors have serv ed at Faith Lutheran Church for a total of just over six years. Pastor Addy was here for four Still called “the old court house” by many Newberry residents, the Community Hall is located on “The Square”, on property given to Newberry County in 1789 by John Coates. Construction of the pres ent building was begun in 1850. The architect was said to be one Jacob Graves . The contractor was Wallace Cline. Old shutters and hardware adorn the building, and most of the window glass is the original. Granite sills and lintels are used at all doors and windows. The building is Greek Revival in style with large fluted Doric col umns. The symboism in the front gable was added by Osborne Wells in 1876, when he made repairs on the building. The overturned palmetto tree represents a “prostrate” South Carolina. The Ameri can eagle, or the Federal government, grasps the “Scales of Justice” in its beak, attempting to balance at one end, the gamecock which represents a still-defiant people, and at the other end, the dove of peace with the olive branch. In continuous use since 1852, the building now serves as a community center. It is headquarters for Newber ry’s Tricentennial celebration. 0; v ■ rnFm?' It's Our Pleasure - - To Be A Part Of Newberry County And South Carolina. We Enjoy Serving The Residents Of This Area And Extend Con< gratulations To SOUTH CAROLINA ON THEIR 300th BIRTHDAY Sears Roebuck And Co. College Street Ext. Newberry, S. C.