The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1897-03-18
HISTORIC EBEN EZER.
its Past Service and Present Needs-a New
Building to be Erected.

its Past Service and Present Needs-a New
Building to be Erected.
Located in the First district of Greene
county, Tenn, near Chucky City, two
miles below Earnest's bridge, on the
south bank of Nolachucky river, is per-
haps the most historic spot in Tennes-
see, speaking in religious sense, un-
less it be Old Salem, at Washington
College, Tenn. Picture to the imagi-
nation lovely wilderness of thick un-
dergrowth and dense forest trees that
tower SO high as to almost touch the
clouds, beautiful knoll whose eastern
limit was the blind bride path and
whose western borders were lashed by
furious and wrestless waves of the swift
flowing Nolacnucky; aplace whose only
visitor is the rude savage as he goes in
guest of food for his family or white
man who occasionally passes that way
to the trading post, place inhabited
by the Cherokee Indians, with the ex-
.ception Of very few white settlers
who had dared to penetrate the noun
tain fastness and enter the fertile valley
OF East Tennessee, and you have Meth
odist Ebenezer as it appeared in the
last half of the eighteenth century. In
what was then an almost uninhabited
forest Ebenezer church was organized.
From the best information we are
able to gather the organization of
Ebenezer church grew out of q meeting
held by Jacob Lurton, in the cabin of
Peter Cartright's father; but this was
some time before the the erection OF
the first church, which was in 1899.
The little church at Ebenezer was to
the Methodists what Samuel Doak' s
organization at Washington College,
Tenn, has been to the Presbyterian
church, 1t has indeed proven "store
of help" to early religious work. There
are many religiously historic facts con.
nected with Ebenezer, all of which We
will not be able to mention in this briet
article. Many of the most noted early
pioneers of Methodism have worshipeG
on this sacred spot.
During the first decade of the pres
ent century the now historic place was
visited by such eminent promoters o.
church work as Bishops Soule, George
and McKendry.
1t is quite probable that some of above
named Bishops visited this church O
the wilderness during the last decade
of the eighteenth century.
The first year of the present century
was made memorable to the Methodist
within the borders of the states of Ken
lucky, Virginia, North Carrlina anC
Tennessee, by the convening of an an
nual conference at Ebenezer in Septem
Der of that year, over which the illus
trious Bishop Asbury presided
1t was at Ebenezer the aged mothe
of the renowned Peter Cartright was
regular attendant for number of years
and here that renowned son joined tn
M. E. Church, in 1901, and was ordaine,
deacon at the same place in 1906. MI
Cartright became famous preacher
He was defeated for congress in Hi
nois by the immortal Abe Lincoln,
All of this work done at Ebeneze
was before the organization of the Hols
ton Conference. 1t is interesting t
note that Ebenezer was the nucleus q
we'll as the pillar of Methodism in tn
, then wilderness of the So called Wet
for many years.
The last conference held at Ebenezt
was in 1882, eight years after the organ
" ization of the Holston Conference.
t When the division took place in I'll
Church, Ebenezer remained the pro-
erty of the M. E. Church. Thus IL
memories of the old church are as del
to one branch of the church as ii
= other. The deed for the present chur(
lot was made by Felix Earnest in 1870
and the first building erected immed
ately thereafter.
Ebenezer cemetery is the buri
; ground of some of the oldest famili
| in East Tennessee.
, Henry Earnest came from German
to America at the age of 10 years, an
in early manhood, about the year II
or n settled on the south bank
J Nolachucky river at where is now Il
' residence of Nick P. Earnest. Hen
Earnest was the first of that name
come to Tennessee, and therefore is t
progenitor of the present generation
Earnests. He, with a majority of l
deceased posterity, sleep in this ancie
burial place.
Abraham G'fellers, father of the Ia
NJ. Gfellers, Esq, was class leader
Ebenezer for number of years. q
with his deceased offspring, await t
Z final Judgment in the tombs of Eber
zer.
Mr.. and Mrs. jeff. Reeve, parents
M. P. Reeve, who conceived the bril-
anthistorical idea of presenting Greer