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who was at that time, 90 years of age, and a charted member of the church, to give a list of the charter members. She gave this information: "The organization was perfected in the home of Charles Kames by a Reverend Hubert. This home stood on land now owned by R. H. Alexander and the house was built of logs. The congregation having no building, met alternately at the homes of the members until they were able to erect a small building on the hill west of Station Creek, and near the present road. This first Methodist church had for charter members Grandfather Kobinson, Josh Robinson and wife, Rev. James H. Collard and wife, Mrs. Laurena Shook, Charles Kames and wife, Mrs. Frances Hartgraves, John A. Davenport and wife and O. F. Davenport and wife. In 1861, Captain O. F. Davenport assembled a company of volunteers for the Confederate Army and gave them light training on Peugh Branch. Upon breaking preparatory to going to the front, the company went to Station. Creek where services were held and Divine blessings invoked for the departing soldiers. "This church had four home sites: first, in the home of Charles Karnes, second, on the hill west of Station Creek; third, near the east bank of Station Creek; fourth, on the Eagle Springs and McGregor road two miles north of Eagle Springs. The membership was finally absorbed by the Oglesby Methodist church. Two of these sites were enclosed in the Bluebonnet Ordnance Plant area." FIRST PRIMITIVE BAPTIST CHURCH In the Sugar Loaf Mountain community were a number of "Old Baptists", now called Primitive Baptists. They were without organized church services. On the 4th Sunday in August, 1856, near Sugar Loaf Mountain, Elder Jesse Graham called together the Baptists of that community and organized the Sugar Loaf Church. The church was constituted upon fourteen articles of Faith which all Old Baptists heartily believed. This was the first church of this faith organized in the county. Elder Graham served as pastor until his death. The membership of the church was Martha Graham, James and Nancy Hatley, William and Nancy Kinsley, Joe and S. E. Blackwell. The site of the church is now in the Camp Hood area. In the opposite edge of the county at Rainey Creek School house on July 12- 1857, was organized the Rainey -- 55 -- Creek Old Baptist Church. This organization was by Elder Samuel Miller, Felix K;. Miller, Squire Haggard, B. G. Miller, Mathew Miller, Felpa C. Miller, Ann Norman and Ann McCowans. The ministers who served these early churches usually traveled from church to church in buggies or horseback, often traveling a hundred or more miles to serve a church. There was little monetary remuneration for the service, so many of the ministers were farmers, or had other means of earning a livelihood. How well they laid the spiritual foundations of the county is amply shown in our present highly organized church institutions, so well distributed that anyone who wishes can attend church any week in the year. EAGLE SPRINGS' GRETNA GREEN About a mile north of the once notable old village of Eagle Springs stands a house that was once the home of the famous Baptist Divine, John McClain. In its time it was a modern, well-built house as compared with other pioneer houses in the same settlement. In the years prior to the Civil War this fine old man settled at this place and started rearing a family. The little farm spread to the rear of the house, and was coursed by a small stream of clear flowing water which nourished the fields as the old man's spirituality nourished the souls of the pioneer people living around Eagle Springs, for he helped establish more Baptist churches than any other man in the Leon River Baptist Association. On November 6, Rev. McClain organized the first Baptist church at Eagle Springs. He also became its first pastor. Charter members are: J. H. Estep, Nancy Estep, E. A. Culpepper, Tobitha Culpepper, Wyatt Hall, Naoma Hall, F. M. Grimes, Elmira Grimes, Mary A. Grimes, Daniel Jones, Serepta Hall. In 1882 this church was moved to Comanche Springs, and in 1884 it was moved to McGregor and continues as the First Baptist Church of McGregor. Next to the founding of churches, the thing that made this man most famous was lovelorn youth seeking a minister to speak the words that would make them man and wife. The runaways came horseback, in buggies, rain or shine; in daytime or night. -- 56 -- The runaways, however, were a very small minority of the great number for whom the marriage ceremony was performed. It is said that he officiated at more than 1500 weddings. Jim Pennington of Oglesby relates that in the reconstruction days that followed the Civil War that Rev. McClain was so plain in his denunciation of evil practices that he incurred the wrath of the horse rustling, cow-thieving, plundering element to the extent that his life was sought by those men. He hid out many a day and night to avoid his would be slayers. This condition necessitated that someone supply him with food. Mrs. McClain heroically assumed this responsibility and would steal from their home and meet him on the prairie supplying him with such comforts as were necessary during his hiding. Church going in those days also had its dangers. Jim Pennington also relates the times when church goers carried their pistols and rifles. The country was infested with thieves and lawless characters, but people were determined to have preaching if they had to guard the church with guns while the preacher dispensed the gospel. At the meeting in progress on Station Creek, the people tethered their horses to trees and posts near the church. W. M. Oglesby and Captain Davenport were seated near a window with their rifles and when a horseman rode out of the brush and circled the group of horses hitched to the posts and trees, Captain Davenport recognized the man as one of the horse rustlers of the country and quietly reached for his rifle, took aim, and fired. The horseman reeled in the saddle. Captain Bill Oglesby remarked: "Hit'im by God". The rider was only wounded and escaped to the brush. After the excitement died down, preaching was resumed. TURNERSVILLE UNITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH It was on September 10, 1871, that a small group gathered at the North Bosque Schoolhouse, which was a log building about 2 miles southeast of the present site of Turnersville. Rev. Levi Tenny, well-known figure in the Presbyterian Church of Texas in that day was the minister who officiated at the organization of the church and also served in that capacity from April 1, 1876 to April 1, 1878. He was also pastor at Hico, Iredell, Clifton and Dublin and was Clerk of the Central Texas Presbytery for 34 years. -- 57 -- Charter members of the Unity Church are: W. E. Young, John Armstrong, Mss. P. A. Black, W. J. Miller, Mrs. W. J. Miller, A. M. Armstrong, Mrs. A. M. Armstrong, and Mr. and Mrs. John Hurst. W. E. Young and John Armstrong were elected and ordained as ruling elders of the new church. On October 22, 1871, John Hurst, who had established a settlement at Hurst Springs was elected and ordained an elder. Services were continued in the log school house until 1877, when a new school house was built, and it became the new meeting place. In 1882, a church house was built, the first place of worship in Turnersville. For a number of years, the Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterians held services in the same church. In 1906, the present church was built at a cost of $4,000, with a membership of 76. During its history, the church has enrolled 520 members and the membership today is about 50. September 8, 1946, the church celebrated its 75th anniversary, and Rev. J. H. Freeland of Houston, and Rev: B. K. Tenny of Atlanta, Ga., grandsons of W. E. Young, one of the founders, were present. Also, Rev. E. O. Harrell, then of Cameron the latest to enter the ministry from the Unity church. Outstanding figures in the church's history include daughters of W. E. and Mary Jane Caufield Young, who were Mrs. Fred Foote, Sr., Mrs. Elizabeth Freeland, Mrs. Catherine Tenny and Mrs. Josephine Bernholtz, each Sunday School teachers for 20 years or more. Mrs. Elizabeth Freeland was head of the primary department for over 40 years. Officials of the church who have had long tenures are Fred Foote, Sr., 56 years; W. A. Gooksey, 32; John Hobin, 30; D. W. Freeland, 27; W. E. Young, 26; and A. D. Buchanan, 24. -- 58 -- |
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