The church in Madison County NC has more information, so I'm giving a new post to cover what I've learned.
Here's the marker which stands near it.
"Early sessions of Madison County court were held in a log house on this site between 1851 and 1859. Bell Institute, a school operated by the Presbyterian Church USA, served the area. The school house and a dormitory stood a few yards west."
Location. 35° 51.037′ N, 82° 44.183′ W. Marker is near Marshall, North Carolina, in Madison County. Marker is at the intersection of Walnut Drive and Barnard Road (County Road 1151), on the right when traveling south on Walnut Drive.
From Historic Markers
An enlargement of the area, showing "Academy St." and the area churches which are still open, but not the little unnamed church where the marker stands. I'm pretty sure the school house was on Academy St. or School St. which is right off of it. The community is still known as Walnut.And another great source of Madison County historic information, friend Vicki Lane commented in this way:
"It's not been a church for many years. I think it was Methodist or Presbyterian but not sure. It's a gorgeous building and was recently given to a local charity but what their plans for it are, I don't know. It has no rest rooms and, with the graveyard all around it, no way of putting in a septic tank."
I'm always interested in the background of an area...especially old buildings which even have historic markers in front of them!
And since the cemeteries are so near to this church, I imagine many of the ancestors buried there used to worship in the church.
I offer this meditation which I came upon from "A Network for Grateful Living" which sends me a quote every day. The other day this came and was very appropriate for grieving the loss of life, which continues in so many unexpected places.
A Meditation on Grief by Jack Kornfield
