Nine Active Congregations In This Section-First Minister Of Salem Church Preaches Here In 1831.
From the 1938 centennial edition of The Times-Register
In the community embracing what is now the territory of Roanoke County, for a history of Presbyterianism one just needs to go back to the earlier period of the settlement of this portion of the state. As early as 1740 or a little earlier there were a few scattered families of Presbyterians, and wherever those Scotch-Irish went they carried their religion with them. They truly came to possess the land in the strength of Jehovah, and at once established meeting places where they could worship God. Sometimes they met in the little cabin homes, sheds and barns, and sometimes seated on split logs out in a clearing in the woods.
In tracing the growth of the church think first of the isolated family groups of families of like faith, the holding of Divine services on the occasional visit of some consecrated minister, the effecting of a church organization, the joining with other denominations, alike weak in numbers but strong in faith and courage, to build union meeting houses and Free churches, and when their numbers and the condition of roads made it possible, the colonization of several groups and the building for their exclusive use of log churches and later small but neat frame and brick buildings which immediately preceded the more commodious churches of today.
Old Meeting Places
A few of the names of the old meeting places follow: Catawba, Sinking Spring, Brown’s meeting house, Tinker Creek, a house on Col. J. S. Brown’s farm, Craig’s Creek, Piney Grove, Ebenezer, Blue Ridge and New Antrim. One of the early Presbyterian Churches of this community was Cave Spring Church. It was a substantial brick church built in the old way with a gallery around three sides of the auditorium and it stood for many years until torn down in 1922 or 1923. Dr. W. C. Campbell said he preached in Cave Spring Church a number of times. The old pioneer ministers who preached to these congregations and others, carried with them certificates to prove their license to perform marriages.
The most interesting one of those old churches for this sketch is “Ebenezer” which was on Peter’s Creek about two miles east of Salem. Organized about 1801 or 1802, it was built of poorly made brick and after being used for twenty years and more, was abandoned and in 1931 when a marker was erected on the spot, all that remained of it was the outline of the foundation and a few scattered bricks lying around. From about 18000 Rev. Robert Logan, a faithful frontier minister preached in this section at “Ebenezer” once a month and at other points in the community, living and preaching also at Fincastle, which town was named for the country estate in England of Lord Botetourt. At the organization of “Ebenezer” William Walton and Thomas Brown were made ruling elders. Col. Elijah McClanahan was ordained an elder in 1807. The membership was twelve. The Presbyterians also held services in a log meeting house in Salem built by the Methodists in 1813. In 1822 Nathaniel Calhoun succeeded Mr. Logan and continued as pastor until 1826. He was succeeded by Mr. Burwell who preached at Ebenezer twice a month and twice at the Methodist log church in Salem. He also preached at Tinker Creek in a “Free Church”. For several years Rev. J. M. Fulton, of Fincastle, preached occasionally and in 1831 a reorganization was affected composed chiefly of members from Ebenezer and Catawba in which Joseph Woods was an elder. This organization took the name of Salem Presbyterian Church with a membership of twenty-six. The ruling elders were John B. Walton, Col. Elijah McClanahan, Joseph Woods and Madison Pitzer.
Col. Lewis Joins Church
“At a meeting of the session June 26, 1831, Col. Andrew Lewis applied for admission into the church, was examined and received.” Col. Lewis was almost seventy-three years old at that time. During the first church year, fourteen members were added to the roll on examination, and one on certificate.
A beautiful friendship existed between the Methodists and the Presbyterians, and in 1832 they organized a joint Sunday School. Some of the officers of that Sunday School were Methodists and some were Presbyterians, and the members paid an annual fee of $.25.
The Salem Church grew and prospered. It has been served by twelve ministers and had on its membership roll some of the finest names of the community. During 1837, the minister of the Salem Church, Rev. Jeptha Harrison preached at several other places in the community besides Salem. Mr. Harrison was succeeded by Rev. Urias Powers, D.D., in 1838, the year Roanoke County was formed and a son of a charter member of Salem Presbyterian Church, Mrs. Sarah Cook, was the first clerk of the county. Dr. Powers served the church until 1851when Salem sent out a colony composed of twenty-five members of the Salem organization. This colony was located in what was then “Old Lick” or Gainsborough, later Big Lick, now Roanoke City, and it is now the First Presbyterian Church. Salem Presbyterian Church today has a membership of 325 and the minister is Dr. LeRoy Gresham who came to Salem in 1909 to succeed Rev. H. C. V. Campbell.
