The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-07-28

In 1920 we are told, or perhaps III
1877, as is stated by some, society
was formed in this neighborhood foc
the purpose of religious worship by
Rev. Kelsy Cor Kelso) and OF
which the following were members
Eli Bowie and family, James Auntry
and family, John Hulins and family,
Thomas Davis and family, Johnson
and family, William Close and fam
ilE1Mrs. Chandler and Thomas Law
son and family. This society met for
awhile at the home of Eli Bowie and,
no doubt, at the homes Of others of
its membership. There was then no
established place of worship. The So
eiety grew out of desire on the
part of it's members to organize a
branch of the Methodist church.
Eli Bowie, the first class leader
in the church, had been converted to
the Christian faith at a revival meet
ing held on the Hodges-Abbeville
road sometime before. He and his
wife, it is stated by the older heads
in the family, had walked from their
home near the present site of this
church to the point of the revival
meeting, said to have been located
Eear the residence of the late An
drew Stevenson on the Hodges-Abbe-
vile road. AS there was certainly nc
other. Methodist church in the county
then nearer than Cokesbury, it. is
likely that the other members of the
church, or society, also Joined the
Methodist church at this meeting, or
at similar meetings, which were Of
ten in those days held by the Metho-
dist preachers. Rev. Joseph Travis
tells us that when he was located at
Mt. Ariel (Cokesbury) he often held
meetings in the surrounding country,
visiting among other places Able
vile Court House, where Methodist
church was organized according to
the date on the corner stone of the
Abbeville church in 1928. It was to
meetings of this kind that the older
Bowies and the others OF the men,
bers went, and where they embraced
the Methodist faith. The whole of
this section or that part settled at
all was settled by Presbyterians. The
Bowies themselves were of the Scot
tish Presbyterian church, though Eli
Bowie had not been member of any
church prior to his connection with
Giigal.
1t is stated that a brush arbor
was built at the present site of this
church in 1920, and services began to
be held here. The land upon which
the services were held belonged then,
as it is stated to US, to one John Nc
Kee, who resided at the old B. H.
Eakin homestead, now owned BY
Mrs. John Henry Greene and her chill
Gren. There was objection to the To-
cation Of the church at this point by
r::cmbers Of the Presbyterian church
l., the neighborhood, but Mr.. Mckee
:; laid to have taken the position that
if the Methodist church was design
ed by the Master for good it would
live, and if not then it would not
long remain to trouble the neighbor-
hood. So far as we are able to learn
now no deed was made to any part
CT the grounds upon which the arbor
wc.s erected. Perhaps there was some
kind of a license, maybe verbal and
maybe written. 1t cannot be told now,
because the records of Abbeville
County have been twice destroyed
by fire and there is no way by which
to trace the title.
In 1921 a log church was built,
which stood, as we'll as we are able
to learn just to the rear of the pres
ent church, though we are not sure
of this. 1t may seem strange that the
members of the church would erect