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Various Churches. (continued)

school house, meeting house or church, as was desired by those using it, to be open at all times to all alike. It was at this house that the first Methodist preacher first preached, but his name has been forgotten. Levi Blackburn lived near Jackson meeting House at that time, but soon afterwards sold out to Jonathan Norris and moved to Riddle's Fork at Meat Camp--a section then and since known as Hopewell. Here a log school house was used as a church when the congregation proved too large to be accommodated in Levi's hospitable home, where for many pears preaching was held whenever there chanced to be a preacher in the neighborhood. About that time another appointment was left at Elk Cross Roads, to which Levi Blackburn soon moved and where he died, and where he started another church, using his home or a log schoolhouse for the purpose for many years. This as far as Brother Grubb's information extends, but others state that when Henry Taylor come to live at Valle Crucis he became active in the cause of Methodism, and his family have since followed in his footsteps. He is said to have induced preachers to hold meetings in the orchard in rear of the present store house of W. W. Mast at Valle Crucis, in his own home and at Franklin Baird's home, a mile down the Watauga. As interest increased he acquired the home that had been occupied by "Old Man" Christoffle,(1) a chairmaker, who lived on the right hand side of the road going from Valle Crucis to Charles D. Taylor's present mill inside a field. This house was enlarged and was the firsh Methodist Church in that community. This was in the fifties. This small house was used only three or four years, when another was built where the present edifice now stands, long before the Civil War. The present large frame church was built in 1895. Among the more active pioneers in Methodism in this place were Joel and Levi Moody, Sally Tester, Franklin Baird, Andrew Mast and the first Joseph Shull. But its growth was slow for a long period. Among the first elders and preachers were Elder Haskew, who came from
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Note: (1) Tradition says that this man was judicially and judiciously whipped at Boone for having stolen "hawgs." One who saw the thirty-nine lashes'well laid on" remembers that the licks were struck with small willow switches, which made first white and then red stripes. Christoffle left the country after this disgrace.

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Tennessee long before the Civil War; Archelus Brooks and a Mr. Allspaw. Since the Civil War the church has grown to be the largest and most influential of the denomination in the entire county, most probably.

Henson's Chapel.-- According to Col. Thomas Bingham, Elizabeth Whitlow was the first Methodist who ever came to what is now Watauga County. She came with her family when they were on their way to Tennessee in 1810 or 1811, and, becoming snow-bound on Brushy Fork, became acquainted with Golston Davis, whom she afterwards married. Golston followed her to Tennessee, where they were married, and soon returned and started a Methodist community. This is probably the Davis with whom the first itinerant left an appointment, as stated by Cyrus Grubb. But there was no Methodist Church for a long time, the first Methodist preacher who passed up Cove Creek using the log Baptist Church which formerly stood on the site on which the present Walnut Grove Academy now stands. But he preached largely, if not entirely, to Baptists, and when he offered to leave another appointment there objection was made. Whereupon, this Methodist preacher asked if there was not some member of the congregation who would open the doors of his home for the next appointment, and Golsten Davis offered his own home for that purpose. It is said that Davis was not a very prepossessing looking man, and that up to that good hour his wife had been more charmed with the beauty of his heart than with the pulchritude of his person. But when he rose and made this offer, tradition says she declared that he was "pretty," using a generic word for good looks which is still common with our people. At that meeting at Davis's house only two or three were present. This was near Amantha and that preacher's name was Greer. From this nucleus grew the present large Methodist community which worships at Henson's Chapel, built about 1868, the widow of Charles Henson having donated the land for that purpose. Her name was Elizabeth, and she came with her husband from Iredell County about 1829, or 1830. The present house, replacing the one built in 1868, was built about 1885. This congregation is credited with paying more money

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for all purposes than any other Methodist Church in the county, having contributed this year $563.00, of which $360.00 is for the pastor's salary. It has 196 members, of whom J. B. Horton, Don Horton, Thomas Bingham and J. C. Henson are very active and earnest. Among those most prominent in the past are recalled the names of George M. Bingham, John Combs, Thomas Harbin and wife, Charles Henson and his wife, Elizabeth, George Moody, Mrs. Eli Farmer and Golson Davis and wife. Among these who preached here in the distant past were Messrs. Miles, Joshua Cole, Tillett, Blackburn and Martin. Sheriff A. J. McBride was for a time a Methodist preacher, but toward the close of his life became a Baptist minister, dying in that faith.