Sends 12 Into Ministry
Twelve men from Salem Church have gone into the ministry, one of whom, Rev, David Gibson Armstrong, was a missionary to Brazil. At the present time one of her young men, John William Barnard, is studying at Union Theological Seminary for the ministry. The Salem men include Rev. J. R. C. Brown, Rev. George L. Brown, Rev. Horace Whaling, Rev. J. R. C. Whaling, Rev. John I. Armstrong, Rev. A. W. Pitzer, Rev. A. T. Graybill, Rev. James Armstrong, Rev. Thornton Whaling, Rev. Lewis Johnston, Rev. David Gibson Armstrong, and Rev. E. Glenn Switzer.
The First Church of Roanoke was organized May 28, 1851, with twenty-eight charter members. Rev. Urias Powers held the relation of stated supply for nine years. The first elders were Col. Elijah McClanahan and Thomas Tosh. Between the years 1870-1875 the church had steadily declined but in 1875 under the preaching of an evangelist of Montgomery Presbytery, Rev. C. M. Howard, the church took on new life and has been a power for good in the life of the community since that time. The Rev. William Creighton Campbell, D.D., of sainted memory, took charge of the church July 3, 1881, and was made pastor-emeritus by his people in 1924. He passed away February 28, 1936, after having been a leader in the religious life of the city for more than fifty years. Today the First Church owns one of the handsomest buildings in the state and has a membership of about eleven hundred and fifty. Rev. Dr. R. A. Lapsley, Jr., is the present minister.
Bethany Church
Bethany Presbyterian Church was a colony from the First Church which originated in a Sunday School, organized in 1884 in N. E. Roanoke. The young men of the church built a chapel which was dedicated January 7, 1884, by Rev. Daniel Blain and was later destroyed by a storm. Plans were started at once for organizing and building a new church. With the financial help of the First Church, and forty-nine members from that church, Bethany Church was organized May 20, 1892, and the building was dedicated in the same month. The elders were Charles Pulsburg, R. R. Watson and A. P. Neal. The first minister was Rev. W. H. Groves. At one time Bethany was a thriving church with a Sunday School membership of four hundred. It was built in a section where the population was largely transient; and the city rapidly grew away from the church, so Bethany was finally disbanded, and her membership absorbed by the other churches of the city.
For ten years previous to the organization of Vinton Presbyterian Church, Dr. W. C. Campbell preached once a month to Presbyterians in a Methodist Church. In 1891 steps were taken for the organization of a church. February 1892, Rev. W. H. Groves was called to be pastor. Some of Vinton’s elders were T. R. Muse, A. N. Venable, N. P. Painter and Giles Gunn, father of R. B. Gunn, of Salem, who himself was later made an elder in Vinton Church. One of the finest of Southern Presbyterian missionaries went out from Montgomery Presbytery and the Vinton Church to labor among the Mexicans until her death in 1936. This was Miss Minnie Morrison Gunn, daughter of Giles and Virginia Morrison Gunn, who later married Mr. R. D. Campbell, who also was a missionary to the Mexicans. The minister in 1938 of Vinton Church is Rev. S. B. M. Ghiselin, formerly of West End Church, Roanoke.
Second Church
The second Presbyterian Church of Roanoke was organized in 1891 in the home of Dr. Christian on Tenth Avenue, S. E., with twenty-seven members, twenty-four of whom had been members of the First Church. Dr. Samuel C. Christian was elected an elder and C. C. Taliaferro and E. T. Burnett were elected deacons. Though only a small child at the time, sitting on the floor Jean Vaughan Blain (Mrs. S. S.) vividly remembers that organization meeting. Rev. Robert C. Anderson, D.D., now of Montreat North Carolina, was the first minister and Rev. Dr. H. S. Edmunds has been the minister since 1923. The membership today is about eight hundred and the church is splendidly equipped with a handsome stone church building and a modern Sunday School building. It was erected when Rev. Arthur Rowbotham, D. D., was the minister.
