The record., 1912-04-25
Liberty Church.

Liberty Church once stood and
ilourlshed many years. Liberty
was pioneer church house built
by the pioneer settlers back in the
early history of the county
six miles west of Greenville. At
the time Liberty was built Cum
berland Presbyterian congregation
was organized there by the Rev.
James Johnston, it being the first
Cumberland Presbyterian congrega-
ton organized in the county.
They held their regular meetings of
worship at Liberty until 1851,
when they built a new church house,
short distance south on the
HopkinsvIlle road, called Mount
Pisgah, where they afterwards held
their meetings.
Liberty church was built as an
union church house, free for all
denominations. The Methodist
people used Liberty as place of
worship until the latter part of the
1905, when they abandoned it.
Liberty church had a noted record
of religious worship and revivals.
1t was said to have been called
The Mother of Preachers. In
its early history a dozen young men
went out from Liberty into the
world and became noted preachers.
When Liberty church was built,
houses of worship were scarce in
the western part of the county;
also in the other parts. There
were no other places in the county
more noted for religious revivals
than Liberty. During the summer
and fall of every year there would
be protracted meetings held and
people and preachers of all denom-
nations would gather in and con-
tlnue for weeks. Large arbors
were made for out of door services.
Basket meetings were frequent and
cooking was done sometimes on the
grounds. These kinds of meetings
continued for years. No such
revival services take place now days.
The earnest appeals of preachers,
the Jealous songs, prayers and
shouts of JOY that were heard and
realized at Liberty long ago are
seldom heard in the |eligious wor-
ship OF today. -nsmbe ,he
pioneers as they wor'd shake hands
with each other with joy and hope.
Liberty was som etimes used as a
place for polIucal gatherings and
barbercues. 1t was also used as a
school house until 1855. when a
school house was built a mile cas-,
of Liberty, where the schools were
taught. In the early times there
was no achool district and the child
rem of fifteen fanatics came from a
radius of two miles to school a,
Liberty. The first school that we
attended was at Liberty. 1t was
taught by James +. Messic, sixty,
five years ago. Messic was young
Cumberland Presbyterian preacher
born in 1919 and died at Dixon,
Webster county, 1885. His pupils
ranged from 5 to 20 years of age,
thirty to forty in number
Liberty was then standing in the
midst of a beautiful forest grove,
surrounded by clustered oaks,
prowdly waving their aims OF green
foliage to the summer winds and
forming a delightful shade, all the
underground was cut out some dis
tance around. \ beautiful and
ample play grounds were extended
all around the house. In my
memory | can plainly see as If il
was but few days ago the children
that attended the school taught BY
Messic, coming up to Liberty along
the different roads and paths in the
early morning hours with thelI
baskets, buckets and books.
They were neatly dressed in home.
spun apparel and came with merry
hearts and rosy cheeks greeting
each other with a smile. 1t was an
ambition among the pupils to be
first at school and to get there be
fore book time, which gave some
chance for play. The old blue
back spelling book was used, and
it took two spelling books to
last some pupils through the school.
The old time readers were used.
We all admired the poem of the
sailor boy, Patrick Green, who
said, "Would you know my