Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1925-07-24
TOWN CHURCHES
HAVE PROGRESSED
Religious Atmosphere of Community
Indicated BY Progress-Edin-
barg's Churches a Magnet

81 Only those people who hav,
reached the three-score and tel
j period can have distinct knowledg,
or clear remembrance of the "Ole
Brick Church on the HILL
Why our fathers built their only
place of worship on that high hill
so hard to reach, is one of the hard
Il to-understand things of the past
/ True, the view, when one had at
! tanned the eminence, was delightful
but people are not supposed to &c
to church to look over the land.
scape. But, be that as it may, they
| did build their church near the tor
of the hill, near to the spot on which
L. c. Evans beautiful bungalow now
stands.
Il The trustees of the church were
Messrs. E. B. Whissen, G. Conner and
DR.. D. w. Prescott, all of them hav-
| ing long since passed over the river
of death.
/ During the week days, the church
was used as a school house and the
majority of the boys and girls who
| attended school there have gone to
their eternal reward A few of them,
as old men and old women yet abide
with us and from these we have
| cleaned the few facts we have, about
the old church. 1t was not used for
several years prior to the Civil War
and soon after the surrender, in
1865, Mr.. B. F. Murray bought the
old building and tore it down. The
brick were used for chimneys in the
hotel Mr.. Murray was building and
which was burned to the ground in
our great fire of December 21, 1895.
Mr.. w. H. Wightman bought the best
of the lumber and used it in part in
building the large stable, which stood
between the properties now occupied
by r. ]. Lantz and Mrs Eckstine.
This stable was also burned in the
great fire The land on which the
old church stood was donated by
some of the Downeys, and is now
owned by l.. C. Evans We suppose
all denominations used the house.
as it was known as free church
We have been unable to ascertain
when all Of the several denomina-
tions we now have began to hold
services here and who were the pas
tors This is to be regretted, but the
people of those days were not given
to writing down, to them the every
day facts and which would today be
historical matters of great satisfac-
ton.
The Old School or Iron Side Bap-
lists were very strong in this sec
ton years ago. but they never had
a church building here and for years
they have had not preaching and no
members. A halfFentury ago the
names of "Saf" Kiser. Bootens, Men
ifee, all preachers of that denomina-
ton, were household names.
United Brethren i'm Christ
| From early records of the Church
of the United Brethren in Christ, we
learn that Rev p H. Thomas, a min
lister of that denomination, began to
preach here, at irregular intervals.
| in 1929 His ministry was attended
with success and in 1874. Rev. J..
hardwood organized the church and
Edinburg became a regular preach
ing place for that church.
In 1853, the first church building
was completed and dedicated Rev
w. R. Coursey was the pastor at that
time.
Many of us yet living. remember
that old church, standing sidewise to
Center Street, with the main en-
end. The pulpit, reached by a fight
of steps, stood at the south end of
the church and row of long benches
on each side of the same. These
were called the amen corner"
benches and were occupied by the
leading members of the church. The
first bench stood on the floor. the
next was raised one step, and the
next one step above that, and so on
to the end of the building The con-
tinual rise of the seats was so great
that at the north end of the church
the people sitting there were above
the preacher and "a tall man could
| almost touch the ceiling. Sometimes
a person would stumble on the steI
| on which the benches were placed
/; and blunder and fall almost the
J length of the building, before hi
/! could balance himself again. Per
| haps the boys did not enjoy such al
| exhibition, but the writer has beer
| more than once reproved by his par
ents, after getting home, for laugh
ing when such an accident occurred
Some years after the Civil War
! Rev. Mr.. Freed was sent to tn
]. charge and he had the old churcl
= turned around so that the end face,
\ the street. He also took out the stair
steps and had the seats put on
II level. In 1915, under the pastoral
II of Rev. r. M. Young, the church wa
II practically rebuilt and is now a yer
II comfortable and attractive churc
II building At this time, Rev. d. c
Brimlow is the pastor of the church
II For the above information, We ar
II lindahted III Mr. r. G Ran