250th Anniversary Battle of Moores Creek

The Battle of Moores Creek occurred on February 27, 1776. It was the first N.C. battle in the American Revolution, the Lexington and Concord of the South.

Recent Scottish Highlanders had taken oaths of loyalty to the Crown as a condition of immigration. Some had fought for the successful British in the recent French and Indian War and pride, smashed at Culloden, was bolstered by magnificently kilted and piped Highland regiments now embraced by the Crown.

Hopewell Presbyterian Church

The origins of Hopewell P.C., located in Huntersville near Charlotte, goes back to circa 1750 when John Thompson, a Presbyterian missionary, preached at several sites south of the Yadkin River. The preacher Alexander Craighead was responsible for the first meeting house (church), a log cabin in 1765. In 1746, New Side Scots-Irish Presbyterians, favoring a more dramatic and passionate church, founded the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University. Craighead was a New Side zealot and is considered the father of several Charlotte area churches, each populated largely by Scots-Irish settlers who predominately arrived by the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road.

Scots Irish Presbyterians Flood the Yadkin Valley

The North Carolina Presbyterian Historical Society will gather on Friday and Saturday, April 25-26, 2025, for their annual Spring Tour of churches and historical sites. The tour will convene at Thyatira Presbyterian Church in Rowan County with registration beginning at 10:30 a.m. Friday’s events continue to Third Creek Presbyterian Church near Cleveland and the final church of the afternoon will be Bethany Presbyterian Church near Statesville. The Hampton Inn in Statesville will be the headquarters for the tour and the site of overnight accommodation. Saturday’s events include a visit to Fort Dobbs State Historic Site and First Presbyterian Church in Statesville.

Buffalo Presbyterian Church and David Caldwell

Buffalo Presbyterian Church was founded in 1756, a short time before the founding of Greensboro and the establishment of our state and nation. David Caldwell, an important educator and politician, was the first minister of Buffalo and served for 55 years. Caldwell was also the first minister at nearby Alamance Presbyterian Church which was founded in 1764. Buffalo was an old side congregation while Alamance was a new side one. There were no doctrinal arguments, but the Alamance church adopted a new more enthusiastic worship style influenced by the “awakenings” occurring nationally. Caldwell did not see this as a religious problem. Rev. Caldwell is buried in the Buffalo cemetery.

Exploring Our Heritage: Montreat and Asheville

We are really excited about our two-day tour this spring! On Friday afternoon we will be given a great introduction to the riches of the Presbyterian Heritage Center at Montreat. The Center occupies the purpose-built archives building on Georgia Terrace that was constructed for the Historical Foundation of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. After reunion it became the Montreat branch of the Presbyterian Historical Society. In 2006 it was decided to close the facility and transfer records either to the PHS in Philadelphia or to Columbia Seminary in Decatur GA.

West Raleigh Presbyterian Church, Raleigh NC

West Raleigh was chartered in May 1927 to serve over two hundred students and about 40 professors and other employees of NC State. The majority of the first 60 plus members came from First Presbyterian. Two of those visionaries were the much-loved professor of English, Dr. T.P. Harrison, and long-time Dean of Students, E.L. Cloyd.

The congregation met in buildings on NC State’s campus until a sanctuary was built at the church’s current location—land that only a decade earlier had been part of the old state fairgrounds—was built. The current sanctuary was dedicated in 1952, and the education building was built in 1960.

A Journey Back In Time: Early Granville and Vance Counties

Oxford Presbyterian Church in the lively county seat of Granville County was organized in 1818, just two years after the establishment of the town, by members from Grassy Creek (est. 1755). Services were held at the Oxford Academy until 1830 when a building was completed. The present building was built in 1892, and they have a wonderful hand-built organ. The congregation spent 2018 celebrating its 200 years of history.

Presbyterians and the First State University

In 1789, North Carolina became the first state to authorize the establishment of a public university funded at least in part by the state. In 1793 the author of that law, William Richardson Davie and other trustees laid the cornerstone of the first building, now known as Old East. Students arrived in 1795, and UNC was the only state university to grant degrees in the eighteenth century.

Dr. Harold J. Dudley: General Secretary Synod of North Carolina

A new book is out on the history of Presbyterians in North Carolina! A History of the Sources and Development of Presbyterianism in North Carolina by the Rev. Harold J. Dudley, D.D., covers briefly the growth of Presbyterianism in Europe, and then details the earliest Presbyterian settlers in North Carolina, the first ministers and churches, and the trials and gradual expansion of the denomination to 1813 when the Synod of North Carolina was established. The final chapter is an overview of the history of that synod from 1813 to 1983. The appendices include chronological and biographical listings of all Presbyterian ministers who worked in or visited the state before 1813; a chronological list of Presbyterian churches organized from the beginning to 1967; and a listing of churches that have been dissolved over the years. Also included are an outline history of the courts of the church, a list of synod moderators and clerks, a bibliography, and an extensive index. In all, it comes to almost 500 pages.

