The church buildings change, but cemeteries remain

There's a beautiful old church on a hill, surrounded by a huge cemetery in Swannanoa, NC. I used an old photo of it from the Swannanoa Valley History Museum's book as my header at the end of Feb. 2020, and had to find out what had happened since my one visit there about 7-8 years ago. I visited the cemetery actually, not the church.

A later publication on line about the Piney Grove Cemetery gives a clue as to who currently may be using the church building.

Piney Grove Cemetery in Swannanoa is one of the oldest cemeteries in Western North Carolina. Located on the grounds of the First Presbyterian Church, founded in 1794,  Piney Grove heralds the names of the Valley’s founding families:  Davidsons, Pattons, Alexanders, Connellys, Stepps, Burnettes, Shopes.  You can also find other familiar names from Valley history:  Wolfe, Ward, Folsom, Clapp, Baker, Brown, Buckner, McMurray, Burgin, Parks.  Ruth Graham’s* missionary parents, Dr. L. Nelson and Virginia Bell, are buried here, as are Veterans dating back to the Revolutionary War.

While the First Presbyterian Church closed its doors in 2014, its cemetery soldiers on as a non-profit 501(c)(13) - its 1700+ graves on approximately 5 acres cared for by a dedicated Board of Directors and Associates.  The cemetery relies on donations for its maintenance so your support is greatly needed and appreciated.
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As of July, 2018, One Focus Church entered an agreement with the Western NC Presbytery to lease/purchase the building that was the First Presbyterian Church of Swannanoa.

The Board of Directors (and Associates) of Piney Grove Cemetery met on December 13th, 2019.  Among the items discussed were additions to the budget, committee assignments, and the cleaning of monuments. Regarding care for the monuments, it was decided that due to liability concerns, families should be responsible for their care and cleaning.
A "mapping" of the cemetery continues to be a goal as well as identifying graves of individuals who made significant contributions to the history of the area, state and/or possibly, the nation. If you have any suggestions, please let us know and if you did not receive a newsletter - mailed in October - please email us via the form below.

The next meeting of the Piney Grove Board of Directors will be March 13th, 2020.
​A reminder that Piney Grove Cemetery now has a Facebook Page!  Please "like" and "share" if you're on Facebook and thanks again to Associate Board member Rebecca Schuman for maintaining it!   Source

I find more interesting history on their FB page, and am glad to see the board of the cemetery is doing a good job. (photos below) Look up the One Focus Church FaceBook site to learn about the new church meeting there.

*Ruth Graham was evangelical preacher Billy Graham's wife.

Sharing with Sepia Saturday this week.

The 1964 church building

The older church building in Book Swannanoa by Swannanoa History Museum

Here's the article which spoke a bit about the history of the church, and it's closing in 2014.

From the Citizen Times, Oct. 24, 2014 | Updated 11:12 a.m. ET Oct. 25, 2014

Link here

Swannanoa church shuts after 220 yrs

SWANNANOA – First Presbyterian Church of Swannanoa will celebrate its 220th anniversary Sunday. Then it will close forever.

"This church is the alpha and omega, and it is heart-breaking to see it close," Jane Hansel, stated clerk of session, said. "Although it is sad, God has a plan for it. It is the oldest church in Buncombe County, and we just don't have enough members to keep it going."

The church, at 372 Bee Tree Road, and the adjacent Piney Grove Cemetery, date back to 1784, and are historically significant to the area.

That history will be honored with a final service at 3 p.m. Sunday. The director of music and organist, Steven Noll, will play the 1890 organ that he recently refurbished. People will have a chance to share their memories.

Bill Alexander, lifelong member of the church, with ancestors who were members dating back some 200 years, says it is a sad day.

"I am devastated that the church is closing," he said. "My family was part of the beginnings of this church back in 1794. The land for Patton Meeting House was given by a Davidson and part of it by an Alexander. There are 47 Alexanders buried in the cemetery and 52 Davidson grave markers. It makes me want to cry.

