Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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♦ Newberry 1st Baptist Started In 1831 Whitmire United Methodist Merged With Mt. Tabor We find that there were two churches, mentioned in our early history that were located in the Lower Duncan Creek Baptist Church which was the parent church of the First Baptist Church of Whitmire and Mt. Ta bor Methodist Church which la ter merged with the church that is now Whitmire United Metho dist Church. These two were located near each other, in the direction of Joanna, slightly off \he old Newberry highway. Mt Tabor Methodist Church was organized in 1820 by Colonel Benjamin, a patriot in the Re volutionary War, with the aid of Rev. John B. Glenn, William Shell, David Epps, John Epps and Anderson Hipp. The first building was erect ed in 1821 and was a small frame structure. This was used until 1845 when five acres of land, not a great distance away, was given the church by Allen Shell. This church at Mt. Tabor was later merged with the Whitmire Methodist Church. Each August the descendants of the Mt Tabor Church members hold a gathering at the old church site and enjoy a picnic dinner. The old cemetery there is kept in repair by donations from these descendants. The Whitmire Methodist Church, according to the records, was organized in 1892. It was the first religious organization of any kind to be established in the cor porate limits of Whitmire. The town had just been incor porated in December of 1891 when the first church building was erected on a lot given by E.C. Briggs at the spot where the Me dical Center is found today. The lumber for the wooden structure was donated and hauled by the late J. D. Tidmarsh. Rev. W.A. Betts, pastor of the Clinton circuit, organized the church and Reverend S.T. Black man was appointed as the first pastor. John P. Fant andCharles Tidmarsh were elected as its first stewards. The congregation soon outgrew the small building and it was moved to the center of the mill village. It was then called the Glenn-Lowry Chapel and was used by all denominations. . An amazing incident is told a- bout the church the day it was moved. In those days a bridge spanned the branch that lay where the fill is between the George Brock home and the “Y” build ing. The church was en transit and on the bridge when the mill whistle blew for the noon dinner hour. The mill workers had to pass through the church going to and from dinner. In 1904, the Glenn-Lowry Manufacturing Company ex changed the property where the Memorial Library stands today for that where the Medical Center is at present. A wooden building was erected there, facing Union Street and served the congrega tion until 1920. In that year, 1920, plans were made for a handsome brick structure and work was begun. On Sunday, March 13,1921, the church was open for worship where it stands today. U.V.W. Darlington delivered the first sermon. The following inscrip tion is found on the cornerstone. “Whitmire Methodist Episcopal Church South - J.P. Simpson, P. C. ; James W. Kilgo, D.D., P.E.: Building Committee: E.E. Childs, Chairman, M.E. Abrams, S.C. Young, J.H. Moore, C.H. Cooper, David Duncan, Z.H. Suber, W.R. Watson, Secretary-Treasurer.” A pipe organ was installed at this time. The men of the Sunday School excavated the basement for use by the Junior Department. A Mother’s Day gift was made to the church by the late W.E. Nelson, a well-to-do church member who owned the Planer Mill. The gift paid for the plas tering of the basement walls and a concrete floor. The tablet at the entrance of the basement reads “Dedicated fo the memory of my mother, Mrs. S.M. Nel son, May 31, 1925. W.E. Nelson In 1929, the Ladies’Bible Class under the leadership of Mrs. L. E. Douglass, sponsored the paving of the walk in front of the church and planting of the shrubbery and in the same year the debt was cleared from the church. In October of 1932 Home coming was held for the dedica tion of the church with Bishop U.V.W. Drrlington, again, as the guest speaker. Rev. J.W. Lewis was pastor at this time. This was an all day occasion and a picnic dinner was enjoyed. On May 30, 1948 an impres- As far as it can be deter mined from extant records, there was no church organi zation of the Newberry Baptist Church (now the First Baptist Church of Newberry) in Sept ember of 1831. Learning of a "great metting in progress at Edgefield Court House, under the direction and preaching of some young men, students of the Furman Theo logical Institution, "JohnS. Car- wile, then a deacon of Bush Riv er Baptist Church, and several others, made arrangements for a similar meeting to be held in Newberry. During September, 1831, four young men- N.W. Hodges, J.M. Chiles, Josiah Furman and John M. Barnes- came to Newberry and began preaching at a stand, such as was once used for political speakers. Asa result of this meeting and mainly of persons baptized during its progress, the New berry Baptist Church was or ganized on September 30th., 1831 with forty-two members. The first pastor of the church John M.Barnes, has been des cribed as being a young man of attractive pulpit gifts and a pop ular and impressive pastor. The