Culture and Conflict: Presbyterian Missions to Native Americans

Dr. Nancy Midgette, professor emerita of history at Elon University, served as Senior Research Historian at the Presbyterian Heritage Center, primarily researching and designing exhibits. One of her notable projects examined “Cultures & Conflict: The 350-year History of Native Americans and Presbyterian Missions.” The exhibit is wide-ranging, with information about missions across time and across the country, addressing the deeper questions of culture and conflict. Why did some missionaries fail so miserably in their attempts to convert Native Americans to Christianity? And why did some missions succeed? European Americans generally had a hard time understanding Indian cultures, if they even tried to do so. This was, and still is, a problem for Presbyterians as well as others, and one that we have paid little attention to.

Historic Churches in Granville and Vance Counties

Many Presbyterians are not aware that this area of northeastern North Carolina was one of the first regions settled by Scotch-Irish Presbyterians coming down from Pennsylvania through Virginia. They were encouraged to move into the area by land speculators from Ulster in the north of Ireland who had been granted a huge tract of land south of the Virginia border in 1737, with the stipulation that they bring in settlers. So why did the Scotch-Irish begin arriving in Granville? It all had to do with the roads.

Rural Churches and Railroads: Moore and Richmond Counties

This year our tour was in a part of the Scottish settlements we have not visited before. In the 18th century and well into the 19th, Scots settled in the Cape Fear basin and all across the Sandhills, establishing Presbyterian churches where they could. We began our tour at one of these churches, Jackson Springs Presbyterian, which celebrated its 200th anniversary. After a mineral spring was found near an extensive “Scotch Settlement,” a preaching stand was set up in 1817 to draw the occasional visiting preacher. By 1819 the Rev. John Patterson was their stated preacher, and he officially organized the Mineral Spring Presbyterian Church. In 1889 the name was changed to Jackson Spring.

Spring in “Connemara” and the Blue Ridge Mountains

Our Spring Tour for 2016 took us to the Lower Blue Ridge region of southwestern North Carolina, where we explored the stories of those who settled in this area and visited some of their churches and old cemeteries. We were in the PCUSA Presbytery of Western North Carolina and in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian’s Synod of North Carolina.

Exploring Colonial North Carolina – Edenton

The Spring Tour for 2015 brought the North Carolina Presbyterian Historical Society to the tidewater region of the Albemarle Sound and northeastern North Carolina in New Hope Presbytery. This area is rich in beauty and history—but not in Presbyterians! What was colonial religion like where the Church of England was dominant?

The tour began with our gathering on the waterfront in the beautiful town of Edenton. The Penelope Barker House is home to the Edenton Historical Commission and its visitors’ center.

Summerville Presbyterian Church and the Problems of Preserving Historic Churches

The Summerville Presbyterian Church is located near Lillington in the heart of North Carolina in Harnett County. The church was established in 1811 as Tirzah, the first daughter of Barbecue Presbyterian Church. The church building and cemetery were included on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

The community of Summerville and the Summerville Presbyterian Church have intriguing histories that predate the establishment of Harnett County. From colonial days onward, the population of the upper Cape Fear region grew steadily, due to the commercial importance of the river for trade and agriculture. The good citizens of northern Cumberland County wanted a more convenient location to do their political business, and for over 100 years had tried several times to get the colonial government and General Assembly to agree to their wishes. When Harnett County was finally established in 1855, the center of the new county, already the home of the highly regarded Summerville Male and Female Seminary, was selected to be the county seat.

A Golden Tour for Our 50th Birthday: Eastern Guilford and Alamance

Peacehaven Community Farm

Peacehaven Community Farm near the village of Whitsett in eastern Guilford County is an 89-acre facility, and its name wonderfully describes the setting and its purpose. Inspired by the L’Arche communities in Europe, Peacehaven was established to provide a safe and loving community for special-needs adults where their gifts are recognized. The farm also gives opportunities for others in the area to develop relationships with the residents and staff. The beautiful rolling hills on the banks of Lake Mackintosh provide organic gardens, beautiful woodlands, and verdant pastures – everything that a sustainable and earth-friendly farm must have.