Timber Ridge "Old Stone" Presbyterian Church
Yoked Together with
Timber Ridge "Old Stone" Presbyterian Church Yoked Together with
|
VVVVV
VVVVV
| Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 (NRSV)
OUR HISTORY
Scotch Irish settlers began occupying the valley west of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the late 1720's until the entire area was known as the "Irish Tract". Tradition says John Mackey was the first to settle on Timber Ridge, having built his cabin by 1727. Ephriam McDowell was the first to record his land title in 1737.
It was to these hardy pioneers that Rev. John Blair, Minister of Donegal Presbyterian in Pennsylvania, came to organize the "Presbyterian Society" which met in the Timber Grove meeting House in 1746. Blair was a "New Side" minister influenced by the evangelistic pattern of Whitefield.
Matthew Lyle and Ester Blair, his wife, both dedicated Presbyterians, gave a site on their land for the construction of a sanctuary some time after 1737. The first building was a log structure with openings in one of the chinkings on all four sides to provide port-holes in case of Indian attack. The southbound lane of U.S. 11 now passes over the spot near the H. D. Mackey farm where this log church was in use around 1741.
In 1758, Rev. John Brown became the first pastor, serving New Providence as well. The call for his services was signed by 112 men and four women of the two congregations. Among the signers were the great-grandfather (John Houston) and the grandfather (Robert Houston) of General Sam Houston, of Tennessee and Texas fame.
Under the leadership of the Rev. Mr. Brown and a building committee consisting of James McClung and John Lyle, the movement for a new larger building on a new site culminated in the erection of the stone church upon a tract of land purchased from Robert Houston. This building is now the main body of the present structure. A quarry of native limestone close by furnished the stone for the walls and "The Nobel Women" carried sand on horseback from the South River valley some miles to the east.
On June 2, 1755, John Berrisford, Robert Houston, and Daniel Lyle gave their bond of 'one hundred and fifty pounds, current money of Virginia' to John Lyle, John Mackey, James Thompson, and Archibald Alexander for the construction of the building. They did their work well, with the assistance of the congregation so that the building was dedicated on October 3, 1756.
With Augusta Stone Church at fort Defiance, Timber Ridge is one of the two Colonial Presbyterian buildings in existence in Virginia.
In connection with his pastorate, the Rev. Mr. Brown took over the operation of the school begun by Robert Alexander near Greenville in 1749, generally referred to as Augusta Academy. In 1774, Hanover Presbytery assumed control of the school and designated William Graham, a 1733 graduate of Princeton College as Brown's assistant. The presbytery met at Timber Ridge and Hall's Meeting house (New Monmouth) in the hands of Graham. Then it was decided to move the school to Timber Ridge and occupy a site provided by Capt. Alexander Stuart and Samuel Houston, each having promised to give forty acres of land. Graham would be the Rector and John Montgomery would serve as assistant. In the minutes of May 13th the institution is named Liberty Hall Academy. During the Revolutionary War it came near closing, but was continued in the home of Graham, who purchased and moved to a farm near Lexington. It became Washington College and is now Washington and Lee University. Graham remained pastor to 1785.
William Graham's most famous student was Archibald Alexander, grandson of the first Archibald Alexander of Timber Ridge, who became president of Hampden Sydney College and founder of the Presbyterian Seminary at Princeton.
General Samuel Houston, of Texas fame, was born in 1793 in the Houston home a short distance from the church where he worshipped and until his family moved to Tennessee when young Sam was fourteen.
The Synod of Virginia formed the Presbytery of Lexington from Hanover Presbytery in 1786 at an organizational meeting held at Timber Ridge on September 26, 1786, with the Rev. John Brown presiding.
Improvements to the old building were made from time to time. In 1871, the three arch stone vestibule was added. In 1900, the rear wall was removed and the extension in the form of a cross was added and new pews installed along with a modern heating system. The educational annex was dedicated on June 14, 1954. In 1973, the vestibule was renovated and enclosed, making it more usable.
The communion table at the front of the sanctuary was used at the time the original stone building was erected and serves to reminds us, as it has our ancestors, that through Christ's broken body and shed blood we may always receive Him and commune with fellow Christians through the ages. From the beginning of Timber Ridge Church the women have contributed in various ways: from carrying sand for the building in 1756, to fund raising, supporting missionary work, teaching, and - in more recent years - holding offices on the Session and Deaconate.
Earliest records show a Ladies' Aid in 1883, and from 1900 to 1920, two ladies' organizations: the Ladies' Aid Society and the Foreign and Home Mission Society. On June 17, 1920, the Women's Auxiliary was organized with six circles: Cross Roads, Decatur, Liberty Hall, Mill Creek, Mountain View, and Timber Ridge. In 1949, the name was changed to "Women of the Church".
Timber Ridge celebrated its 250th anniversary in 1996. A history of the church, A Journey in Faith by Taylor Sanders was completed in 1999. More about these can be found on the History Book and 250th Anniversary pages of this website.
The history of this church reminds us again of the words of Hebrews that "Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever."
|
|
