The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1902-07-15

HISTORICAL SKETCH
OF Salem Baptist Church, Sparta. Va.

VI 'eA~m toPhSi ShutNu. Npdlids va.
The following il the full text of the his
tOrical address delivered on Thursday
last at Salem Baptist Church in Caroline
county on the occasion of the Centennial
celebration of that church by the pastor
Rev. Andrew BrOaddus.
""Ne have met today To celebrate the
hundredth anniversary of Salem Baptist
Church. 4 hundred years. What pro-
digous changes have taken place during
that period. How different the world
today from what it was when this organ
zetion was formed Let MS look for "A
lew moments TO the year 1902. The
memory OF the American Revolution was
still fresh in the minds OF the people It
had been only fifteen years since the fran
ing of the constitution of the States.
Washington. the greatest deliverer of his
country and the first president had been
dead only three years. and Jno. Adams.
his successor had just given the place TO
Thomas Jefferson.
The Republic was still an experiment.
The territory il covered was only "A small
part OF the vast region OF country which
has become the heritage OF children :
children. The great Louisiana tract. i'm
perial Texas, the cession of Mexico. the
Pacific slope. the gigantic Northwest were
all beyond Us. The population of the
whole country was only about five mil
lion, dt Is now fifteen times as great and
the cities were few and small
IL had been only ten years since the in
ventiOn of the cOttOn-gin the pioneer of
the revolutionary inventions There
were no steamboats,. no railroads. no tel
egraphic lines. no reapers no binders. or
mowers, or threshing machines and none
of the countless conveniences and inven-
tions which are connected with applied
electricity and which have so affected all
our habits of living. At that time there
were only one hundred and ten thousand
Baptists in the nitei States fewer 10y ten
thousand than the white Baptists OF Nir.
ginia today and about as many as were
baptized during last year.
In this state they had no college or
school of higher learning for il was long
before the day of Richmond College. or
the Woman College or Hollins Institute.
There were no missionary societies and no
such thing as foreign missions by the
Baptists OF America. Ii was nearly fif-
teen years before Judson 4 Rice stirred
our people with their mighty call
ndcr conditions such a. these Salem
Baptist Church was organized For
most oi the facts in connection with its
history and which are here mentioned
! am indebted to some notes left by my
father and TO my brother, Julian. who
furnishes two OF the sketches contained
in this paper | also quote Semple's
note on the organization of the church
lie says This church was taken off
from Upper King and Queen. Until the
year l1S1 there were scarcely any Bap-
lists within the precincts of this church
In this and the succeeding year was the
great revival in the neighboring churches.
viz: Upper King and Queen and Tucka,
hoe Upper Iionl. They met here as
upon halfway ground. In an arbor
where the meeting house subsequently,
stood. The meetings were exceedingly
powerful and great numbers were bap-
tized. most of them were united to Upper
King and Queen and fell under the care
OF Elder Noel; they remained as an arm
uf that church until SO2 when they were
constituted Ii may not be amiss to
say that the elder Andrew Broaddus was
among the converts at these arbor meet.
ings, and was baptized by Theoderick
Noel, May 25th. 1888
Ii would seem from a copy of the
church covenant adopted at their organ
ization that the brethren met on the
md day Of July, SO2, and organized and
that eight days later. July 10th, they
Z
their career as a church. That was Just
one hundred years ago today Who was
present at the organization OF the
church, who preached, what exercises
were held we have no means OF knowing
Nearly three generations have passed
away and the only thing that remains
of that days doings is copy OF their
church covenant. Allchurch records have
have been lost up to the year 1867 and
those since that time contain little of
historic interest.
Mr.. Noel was the first pastor Of the
church and served most acceptably and
efficiently for several years. My father
[ in the notes before referred to character
ICES him as "an earnest Jealous, popular
and successful prea cher and my grand
father in a tribute to him, written soon
after Mr.. Noel's death says that with a
considerable share of natural sagacity
and some degree of inventive power his
preaching talent was held in high esti-
nation by the mass OF his hearers though
1t was in what is called the gift of ex-
hortation that he was considered to
excel, with a voice deep toned and loud
but not harsh nor discordant and a
! flow OF words uttered in a sort OF tune
tul moderation and attended with con-
siderable JUNCTION his exhortatory ad-
dresses were powerfully impressive and
stirred feelings of many OF his auditors
to high degree" He was for a-number
OF years pastor of Upper King and Queen
and Upper Essex churches as well as OF
Salem. Semple says few men have been
more successful in the ministry than Mr.
Noel. Ii is probable he has baptised as
many persons as any other preacher no W
living in Virginia"
!
"a GA ~ 90 sx ~zS -