Spring Tour: Scots-Irish Presbyterians Flood the Yadkin Valley
Our Spring 2025 Tour will explore the remarkable Scots-Irish Presbyterian settlement of the Yadkin Valley! Join us April 25-26 in Statesville for a two-day journey through Iredell and Rowan Counties.
The Great Wagon Road Journey
The Great Wagon Road from Philadelphia to Georgia stretched 700 miles. Families in Conestoga wagons traveled about five miles per day - the 400-mile journey to the Yadkin Valley took about 80 days with good luck! Ulster Scots, Quakers, Germans, and Moravians poured into the valley in the 1750s. Wherever Presbyterians settled, plans for a church would shortly follow, and when a good minister arrived, talk of a school or academy began.
Churches on the Tour
Thyatira Presbyterian Church - Founded in 1753 (formerly Cathey’s Meeting House), this is one of the oldest churches of any denomination in western North Carolina. Its first permanent pastor was Dr. Samuel Eusebius McCorkle, a Princeton graduate who founded the Zion-Parnassus classical school and was instrumental in establishing the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The church features an excellent museum.
Third Creek Presbyterian Church near Cleveland
Bethany Presbyterian Church near Statesville
Fort Dobbs State Historic Site
First Presbyterian Church, Statesville
Headquarters: Hampton Inn, Statesville
Registration due April 19 (see page 8 of newsletter)