"There were only 10-15 members who showed up on (a recent) Sunday out of about 33 totally," Alexander said. "It just wasn't enough to keep it going. We saw the closing coming, and I wasn't surprised, just sad. The WNC Presbytery closed the church because it had no people, no funds and no debt."

Davidsons, Pattons were first families 

The church has an important history. In 1784, relatives and friends of Samuel Davidson, one of the first settlers to cross the mountains and settle in the Valley, came from Old Fort and settled at the mouth of Bee Tree Creek, one mile west of the original site Samuel Davidson claimed. He had been killed by Indians the year before.

They built homes and cleared land for farms, and developed a deep need for a place to worship together. They gathered under the beech trees along the creek bank, and in homes, for some 10 years. They formally organized a church in 1794.

Robert Patton gave the church land for a building, and the Robert Patton Meeting House was built. It is still marked by Patton Cemetery, which is home to some of the graves of the earliest white settlers of the Swannanoa Valley.

Piney Grove Cemetery, which surrounds the current church building, is of equal historical significance. It contains some of the oldest grave markers in the Swannanoa Valley and is the resting place of veterans of four wars and friends of all denominations.

The church, along with the WNC Presbytery, is in the process of incorporating Piney Grove Cemetery.

"We are working to protect the cemetery through incorporation," Steve Hansel said. "I am helping get the process started, and will be a part of it for however long it takes. There is significant history there with over 1,700 people buried in the cemetery.

"It is a shame that the church has to close, but we are down to about 33 active members, and it just isn't enough to keep it open," Hansel said.

The cemetery is important to many people in the Valley.

"It is where I want to be buried," Alexander said. "That is where my whole family, my mother and father are buried, and it is where I want to be buried."

The church building will be sold. "We have several possibilities concerning what to do with the church building," Jane Hansel said. "It may continue to be a church with a focus on missions. We hope folks throughout the community will attend the celebration of the church's 220 years of service."

1 church, many buildings 

The late 18th century Patton Meeting House, a log church, was the beginning of what became Swannanoa Presbyterian Church, and was a place of worship until 1839.

Col. Samuel Davidson — a relative of the settler — had earlier executed a deed for 2 acres of land to George C. Alexander, John Burgin and George Patton, who served as trustees of the church. In 1839, a large white frame building was built on the hilltop and dedicated as a church on Sept. 8 that year. It was called Piney Grove Church, and was the congregation's house of worship until 1880. It was moved to the foot of the hill and used as a school for several years.

In 1880, the church was reorganized with a congregation numbering 43, and the session voted for the building of a new church. Bricks were made by hand at the Winnie Patton Farm and hauled by mule and oxen to the site of the church construction, which was dedicated in 1883. It was used for 82 years, growing slowly but steadily.

During World War II, Dr. L. Nelson Bell, Ruth Graham's father, taught a Sunday school class at the church. Sometimes a young preacher by the name of Billy Graham substituted for him.

The old church had a seating capacity of only 125. "Old timers" were sad to see it torn down. The new sanctuary was completed and first services were held on July 19, 1964. Rev. Henry Schum presided at both morning and evening services.

In 1983, the church was represented at the historic General Assembly in Atlanta. The assembly brought about a reunion of the Northern and Southern branches of the church, forming the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America.

The church hosted a national conference in 1987, sponsored by the Chapel of the Air, to help pastors and church leaders guide their congregations in "spiritual adventures" of the present day. Seminars coping with divorce were also held at the church in the late 1980s.

Although membership numbers continued to dwindle, several significant improvements were made to the building property in the 1990s. An elevator and carillon were installed, a steeple erected, and the parking lot paved.

The 1990s saw a partnership established between the Bethlehem Presbyterian Church in Guatemala, and visits began between members of both churches. A decade ago, the church observed its 210th year with 42 members.

From 1798 to the present, some 50 pastors have guided the spiritual lives of the members of First Presbyterian Church of Swannanoa. Dr. Alex R. McLean was the last full-time pastor.

....The church is at 372 Bee Tree Road in Swannanoa."

Sharing with Sepia Saturday this week.