The Boone Methodist Church.-- This was organized soon after the close of the Civil War, meetings having been held prior to that time in the court house and elsewhere. But about 1873 land was bought on the hill on which now stands the residence of J. M. Moretz and a church seating 600 erected. This was used till September, 1897 (Deed Book T, p. 369), when M. B. Blackburn sold them the small lot on which the present church was built. The Gardin, Winkler, Blair, Norris, Blackburn, Lovill, Bingham, Councill, Critcher, Rivers and Linney families are prominent in this church.

Other Churches.-- After the Civil War the third church was built at Elk CrossRoads, after which J. N. and his wife, Nancy, Norris conveyed land to G. W. Norris and C. A. Grubb and others, as trustees in April, 1886, at Fairview, where a large congregation worships (Deed Book l, p. 575). On the 4th of February, 1882, George W. Dugger conveyed to Thomas Proffitt, R. N. Culver, E. H. Banner, J. H. Perry and A. J. Proffitt, as trustees, land for a Methodist Church at Banner's Elk, which church was soon afterwards erected. In this community the church is quite strong, its members having worshipped before acquiring this land in a common meeting house used by all denominations. On the 19th day of April, 1902, John W. Hodges and wife and Robert L. Bingham conveyed to L. H. Michael and others, as trustees, land at Rutherwood for a

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Methodist Church, which was soon afterwards erected (Deed Book Z, p. 142). The first Methodist Church at Hopewell was a small log house which stood in rear of the present home of Wiley W. Blackburn on the land of Joseph Miller. It has been built by Levi Blackburn and his sons about 1850, but afterwards a frame church was erected 100 yards above the site of the first log structure. This stood till about 1900, when the present house was built about 300 yards from the former. As well as Rev. Lorenzo Dow Cole, who for years has been the chaplain of the Nimrod Tripey Camp, Confederate States Veterans, now recalls, the first Methosist preacher in this coundt found Aunt Elizabeth Cooper on Meadow Creek, away back in the earliest days, and left an appointment at her house, and when Cyrus A. Grubb was a boy they were preaching in an out-house in her yard. Out of this in 1885 grew the present Cranberry Church. One of the earliest Churches built was at John Morhew's, and later on near Lazton's Creek. About 1875 the Blackburns and Grahams built a church at Todd. It is called Blackburn Chapel. Rev. James Daly Joseph Haskew and -----------Clawton were presiding elders prior to the Civil War. Among the preachers who have served the Methodist Churches since the war are Messrs. George Stewart, G. W. Miles, L. L. Cralock, B. W. S. Bishop, Taylor, Wheeler, Cook, Cordel, Blair, Bagley, Vestal, Jones and Bennett.

A Family of M. E. Church Preachers. -- William Matney and John Wright with their families came from England to America just after the close of the Revolutionary War and settled in Virginia, near the James River, William finally locating in Pittsylvania County, where he spent the remainder of his life. He was a strict John Wesley type of Methodist. Two of his children, John and James, are remembered yet by his North Carolina descendants, John having married Nancy Wright, a daughter of John Wright above named, and after a few years removed from Pittsylvania to a farm near the Moravian Falls, in Wilkes County, and , after most of his children were grown, he sold this farm and moved to Caldwell. He had a large family of children, was a scholary man for his day, taught

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school, conducted religious services and was an effective, oldtime Methodist exhorter. All of his five boys married except one who died at fourteen, while all fo his seven girls followed their example, one of them marrying Adam Hampton, of Watauga, and the others Caldwell and Wilkes County men. John Matney's eldest son, William, settled in Missouri; John was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg, while James and Thomas became itinerant Methodist preachers of the M. E. Church. Thomas came to Watauga County just after the close of the Civil War, and James followed in 1871, both preaching in the bvounds of the Blue Ridge circuit. James Matney organized six of the churches of this circuit, the first having been in 1865 and in the home of Samuel Brown, the grandfather of R. M. Brown. Thomas Matney had eight boys, six of whom were preachers. Two have died and two others have gone to other States, while two still remain members of the Blue Ridge Atlantic Conference. Thomas Matney died at Montezuma, now in Avery County, while James Matney died at this home in Watauga, February 28, 1914, aged ninety-one years, his widow and three children still residing here. One son, Prof. W. W. Matney, resides in Asheville. The men of this family seem specially called to preach and all are law-abiding citizens and friends of education, temperance and progress.

