Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-06-04

ritory with whom to organize church;
but they were not church people, and
the prospect Of making them such was
anything but inviting. The inhabitants
of the territory, with few exceptions,
were poor and ignorant. AS a rule
they had not only not had the benefit
of religious teaching from any denom-
ination; but with few exceptions they
were not intelligent enough to feel the
need of either school houses or church
es. Reference here is had to the ter
ritory covering a radius Of from two
to four or five miles from a point on
the Kings Mountain road-four miles
north of Yorkville-and Of which
Kings Mountain chapel is the centre.
The time of which mention is made
was in the early sixties. There were
not very many church people In the
Kings Mountain chapel territory then,
although the district was pretty thick
lily populated. Methodist preachers
were not so numerous in those days
as they are now; but they had no
less aggressive zeal, and it is to this
fact that the territory now under con-
sideration owes so much.
The first Methodist preacher to be-
gin work in this section was Rev. Mr..
Roper. This was along about 1864.
He managed to collect a small congre-
cation, principally Of women. and
preached from time to time at long
intervals as occasion would permit.
Others also assisted at intervals, and
in 1864, Rev. M. A. Connolly organized
church with II members.
We have not secured the names Of all
the earlier members. The old book was
not kept with as much accuracy as 1t
might have been; but among others
there are included the names Of Rhoda
Wood, Ann Clinton, j. M. Thomasson,
A. w. Beard. Hugh Venable, G. w.
Clinton and Agnes Mulholland, all in
good standing since the time they gave
in their names. For several years the
church did not make a great deal Of
progress. In fact some Of the material
was such that rapid progress was i'm
possible. The preachers and officers
did good work and much of it; but the
disadvantageous circumstances were
such that for several years it was cred
liable to them to be able to keep the
church alive at all.
The real history of Kings Mountain
chapel probably, does not commence
until about 1870. 1t was along about
then-the exact date is not at hand
that Rev. l.. A. Johnson began to give
the territory his attention. Up to this
time there was still no church build
ing. Services were held at the home of
first one and then another of the MEM
bers. Rev. Mr.. Johnson determined to
build the church up, and to that end
secured the cooperation of Messrs.
Joseph A. Smith and Isaac Davis.
1t was necessary, of course, to pro-
vide a house of worship as the first
move; but as has already been stated,
there was nobody to furnish the money
for the purpose. There was a consul
tation between Rev. Mr.. Johnson and
Messrs. Smith and Davis. and, as the
result they decided to build the house
themselves. Accordingly, with their
wagons, they went to the woods, haul
ed logs, and after long time, princi-
pally ny their own labor, had COM
pleted the construction of little build
ing that would answer their purpose.
1t was built of logs, covered with
boards, the floor was undressed pine,
and rough slabs served as benches.
The work was completed in 1876, and
the first sermon was preached in 1t by
the then Rev. L. L. Archer, now sena-
tor from Spartanburg and a prospec-
tive candidate for governor.
When all the work was done, there