The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-10-07
SYNOD Of NORTH
CAROLINA BEGINS
Celebration of Tooth Anniver.
sary tuesday
OF ITS "CHURCH COURT"
Little Church in AIamance Co.,
Near Greensboro, the Scene
Of the Gathering-Prelimi
nary Story Of Event of State
wide Interest.

my MLA61AL D4A1C.
Alamance church, in Guilford coun-
~. six miles east Of Greensboro, North
Carolina. will be the scene of a gath
erIng of more than usual interest and
Importance on Tuesday, Octobar 7th.
ON that day the Synod Of Moth Car
dina. of the Presbyterian Church in
he United States will assemble in
'tat church to celebrate the one hum
diedth anniversary Of lis organization
A. a church.
The commonly in Which Alamance
church is located Is composed, for tie
most part, of Scotch-Irish people and
Judging from the oldest deeds that
are now in existence in the county, it
was in 1871 that the first settlers came
20 the county. William Cusach gave
- the church a deed for o35 acres Of
land in 1859 and upon this property
the first church buildins-a log
meeting house-was erected and u
ms the years hat have passed since
then three other church buildings
have been built in it's stead: 1irst a
frame house, then a modest one OF
brick, which was taken down In 1871
because it was deemed unsafe, Gid IL
l.19 the present house of VOL ship
which is a substantial one OF brick
VAS erected. Within the past few
months this church building has bee,
thoroughly ~remodeled. The s3aun,
capacity of the church is
h,e hundred 10 six hundred. In az
dition to the recent impro tclnei-t
made in the church the re-furLlsn;ng
A gas lighting system and furnac
have been installed. thus giving to tn
membership Of this church Of ms
toIic interest Of the best cOtntr
church buildings to be found II. III
General Assembly.
The Early Settlers.
Copies OF the Bible constituted q
important part Of the portable pro
erty Of the early settlers Of the Ala
mance community, as is evidenced b
numbers of copies to be seen theie s
this time thai pear dates early IN III
eighteenth century. The StrOnS rel
gious sentiment OF the
tho early days is shown fdr.ner t
tie fact that among the favorite boil
in the libraries there were the Confe'
sion of Faith, the Catechisr6, Pilgrim
Progress and FOx's Book Of Martyrs
The Alamance community, the tie
ritory of which extended over an are
of sixteen miles, grew rapidly aft
The deed TO the church property w;
received. The origin Of the name Al
nance is not known. Agriculture w
the first industry in which the Peep
of the community engaged.
Highest Court Church.
The original highest court Of t
Presbyterian church in America w
the Synod of Philadelphia, which w
organized in the eighteenth centu1
he Synod of New York was organiz
a short time afterwards and these Y
Synods were then united under I
name Of the United Synod Of Philad'
phia and New York. The General Z
sembly was constituted in 1882. a
IN the same ear what was known
The Synod Of the Carolinas was orSa
ized, embracing the territory of MOI
carolina and South Carolina, ana
was in 1913 that the separate Synt
If North Carolina and South Carroll
were organized. The first Presbyt'
south Of Virginia was organized
Hayfelds. North Carolina, in Septe
Der. 1870: il was given the ma
Orange P~resbytery, and Its terrlt'
included a large scope of country &
churches which are now in seve
states. Alamance church, in VII
the synod Of North Carolina was
"anized some years later, was IT
art IF this historic territory.
How It Was Organized.
The Synods of Philadelphia
New York sent ministers frequel
10 preach in settlements of Presb,
rians in the South and Southwest
10 administer the ordinances of
church. 1t was one Of these minist
Rev. Henry Patillo, who organi
Alamance church, probably in ]
The first pastor of this church
Rev. David Caldwell. a native
Pennsylvania, and the first chit
building was erected in 1852. II