Methodist Episcopal Churches.-- This branch of the Methodist Church did not begin its work in this section till after the close of the Civil War. There is a church of this denomination on the Blue Ridge, known as Brown's Chapel, and others at the mouth of Grassy Creek, on the head of Valley Creek and at Silverstone, and the Pine Grove Methodist Church one mile from Antioch Baptist Church on lower Watauga.

Primitiva Baptists.-- For years this church, also called Hard Shells, Anti-missionary, etc., Baptists, were the prevailing denomination of this entire mountain country. They were the pioneers and fought the first battles with sin in this wilderness, led by preachers who refused all compensation for their services as ministers of the gospel. A church of that faith is still flourishing

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on the upper Watauga, near Shull's Mills. It seems that the real name of this denomination is simply "Baptists."

The Presbyterian, Southern.-- There is a flourishing church of this denomination at Banner's Elk, which was established there about 1900, and another at Blowing Rock, established in 1898. That there are schools with both these churches goes without saying, as with this denomination beside the foundation stone of Christ and Him crucified is always laid still another foundation stone, EDUCATION. The good work these churches are doing is simply incalculable. With them, faith without works is dead, while to be in true fellowship with them, one must prove his faith by his works. Schools, hospitals, orphanages, domestic science and other practical and helpful enterprises, signalize this denomination wherever it is found. Gradually the descendants of the old Scotch Covenanters are returning to the home of their great-great-grandfathers, always to remain.

The Lutherans.-- This church is the Protestant Church of Germany, having been founded long before Henry the Eighth established the Church of England. Martin Luther believed that the people were entitled to red the interpret the entire Bible, and to that end defied the Diet at Worms with words that will live forever: "Here I stand, God helping me. I can do no otherwise." The large German and Dutch element of our population required a church of this character, and one was established at Valle Crucis before Bishop Ives arrived in 1842. Among these were William Van Dyke, Andrew and Alexander and James Townsend, Harey Hillers, Samuel Lusk, members of the Herman Family, and David Shook, all Lutherans. Their church stood to the left of the road going from Mast's store at Valle Crucis toward the Mission School, in alittle flat above Dr. Perry's, nearly opposite the site of the first Methodist Church. It was here that Christian Moretz preached, while others came occasionally. It is mentioned in the"Life of W. W. Skiles" that members of this church worshipped with the Valle Crucis Mission during the time of Bishop Ives. Timothy Townsend is now a vestryman of the Episcopal Church at Valle Crucis. Prior to the sstablishment of this church at Valle Crucis, about 1845,

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according to Alfred J. Moretz, his father, John Moretz, established the first Lutheran Church in the county near Soda Hill, in a small school house. This church was visited in summer months by Lutheran ministers from Lincoln, Iredell and Catawba counties. These preached at first in German. Among the first of these preachers were Alfred J. Fox, of Lincoln; Jonathan and Timothy Mosers, of Catawba, and Father Henry Goodman, of Iredell, and Adam Elfird, of Lincoln. The first sermon was preached at Lookabill school house. The Lutheran Church was not built there till after the Civil War, say, 1866 or 1867. A new church replaced the first about 1890. Another Lutheran Church was built about 1900 at the head of Meat Camp Creek. There is also one on Dutch Creek at Valle Crucis, while there is a small congregation at Gap Creek. The Moretz, Winebarger, Woodring and Davis families, of Meat Camp, were attendants of these churches. There is a German Reformed Church at Blowing Rock, with Rev. John Ingle as pastor. The Lutherans, under the leadership of Rev. Mr. Carpenter, are preparing to build a church edifice in Boone.

The Episcopalians.-- In addition to the facts stated in Chapter VII, it should be recorded that on June 26 1882, the late D. B. Dougherty conveyed to the Diocese of North Carolina a lot in Boone opposite the late Dr. W. B. Councill's home place. (Deed Book "J," page 488.00 Shortly thereafter George W. Council was given the contract to build the present St. Luke's Church. After Mr. Savage's arrival, in 1903, a vestibule and chancel were added to the original building.