Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1911-07-12
MT. CREEK CHURCH.
Historical Article of Great Val.
ue From Last Weeks Is
sue of The Green
wood Index.

time ago, Mr.. H. L. Watson, the
versatile editor ,of the Greenwood
Index, is making several automo'
bile tours of Greenwood county and
is writing series of valuable ar
ticles for his paper, giving much
hitherto unrecorded local history.
The following is what Mr. Watson
has TO say of Mountain Greek
church, which is an important fac
tor in the Edgefeld association:
Mountain Creek church is only
short distance from this house.
The building is back few hundred
yards from the road we are in, sur
rounded by what appears to be a
rather extensive forest. The still
ness is impressive at the time we
reach it late in the afternoon, and
tends to the development of solemn
thinking. The church building is
large and substantial, the third
building of the name. The ceme-
terv is large and here one will find
many familiar names and some un-
familiar to those not we'll acquainted
with this section, yet any one who
has lived or visited in this commu-
nifty will recall them as acquaint-
ances or has heard of them from
others. Among the names noted
are, Sheppard, Holloway, Self,
Kemp, burst, Schenck, Alton, De-
Wore, Still, Hughes, Clegg, Trapp,
Harling, QUITS, Holmes, Wilson,
Harvely, Garner, Gardener, Street,
Burton, Dorm, Minor, and others.
The grave of chief interest here is
that of Rev. John Trapp, who serv-
ed this church 42 years. On his
tomb it is stated that he was born
Oct. 9th, 1898 and died June 9th,
1876. Also IT, he served Noun
tain Creek church 40 years, Little
Stevens Creek church 9s years,
Bethany church 81 years and Bold
Spring church 20 years. He preach
ed indeed all around this section,
churches having him as a pastor for
less than 90 years are Bot enume-
rated. z
Among the older persons buried
here as noted were, John G. Garner
born Dec. 8, 1902; Gardner, stone
broken, born l77s; Michael Schenck
born Nov. 13, 1910; VIM. II. tlegg
born Dec. 80, 1916.
"One thing that will even i'm
press casual visitor is the frequen-
cy of the Masonic emblem on grave
stones here. This is due to the
prominent place held in this COM
munity for so many years by Friend
ship Masonic Lodge. 1t will be
noted later.
As to the church itself, it ap-
pears that before the church was
established or organized there was
school house on this site. In a
sketch of this church prepared some
years ago and published in Chap
mans History of Edgefeld county,
so-called, it is stated that the rec
ords of the church had been lost but
from the best information obtain
able the church was organized in
1898. A few sentences further on
it is stated that the church was or
ganized by Rev. Nicholas w.
Hodges, missionary preacher of
the Edgefeld association, who had
been preaching in the school house
which stood where the church is
now. This is the same Rev. Mich
olas w. Hodges whose grave was
noted at Mt. Moriah and the state
ment here that the church was or
ganized through his efforts cannot
be fact for the reason that it is
stated on Mr.. Hodges tombstone at
Mt. Moriah that he was born Jan.
1st, 1887, just a year before, accord
ing to this statement, he organized
the church. According to the data
his tombstone he was not bap-
tized until May, 1926, which was
at Horns Greek church and was Ii
censed to preach at Edgefeld in
June, 1926. The statements as to
the origin of the church are in good
faith, however, and there is in all
likelihood ground for the belief that
there was church here at the be-
ginning of the nineteenth century,
though there is no proof of it avail
able at this time. Someone ought to
go into the matter thoroughly and
ascertain the facts. Mr.. j. L. An
drews who took deep and active
interest in the church when he lived
at Kirksey, being superintendent of
the Sunday school, set down the
statements first made as having
been given to him by older settlers,
but he did not know of the discrep-
ancy proven by the date of Rev. N.
w. Hodges birth. The sketch is
printed in Mr.. Chapman's book, but
to this extent it is an error. This
is merely set down here to show
how easily we can run into grave
errors in making permanent records
The care and caution which needs
to be exercised is sometimes very
foreign to those who write down