“Woodside” is a small church doing a big work in Norwich, a suburb of Roanoke. A branch of the First Church, it has been guided and served by the First Church and her minister. In 1898 Presbytery grouped “Woodside” with Vinton and Bethany and they had their own ministers. This arrangement continued until 1902 when Woodside was detached from the group and again was placed under the care of the First Church. At that time, it had twenty-three members and ninety-six members in the Sunday School. Just recently Mr. Zehmer has taken charge at Woodside. The first elders were Joseph H. Earman, Johnathan E. Evans and J. W. Freese.
West End Church
West End Presbyterian Church was organized in the home of Mr. and Mrs. C. B. Price, 821-13th Street, S. W., on September 30, 1909. The session was at first composed of C. B. Price and W. E. Price, being added to a little later by Mr. Ammen and Prof. W. W. Graybill. The first deacons were T. W. Davis, E. S. Reynolds, and C. S. Beeler. The Sunday School superintendent was Mr. D. K. Ammen and the trustees were Dr. A. Stone, L. N. Buford, C. B. Price, Col. James Browning and Dr. S. T. Tabor. The first church building was erected on Thirteenth Street. Later a brick building was erected on the corner of Twelfth Street and Campbell Avenue, S. W. Two ministers have gone out from its membership. In 1924 or 1925 a large number of West End’s members were dismissed to join Raleigh Court Church, which was being organized across the river. The membership now is about two hundred and forty-five and the minister is Rev. J. Clyde Mohler.
In June 1915, Melrose Church was organized in the N. W. section of Roanoke with more than fifty charter members. Dr. W. C. Campbell preached for them until they called their first regular preacher, Rev. E. W. Smith in 1916. The church has been doing a good work under the leadership of Rev. R. A. Zehmer who served since June 1931. Recently a new minister, Rev. John Shepherd was called.
Belmont Organized
In the fall of 1914, Rev. C. P. Clark, who was for many years Superintendent of Home Missions of Montgomery Presbytery, held a meeting in a tent on a vacant lot on Jamison Avenue, S. E. In 1915 a Sunday School was organized and Dr. Rowbotham preached every Sunday afternoon. The Belmont Church was organized May 11,1915. Elders were J. L. Bishop, R. G. Rosen, H. F. Stoke and M. W. Sublett. Dr. Rowbotham preached until 1917. The membership was forty-nine. The church now has an active resident membership of 350 with 450 on church roll, and is prospering under the efficient and fervent leadership of the present minister, Rev. G. L. Whiteley.
“The Church of the Open Door” in Raleigh Court was organized October 5, 1924. The first temporary building was erected August 1924 and removed in August 1925. The new building was dedicated June 13, 1925. There were 153 charter members. The present membership is 560. Rev. Z. V. Roberson, the first and only pastor of the church was called January 11, 1925, and installed on May 10.
It must ever remain a source of deep regret that so little is known of the early history and progress of the church in this portion of the state. There are few authentic sources of information available besides the uncertain recollections of those who have had the information handed down to them. Records prior to 1800 and even to 1830 were poorly kept and in many cases completely destroyed by disastrous fires. In 1938 there are nine active congregations of Presbyterians in this community.
The following are the names of several of the old frontier ministers as taken from records: Rev. John Craig, as early as 1740 at least; Rev. Caleb Wallace, 1779; Robert Logan 1798-1800; Rev. Nathaniel Calhoun, 1802; Rev. Robert Burwell, 1826; Rev. John M. Fulton, 1829; Rev. Roswell Tenney, 1831, first minister of Salem church; Rev. Jeptha Harrison, 1835, second minister of Salem church; Rev. Urias Powers, 1837, third minister of Salem church.
A few of the visiting ministers who preached occasionally around 1800 were Rev. James Turner and Rev. John Mitchell, of Bedford County, and Rev. George Braxton, of Rockbridge County.
There is a reference of a petition for supplies to Catawba and Peaks of Otter in the old Hanover Presbytery minutes of 1760 stored in Richmond at the Union Theological Seminary, and also a reference for supplies from Salem in 1773 and 1776.
-Prepared by Lisa King