first church building was completed in 1832 and used un til 1907, when the present build ing was constructed. The site of the present building, on the corner of Caldwell and Bound ary streets, and the adjoining property on Caldwell Street where the original building was located, were given by Y.T. Harrington and John T. Young. The present building has been enlarged twice: in 1926 when a three storied Sunday school an nex was built and in 1956 when a two storied educational wing was added. The building has been remodeled and redecor ated on several occasions ;the most recent being during the summer of 1970 when the inside of the sanctuary was remodeled and a new 17 rank Pipe organ was installed. Throughout the years of her existence the First Baptist Ch urch has shown a missionary concern for the spread of the New Chapel Methodist Started In Log Building ongratulations- to SOUTH CAROLINA and NEWBERRY COUNTY On Their TRICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 8 1670-1970 We are proud ol the Progress in Newberry County and we are happy to have been a part in this growth. W. E. BAKER & SON RAILROAD AVENUE WHITMIRE. S. C. sive service wai held when the chimes were dedicated to the memory of Mrs. Fannie Mae Henderson Abrams. The late Se nator Marvin E. Abrams made the presentation and the act of dedication was led by Bishop Claire Purcell. The plate on the organ reads “The Chimes” In memory of Mrs. Fannie Mae Henderson Abrams By M.E. A- brams. In 1951, Dr. Robert N. Dubose was appointed as pastor of the church and under his leadership an extensive building program was soon begun. In late summer of 1952 a fine Educational Build ing was completed. Located in the building are a pastor’s study two assembly rooms, a ladies’ parlor and fourteen classrooms, Jones’ Prayer Chapel, a small room at the entrance of the Edu cational Building, was beautifully and appropriately furnished by Mrs. T.D. Jones in memory of her husband, the late Thomas Doyle Jones. The Whitmire Methodist Church Educational Building was dedicated on July 18, 1953 with Bishop Costeen J. Harrell as the guest speaker. The building committee at the time the annex was built was composed of: G.E. Young, chair man; F.E. Alexander, vice- chairman and H.W. Suber, sec retary and treasurer. The finance committee was composed of Shan Suber, Mr. and Mrs. E.R. Baker, Miss Cornelia Lindsay, J.W. Dallas, Martin Mars, James Roof, Marlon King, A.G. Bailey, R.H. Inman, Harry Young, G.S. Donnan, J. H. A- brams and Duane Darby. In 1952 the old Methodist par sonage, that had stood so long as a landmark on the corner of Church and Glenn Streets was razed. It was replaced by a mo dern brick home for the Metho dist ministers. This house stands on the same lot but faces Glenn Street In the summer of 1967 the in terior of the sanctuary was beau tifully renovated and central air conditioning was installed. The Methodist Church, in 1968, with 10 1/2 million members the Evangelical United Brethern Church with about 750,000 mem bers joined together and became the United Methodist Church. The Whitmire United Methodist Church stands today as always a bulwark in our community. A thriving church with more than 400 members. Reverend James H. Nates, a native of Columbia, serves as the church’s present pastor. He, his wife, Carolyn, and their three children have resided in Whit mire three years and are an in tegral part of the community. Other ministers who have served the church are: S. T. Blackman, D. A. Phillips, W. B. Justus, J. F. Anderson, G. R. Shaffer, J. N. Ison, Foster Speer, O. A. Jeffcoat, J. M. Fridy,J.W. Shell, A. H. Best, J. P. Simp son, J. F. Lupo, J. H. Brown, J. W. Lewis, W. F. Harris, L. A. Carter, G. S. Duffle, E. S. Jones, C. L. Moody Jr., R. N. Dubose, C. O. Bell, Dan Mont gomery, K. W. Bedenbaugh and G. A. Baker. 1935 - Mrs. Annie C. Jeter revised 1970 - Eloise P. Ramsey. Much of the above data was taken from a history compiled in 1953 by Mr. Otis Duncan and Mrs. James Leaman. We are grateful to these two and to Rev. Nates for their assistance. New Chapel today is one of the smallest churches inNew- berry County with a member ship of less than fifty, but look ing back over her history , it has not always had that record. The first building was of logs. The second was a frame structure built on the grounds of the present building,erected in 1830, and the third one which is the present building was con sidered a very fine church for the year 1879, when it was built. Having been launched NewCha- pel was not just another church, she became a leader and a mother of other churches. There must have been periods of great growth in New Chapel for she seemed to have estab lished early her leadership and to have kept it. One of the gr owth decades was from 1840 to 1860 when there moved into the community and into the church the Boyds(Joshua and Mark)the Lakes, The Adames’, The Mor gans, The Boulwares, and the Schumperts. A group like that would establish the leadership of any church. The Herbert family had been established in the neighborhood since about the time of the Revolution, and had given the land on which to build the church as well as mak ing a substantial contribution to the