|
|
|
South Union Methodist Church
Sign at entrance to So. Union Church, Campmeeting & Cemetery
South Union Tabernacle,
Located in So. Union Campmeeting Grounds
Ackerman, Choctaw Co, MS
Rev. George Buell
Information abstracted from article in the Choctaw Plaindealer by Frank Townsend
Among the foremost organizers of South Union Methodist Church
were Parham POLLARD, Humphrey BUCK and Archer MOSS.
The first
camp meeting was held on Friday night before the third Sunday in Aug, 1872.
Services on Sun. morning consisted of opening songs, decoration of the
graves in the cemetery, prayer by Rev. H. M. COCKRUM and an address by
Frank TOWNSEND.
There are
quite a number of Confederate veterans buried in the cemetery. Amont them
are William ADAMS, Garner LOVE, Wesley MOSS, Tom BRUCE, J. W. BUCK, J.
B. KING, J. M. COMMANDER, N. H. WEEKS, Dr. S. S. SMITHWICK, Frank LOVE and
Anderson WEEMS.
In the audience
of this first service were several old soldiers. Among them were William
MOSS, D. B. McKINNON, Dan FRANKS, Elihu LOVE, C. C. CRAWFORD, George HODGES
and Ed RAY.
On April
22, 1883, a cyclone demolished the church, arbor, tents and broke many of
the cemetery tombstones.
In July
1914, fire destroyed the arbor and nearly all the tents. Members soon built
a new arbor and tents.
* * * *
* * * * * *
* * * * * *
* * *
South Union Meeting Enters Seventieth
Session of Religious Worship
Abstracted from artile in Choctaw Plaindealer
Addie M. Buck, July 25, 1941
In 1865, after
the war, the older churches of Choctaw County were organized and served
by regular pastors. One of these was South Union, which was built of logs
near an ever flowing spring.
An apartment
was built in the back of the pulpit where the slaves, or former slaves,
could worship. The congregration worshipped in this log building for a few
years following the Civil War.
The day
for preaching was on Thursday and only once a month. On this day, all work
was put aside, even for the slaves, and everyone went to church. The preachers
who were known as circuit riders, went by horseback to the communities where
they were going to preach. The preachers usually spent several days prior
to the services in the community.
In the original
log structure and the one immediately succeeding it, some of the preachers
were: Rev. HATTISON, Rev. Tom CASTLES, Rev. HYDE, Rev. MURFF, Revs. William
and J. O. WOODWARD, Rev. DICKSON, Rev. McQUAERRY, Rev. McDONALD, Rev. HENLEY,
Rev. JACKSON, Rev. Humphrey BUCK, Rev. Archie MOSS, Rev. Jimmie CARLISLE,
Rev. Kenneth JONES, Rev. W. R. RAINEY, Rev. HINDS, Rev. MUNCIE and others.
The idea
of a camp meeting was conceived in 1872 and the campground was laid out
in a square. The land was given to South Union by Mr. Parham Pollard.
In the center
of the campground, a shinngle covered tabernacle was located and was built
by Mr. Arthur TENHET. After assembling the building materials, the men
of the community gathered for a prayer. This prayer was led by Mr. Wesley
TOWNSEND. Gathered around Mr. TOWNSEND for prayer were Parham POLLARD,
Archie MOSS, Arthur TENHET, Humphrey, John BUCK, William ADAMS and others.
The first
tents were erected with pegs driven in and crude benches served as the
first seating. Oat straw was used to cover the dirt floor.
Beds were
scaffolds covered with straw and quilts spread over the straw. A long brush
arbor at the rear of the tent sheltered the dining room and another brush
arbor was used for the benefit of the cooks and water carriers, all of
the cooks and water carriers being Negroes.
Lights at
the campground at night were pine cone torches that were placed on dirt
covered scaffolds. Women of the church made and donated candles to light
the tabernacle at night.
Worship
hours were a sunrise prayer meeting, preaching services at 8:00 AM and 11:00
AM, 3:00 PM, and 8:00 PM. A prayer meeting was held at 5:00 PM in the oak
grove surrounding the camp ground.
Since there
were no musical instruments in those days, the campers "must raise a tune".
Mr. Wash GORDON was the song leader in the absence of some preacher that
was gifted in song. Mr. GORDON had a voice that was musical and powerful
and his leadership added to the song services.
The "mourner's"
bench was placed in front of the pulpit. Sinners were invited, begged and
persuaded to come and kneel before this bench and prayed for the salvation
of their soul.
The cooking
at the camp meetings was done on log fires in pots and skillets. Usually
Negro men and women did the cooking and Negro boys carried the water from
the spring to the tents.
Clothing
was made from home spun fabric. After the campground was destroyed by the
storm in 1883, the pioneers showed they had courage by weaving fabric and
making their clothing to wear to the camp meetings.
