The Burke County news. [volume] (Morganton, N.C.) 1899-1901, 1899-10-27

o""h OF MOrgantOn was then a
nrl,idee OF about four hundred souls.
me territory now embraced in Burke
county contained less than six tho,,.
sanu people These were generally
ee''ied along the streams and there
we're vast areas of timber lands. in
the county where deer, bears and other
wii1 game still roamed at will. James
q. Foik was President of the United
STATES and VIM. A. Graham was
governor OF North Carolina. At the
very time when the first hu;ld;no
committee was soliciting subscrintions
tor building of the Morpanton Metho-
dist Church., the noise Of the FIFE and
drum was heard on the streets of Mo-.
canton, ,and recruits were being hur-
rled to the front for the war with Mex-
lco which al to add Texas, California.
New Mexico and Arizona to the terri
tory OF this youthful republic.
The hrst Methodist Church built in
burke county was at Gilboa, FIVE miles
South of Morganton In 1846 the
churches at Cilboa and at McDowell's
Onapel, near the spot where Oak Hill
Methodist Church now stands, were
the only Methodist Churches in Burke
county.
On May 18th, 1876, the building
committee OF the new church purchased
from Col. Isaac T. Avery, of Swan
Ponds, h lot where the old Methodist
Church now stands. The lot mr.
chased was then outside Of the como
rate limits of the town of Morganton.
as appears from the deed. The lot
purchased embraced an acre and a
half, and the consideration paid was
fifty dollars. Thomas A. Dorsey. a
pillar in the church at Gilboa, Joseph
ID. Ferree, the Clerk of the Burke
County Court of Pleas and Quarter
Sessions, J. NJ. Happoldt, Tor manv
years n of Morganton's leading ply
sicians, William Fullwood, Jr., viii
liam Kincaid, John Dorsey and Benia-
min Stacey were the trustees to whom
the lot was conveyed. Rev. Simpson
Jones, James c. Smith, DR.. J.. M.
Happoldt, J. d. Ferree and Rev. J.
w. Puette were the building committee.
On June Goth, 1847, Rev. ]. w. Kelley
was appointed chairman of the build
ing committee, Mr.. Jones having been
removed to another field. Messrs.
Seagle and Jarrett were the contr actors
and the price paid for the building
was $859.23. For that day it was a
large n imposing church building
and was no doubt considered large
enough to meet the needs of the church
for many generations.
But twenty years later, in 1866,
Methodism in Morganton had prospered
and grown to such an extent that the
South Carolina Conference, her en-
bracing several counties in North Car
DINA was invited to hold it's next ses-
sion in the Morganton church. The
Srr1t<SOvo ~ ~~oDtod nv tho ~orfoe
ence and in December, 1867, that large
and influential body assembled here,
and was presided over by the sainted
Bishop David S. Doggett. In order to
accommodate the conference, the church
was enlarged and ~remodelled, he inn
provements then made costing one
thousand dollars.
From 1847 until 1876 Morganton
Church was a part of Morganton
circuit. At the session of conference
held in the fall of 1876 it was made a
station, and SO remained until 1880,
when it was again put into the circuit.
In the fall Of 1886 Morganton and
Marion were placed under the same
pastor ate and during 1889 and 1890 it
was associated with the church in
Hickory. At the close of 1890 the
charge was again made an independ-
ent station and since that time the
growth of the church has kept pase
with the growth of the town, and for
several years it has bee apparent
that the old building was no longer
adequate to the de-. ands Of the congre-
cation, and in 1895 it was resolved to
build a new and modern church. A
desirable lot, adjoining the parsonage
was purchased from Jeremiah Wood
ling by the Ladies Aid Society for
$500. co, and a movement was at once
inaugurated to raise the necessary
funds for erecting the building.