History
History of Pittsboro Presbyterian Church
Written
by the late Wade Barber, 1971, and updated with minor edits by Doris
Betts, 2007
It
was indeed a hot day in August, but for Major Joseph Small and Mrs.
Ann McBryde Womack, it was an exciting and bright sunny day, a day for
the establishment of a Presbyterian Church in this community and a day
in which their prayers were being answered. On
that Sunday, August 12, 1848, in the parlor of Mr. and Mrs. Green Womack,
whose home was located across the street from where the church building
now stands, an organizational meeting was held. The meeting was
moderated by the Rev. Mr. Drury Lacy, pastor of the Raleigh Presbyterian
Church. Besides Major Small and Mrs. Womack, Mr. and Mrs. Roderick
McIntosh, Dr. John Z. Davis, Mrs. Sara A. Reid, Mrs. Celia Horne, Mrs.
Clara Stedman, Miss Elizabeth Murdin, Dr. and Mrs. William A. Hayes,
and probably others attended. This was the beginning of Pittsboro
Presbyterian Church.
It is interesting to note that though the town of Pittsboro had been laid out and established in 1785 and that—in 1786, Pittsboro Academy had been started in a rather elaborate building for the education of youth, it was not until after the turn of that century, as much as 40 years, before any house of worship was erected in the town. The first house of worship was established by the Methodists, probably around 1825. This was followed by the erection of the Episcopal Church about 1830. The Baptists built their church around 1846, to be followed by the Presbyterians. The first services actually held in our building were in May, 1850. During this period there were scarcely any Presbyterians in Chatham County. In fact, we have no record of great religious activity among any of the Christian faiths for the first 15 or 20 years. It seems that the Presbyterian counties of Orange and Moore, with active churches at New Hope and Hillsborough in Orange, and also Euphronia, Buffalo, and Union in Moore, may have neglected their missionary obligations in this pioneer section. There were, however, a few staunch Presbyterians, and as a matter of record they held periodic prayer services and study groups in private homes. During the early 1880’s also, religious services were conducted in the Academy and in the Courthouse by all the denominations, especially during the summer months when vacationers from the Wilmington and New Bern areas were in the Chatham region.
About 1827 the Presbyterians secured the services of the Rev. James McIver of Fayetteville Presbytery to preach here once a month. These services were usually held in the Methodist church building. In 1836 the Rev. James Phillips, Professor of Philosophy at the University in Chapel Hill, began preaching in Pittsboro once a month in the Academy. Dr. Phillips was a power in the pulpit, not only an orator but also a concise, clear, and logical reasoner who “preached the gospel as but few ever did.” But although this arrangement only lasted a few years, there was enough activity among local Presbyterians to keep their spirits alive.
The spring 1848 meeting of Orange Presbytery was held in New Bern, and at that meeting Dr. Drury Lacy of the Raleigh church was commissioned to visit Pittsboro in order to organize a Presbyterian church here --- which led to that meeting on August 12, 1848 in the Womack home. Soon after this meeting, the Rev. James H. McNeill, a recent graduate of Princeton Seminary, was called as pastor. He organized a Sabbath School and a weekly prayer meeting. His congregation grew. In less than a year, the congregation had raised $1,350.00 for the purpose of erecting a house of worship. On the fourth Sunday in May, 1850, preaching services were held in the new church building, which still stands and remains in use, well preserved as a historical site. Constructed of locally made brick, probably the first brick building in Pittsboro and certainly its first brick church, the walls were made from clay dug near Roberson Creek where the water plant now stands. The original pews are still in service, hand made from wide pine boards. Also in use are the early two imported pulpit chairs. (Note: Mr. Barber was unable to learn the name of their donor.) The handmade pulpit stand is plain but impressive. It and the interior have undergone painting and refurbishing over the years.
Originally the church sanctuary was topped by a steeple that had to be replaced in the 1920’s and has since been restored again. The steeple on the nearby Chatham County Courthouse was copied from this church steeple in type and design. The bell inside that steeple was imported from London in the early 1850’s, and is still rung as a call to worship on Sunday mornings. The church exhibits architectural simplicity, standing approximately one half block east of the courthouse at 95 East Street, now Highway 64. An interesting excerpt from the church records refers to this bell:
May, 1862. At a meeting of the congregation in the Church for the purpose of considering the call of the Confederate Government for bells to be cast into cannons for the protection of our country, it was unanimously ordered that the Pastor of the Church be requested to offer our bell to the Confederate Government through their agent, Captain Booth of the Fayetteville Arsenal. We are happy that the United Confederacy did not accept the offer of this gift.
Mr. McNeill’s pastorate lasted about four years until he moved to New York to become Secretary of the American Bible Society. The next minister, the Rev. Willis L. Miller, was followed in 1859 by the Rev. C.K.Caldwell, a member of a distinguished North Carolina family in educational and spiritual fields.
Then again, in 1867, Dr. Drury Lacy was engaged as stated supply, though he had retired from the Raleigh church. It was a great day for the spiritual life of this community to have such a man in the Presbyterian pulpit. He ministered here until physical infirmities compelled him to retire in May, 1876. During his ministry, the University of North Carolina conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Law. Not only did the congregation love this man, but he was held in affectionate esteem by all the people of this area, and all felt keenly the pain of his departure. His grandson, Dr. Ben Lacy, who was to become President of the Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Va., held a series of meetings here in 1912, and the church was filled to overflowing at each service. After Dr. Lacy the Rev. Samuel Smith, and then the Rev. R.P. Laws, both recent graduates of Union Seminary, filled the pulpit until called to other areas of service.