Some of
the first tent builders at South Union Campground were: Parham POLLARD,
Ira POLLARD, John BUCK, Clark BUCK, Rev. Humhrey BUCK, Dan McKINNON, Archie
MOSS, Wesley MOSS, William MOSS, Garner LOVE, William BRUCE, Culby SMITH,
J. H. WEEKS, Dr. SMITHWICK, Bob LOVE, Ike CORK, J. M. COMMANDER, Misses
Sophie COMMANDER and Emily COMMANDER, W. M. DINSMORE, W. H. SMITH, Sid
WHISENANT, Frank LOVE, Joe EVANS, Sam SMITH, Arthur TENHET, Tol WELLS, Perry
BRUCE, W. M. ADAMS, W. H. ADAMS, Walter ADAMS, Jack GASTON, Joe MOSS, Leroy
BOYD, Jim BLACKWOOD, E. B. WRAVER, Jim MOSS, Theodore BOYD, John R. GASTON,
Noah WEEKS, Jim STRAWBRIDGE, Will BRUCE and B. K. DRAPER.
Other tent
builders were: Jep BRUCE, T. H. McCLURE, Jim McKINNON, D. H. BUCK, Will
BUCK, Sid MOSS, Elie SMITH, Dutch SMITH, J. Lem SEAWRIGHT, Sam MOSS, Gene
BRUCE, Mack BRUCE, Emmett MOSS, R. B. DRAPER, John DRAPER, Wade GASTON,
Bob HENDERSON, Pink ADAMS, Hugh SMITH, John DRANE, Dr. B. STRONG, Leslie
CURTIS, Wallace MARTIN, W. M. KENNEDY, Bob CHILDRESS, Feaster COLEMAN, Lee
WELLS, Frank KEEN, Mitchell COMMANDER, Cicero POLLARD, Nat POLLARD, Boyce
BRUCE, Tom BALLARD, Billy BLAIN, C. E. WHITE, Sam BUCK, Joe WARD, Lester
BUCK, Dewitt RAY, Gene STEWART, Bill STEWART, Carvell ADAMS, Lee KING, Jeff
McKNIGHT, Jim HAMRIC, J. L. McWHORTER, L. A. SPURGEON, John HENDERSON, Lark
BRUCE, Robert THOMPSON, Emmett TULLOS, Henry SMITH, Anderson BLACKWOOD
and many others.
Methodist
ministers who have been identified with South Union include: Rev. W. R.
RAINEY, Rev. Jimmie CARLISLE, Rev. CASEY, Rev. W. F. BARNETT, Rev. WILLIAMS,
Rev. L. D. WORSHAM, Rev. W. M. LESTER, Rev. R. P. GOAR, Rev. T. W. DYE,
Rev. Eugene JOHNSON, Rev. J. T. McCAFFERTY, Rev. G. W. BACHMAN, Rev. R. M.
EVANS, Rev. V. C. CURTIS, Rev. A. T. McILWAIN, Rev. J. A. GEORGE, Rev. R.
P. NEBLET, Rev. T. H. LIPSCOMB, Rev. T. C. WEIR, Rev. J. A. BIFFLE, Rev.
W. R. CROUCH, Rev. Tom CASTEIS, Rev. W. M. COMMANDER, Rev. Sam VOWELL, Rev.
J. M. WYATT, Rev. D. C. FOUST, Rev. W. F. RODGERS, Rev. W. N. DUNCAN, Rev.
W. S. SHIPMAN, Rev. J. B. RANDOLPH, Rev. W. M. GRAVES, Rev. H. M. YOUNG,
Rev. G. W. GORDON, Rev. Wylie LEWIS, Rev. SMITH, Rev. J. B. BURNS, Rev.
T. F. SARTAIN, Rev. ASHMORE, and Rev. E. M. ALLEN.
Young men
of Choctaw Co who have become ministers of the gospel and their lives touched
by the spirit of South Union include Rev. Ed BUCK, Rev. J. T. McCAFFERTY,
Rev. Jim MOSS, Rev. Viner COBB, Rev. Leland CALDWELL, Rev. Howard THOMPSON,
Rev. Elmer MARTIN, Rev. Garner MARTIN, Rev. Daniel MARTIN, Rev. Claude CALCOTE,
Rev. Clarence CALCOTE, Rev. Jim Bob BRIGHT, Rev. Bob RUFF, Rev. Sam HEMPHILL,
Rev. Floyd LUMMUS, Rev. Andrew CRAWFORD, Rev. J. C. STEWART and Rev. Lawrence
MECKLIN.
Return to Index
More So Union Photos
This page created
by Jackie Rhodes
© 1999-2006, All copyrights
reserved
Thanks to ROOTSWEB for Server Space and a great deal of support!