building of the meetinghouse erected in 1830. Isaac Herbert, who was reared a Quaker, be came a member of New Cha pel Church in 1831. New Chapel has seen great changes in Methodism since she began her life as a member of Bush River Circuit, .Saluda District In 1860 Bush River circuit was divided and our church found herself a member of Newberry Circuit, which in cluded nearly all of Newberry County plus a little of lower Laurens County. This new ch arge was first served by the well known circuit rider,Cole man Carlisle. A church must be measured by her spiritual contribution and perhaps there is no better way to estimate these than through the direct results of the work of evangelization. Here, again we may rightly claim for New Chapel a place of leadership. We can not lay claim to Nathan Boyd but we do claim his son ‘‘Uncle Mark Boyd." For a full century these two rendered services of inestimable value to Newberry County. This state ment has been made and we know too well its truth," no man living or dead has exerted j more influence on the moral and spiritual life of Newberry Coun ity than he." Rev. J.B. Traywick wrote in 1909/‘He thrilled more congregations in relating his experience than anyone I ever heard speak. And further for purity of life and zeal in ser vice of the Master, clearness of spiritual vision and all round Christian character, none has ever excelled him in our hist ory." Rev. Mark Boyd died in 1898 after fifty seven years of local preaching and is buried in New Chapel cemetery. SOUTH CAROLINA TRICENTENNIAL One historian says in 1890, that of the ten itenerant preach ers then in the S.C. Conference for Newberry County, four were from New Chapel. He referred to the Rev. T.G. Herbert and three sons of Rev. Mark Boyd. Rev. J. Marion Boyd entered the Methodist Conference in 1870, Rev. George Boyd in 1871 and Rev. D. Pettus Boyd in 1884.Thomas Herbert also fur nished three sons in the Con ference; the Rev. Walter I. Her bert, Rev. Thomas G. Herbert, and Rev. Chesley C. Herbert. The last three were grandson’s of Quaker- Isaac Herbert. Rev. G.P.Watson and Rev.R.C.Boul- ware were also his grandsons. New Chapel was a proud lea der. There is a pride built up on loyalty, high sense of obli gations and religious zeal that is altogether commendable. This was the kind of pride that prompted her activity. Many of those who contributed to the history of New Chapel did not realize how surprisingly well they were building in the con struction work of the Kingdom of God. In 1932 there was a Centennial Celebration at New Chapel Methodist Church and many members enjoyed a ‘‘Home Coming." A few years after this the sanctuary was remodeled, but the heart pine floors were left visible. Even though the membership is now small, the work of the church is still carried on with a regular Sunday preaching ser vice. The Re. H.J. Harmon, Jr., is the present preacher. Ij W Hill du irai / Gospel of Christ throughout the world. In 1833, the church applied for and was received into the membership of the Reedy River Baptist Associat ion. During the early years af ter the organization of the South Carolina Baptist Convention in 1827 with three charter Assoc iations, when many churches were opposed to associatiema ils m and refused to become affiliated with the Convention, the Newberry Baptist Church was the first seperate church to become a member of the Convention, in 1833. BushRiver Church, in Newberry County, was the second, in 1834. Through the years, the church has confributed generously to the cooperative mission work of Baptists and is currently giving 30 % of all receipts through the world-wide mission program of Southern Baptists, the Cooperative Program. Through the Cooperative Pro gram the church helps to sup port more than 4700 home and foreign missionaries, six theo logical seminaries, and num erous other educational insti tutions, hospitals and evange listic agencies. In 1871, the first Woman’s Missionary Society was or ganized by Rev. John A. Stout. This was the first Woman’s Missionary Society south of Baltimore and the first such society by that name. Thus this organization ranks among the pioneers in Woman’s mis sionary work in the South. In recent years, under the leadership of the pastor, Ken neth B. Wilson, the church pur chased the Zaccheus Wright property across Caldwell Street from the church building for use as educational space and youth activities. The church made extensive renovations of the building at the time of acqui sition in 1959 and recently has repainted the exterior of the building. In 1964 the church acquired property on Douglas Street and built a new and modern pastor's home. The membership of the ch urch now totals more than 650. J.Anderson Bass, Jr., the pre sent pastor, has served the church as pastor for the past eight years. (Sketch written by Rev. J.A. Bass) —Iiw mm mmm BEST WISHES - - TO NEWBERRY COUNTY & SOUTH CAROLINA ON THEIR TRICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. We Are Glad To Be A Part Of Progressive Newberry County. 1670 1970 SOUTH CAROLINA TRICENTENNIAL ROCHE NEWS-SUN-CITIZEN TRICENTENNIAL EDITION Newberry County, S. C., November 12, 1970 MAIN STREET PHARMACY WHITMIRE. S. C.