The Rev. W.F. Thom then came to preach once a month in Pittsboro and continued until his death in 1908. The following ministers then served the church: S.S. Oliver, A.W. Shaw, A.E. Grover, C.L. Wicker, and R.M. Phillips – all of them dedicated but with shorter terms of service.
In 1921 the Rev. Jones Barclay came as pastor to the Chatham field, who served with dedication and energy until he retired in April. Thereafter the church was served by graduate students from Duke Divinity School or the University of North Carolina.
In 1953 an educational building was annexed to the church.
Among
the headstones of graves behind the church in its cemetery are the names
of devoted members who have gone to their reward, including: Womack,
Poe, Alston, Leach, Thompson, Johnson, Hayes, Barber,
Connell, Exline, Lanius, Glenn, McCrimmon, and others.
Updated History
In 1971, shortly after Mr. Barber concluded his valuable history, the church steeple he described was replaced with generous donations from the Connell family. The decade from 1975 to 1985 produced a strengthening of the Christian Education program.
From 1974 to 1978, the Rev. Frank Lemmon served as pastor, well known for his sensitivity and counseling skills. The cemetery was landscaped; the congregation contributed to the establishment of a community medical center; and members helped organize a walkathon to combat world hunger.
From 1978 until Fall of 1983, the church was served by several ministers whose stays were short but enthusiastic. These include the Reverends Rufus Gerald Smith, William Drummond who left to enter graduate school, Tim Kimrey who became pastor of the Church of the
Reconciliation in Chapel Hill, John Ellison Bush who became pastor of St. Giles Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, Marshall L. Smith of Hillsboro, retired from the United Presbyterian denomination. During these years the congregation grew in size and spirituality.
In 1979 Gerald Smith led an 8-week AGAPE program in personal enrichment. The church began participating in Pennies for Hunger.
In 1981, following a study of the church and the denomination, a youth group was organized in conjunction with other area churches.
In 1979 members voted to acquire the home of Annie L. Bynum adjoined its property to the west. In 1980, the children of the church were invited to the communion table. New committees and the unifying of Boards of Elders and Deacons into a unicameral Session added efficiency to church structure and service.
In fall, 1983, the church issued its first call to a woman minister, the Rev. Tempe Lee Earl Fussell, who helped nurture retreats, small group study, and wider fellowship. She helped guide the church through a time of expansion including an addition completed in 1989 containing a fellowship hall, kitchen, handicap-equipped bathrooms, and a pastor’s study. The previous 1953 addition was also refurbished for Sunday School rooms. These changes have increased the church’s outreach to non profit organizations in the community including Scouts. During her six years at Pittsboro Presbyterian, the membership grew and the Rev. Mrs. Fussell’s family increased to four children. She and her husband Curtis, also a Presbyterian minister, left in April of 1990 to attend graduate school. Following a number of supply ministers, the Rev. Julia Ross Strope came as interim minister through December 1991.
The church is unique in that two dedicated organists gifted the church for 50 years each; Carrie M. Jackson and Hazel Poole Carter.
In 1992 the Church called the Rev. Robert Cleveland as pastor. A retired Marine officer, Mr. Cleveland came from St. Barnabas church in Raleigh and led Pittsboro Presbyterians in a time of growth and development through 2000. Rev. Cleveland was named Pastor Emeritus on May 2, 2004.
A columbarium was added to the church cemetery in early 2000; a garden and seating area were gifted in 2007. The original pine pews were refurbished with padded seats and backs in 2002. Elder Paul Harrell designed and hand crafted a kneeling bench from white oak in (2000); the sanctuary cross (2003) and the baptismal font (2004) were crafted from dossie wood from West Africa. Paul carved the small cross on the front of the baptismal font from local dogwood.
Several supply ministers, including elders in the church, filled the pulpit until Mr. Steve Braxton, Commissioned Lay Pastor, was called to serve as supply pastor in 2001 and 2002.
The church had long had a dream of being able to support and benefit from a fulltime minister. Many fine pastors had brought their talents and love of Christ to this ministry, but all were parttime, halftime, supply or interim. At last in June of 2003, Rev. Troy Lesher-Thomas became the first fulltime pastor of the church. His wife Mitzi is also a Presbyterian minister, and they have young children and were able to make their home in Pittsboro as a family. His work with the church has encouraged fellowship activities, catechism class, youth involvement with the larger denomination, and a fuller participation in the religious and secular life of Pittsboro. Chatham County entered a period of population growth in the 21st century, with new challenges and a growing, more diverse congregation.
As this history reaches our website—which is in itself a sign of changing times--Pittsboro Presbyterian Church can celebrate its past and the contributions of Christians who have gone before and gone on; but the church is also focused on ways to follow Christ and serve its neighbors, here and everywhere, in the future.
Doris Betts will continue to collect items of interest and update our church history in the future. If you have an historical item of interest, please contact her through our church by email on our contact us page or telephone 919-542-4702.
