In
the period following the War between the States, the people of this community,
then known as Carter’s Creek, later named Irvington in honor of L.H. IRVING, one of the leading
citizens, had to go elsewhere in worship [of] God. Those who held to the tenets of the Baptist faith went to “Old
Salem,” on the road from White Stone to Kilmarnock; the Methodists went to
White Stone. They would either cross
the creek in small boats or go up to the head of “Old Mill Cove” and cross over
the stream on a one-log bridge. Then
they walked a good distance on the other side over roads, rough and muddy.
The
population of our village began to increase rapidly in the early seventies, due
to the abundance of fish and oysters found in the Rappahannock and its
tributaries, and also due to a general shifting of population incident to and
following the War.
Secular
education was almost as far beyond the reach of the smaller children as church
training, so the people began to plan for the education of their youth. In the year 1872 they secured the services
of the REV. H. C. LONG, from Maryland, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, who was to teach during the week and preach on Sunday – all for the
munificent sum of $800.00 a year.
From
the estate of J. O. HAYDON was
secured the land on which they built the old Chapel, above which was
constructed later a “Good Templar’s Hall,” the birth place of the temperance
movement here. The hand made pews and
pulpit of this Chapel were not the most beautiful, nor the most comfortable;
but as a rule, public worship was well attended. Ever so often ministers from Old Morattico Baptist Church and
Lancaster Methodist Church would fill the pulpit, among them the Reverends ANDREW BROADDUS, WAYLAND DUNAWAY,
FRED CLAYBROOK, ALFRED WILES, HERBERT T. BACON, JUNUS B. DeBERRY and JAMES H. CROWN. If any unusual event were to take place, the
men of the community cheerfully gave days of work in building a large brush
arbor in front of the Chapel, where congregations sat for hours on rough
benches without backs.
The congregation, composed largely of members of
White Stone Church, grew rapidly, and the need for a larger place of worship
was keenly felt. So, under the
leadership of the LONGS, NEWBILLS, BUSSELLS,
TURNERS, MASONS, HUNDLEYS, RILEES, MESSICKS, O. R. HOPKINS, IRVINGS, W. McD.
LEE, BREWINGTONS, A. JAMES and others, plans were set on foot to build a
Methodist Church. On February 21, 1887, R. M. SAUNDERS and JULIA E. SAUNDERS,
his wife, conveyed the church lot, four acres and eight perches, for the sum of
$210.00 to L.H. IRVING, WM. J. NEWBILL,
JAMES N. BUSSELLS, GEORGE P. MESSICK, THOMAS RILEE and WM. H. C. LONG,
Trustees for the Methodist Episcopal Church South.
There was organized a Ladies’ Aid
Society which had for its object the raising of funds to assist in the building
and upkeep of the Church. Men as well
as women were members, and young and old attended the monthly meetings. After the business sessions, there were
social hours which became outstanding events of the Church.
By the Spring of 1889 enough funds had
been raised to begin the work on the Church.
It was originally planned to let the Church face the Kilmarnock road,
and the work of excavation was begun.
However, the plans were changed and the present setting was chosen. All the lumber was bought here on the
sailing vessels by Captains WASH
BUSSELLS and ANDREW POWELL, and
was hauled from the wharf to the Church by Mr. GRIP DUNTON and a colored man, RICHARD
HOLMES, now living here.
On May 27, 1889, the cornerstone was laid by the Masons, Judge SAMUEL DOWNING as Worshipful Master, presiding. He was assisted by our Presiding Elder, Dr. GEORGE H. RAY.
The work moved along somewhat slowly,
and at one time it looked as though the building would not be near enough to
completion in the Fall to meet the requirements for dedication. To make that goal the members strove all the
harder, having lectures and other types of entertainments to raise the
necessary funds.
The church was dedicated in the Fall
of 1889 and at its session that year the Virginia Annual Conference separated
from the Lancaster Circuit, to which we had belonged, the Churches of Carter’s
Creek and White Stone, forming White Stone Circuit. The silver-tongued orator, the Rev. J. R. TILLERY, was the
first Pastor of this Circuit. Shortly
after the establishment of the Methodist Church here as a regular preaching
appointment on the Circuit, the Baptists of the community organized themselves
into a congregation, continuing to use the Old Chapel for their services, later
erecting their own building across the street from the Methodist Church. For years, even until the present time, the
Methodists and the Baptists have cooperated in all Christian activities,
working coordinately rather than competitively.
Carter’s Creek was chosen for the home
of the pastor of the Circuit, and the Charged rented a house in what is now
known as West Irvington. Later the
Charge bought the property now owned by Mr. JASPER JETT for use as a parsonage. The ladies of the Charge organized a Parsonage Society which had
for its purpose the upkeep of the interior of the parsonage. The society met quarterly, and these
meetings became red-letter days in the Church calendar-—all day sessions, and dinner
such an important feature that the committees for serving were appointed three
months in advance.
The Sunday School was organized in the
beginning, with the Rev. W. H. C. LONG
as Superintendent. The work of the
School has been carried on through the half century under the superintendency
of Mr. LONG, H. B. NOLLEY, O. R. HOPKINS,
B. L. WILLING, and the present
Superintendent, W. J. HAYNIE. The first Treasurer of the Church and Sunday
School was J. W. HUNDLEY. As this was before the days of perfected
organization, if the needs of the Church were pressing and funds were low, he
would draw on the Sunday School funds for the deficit, and vice versa if the
Sunday School funds were exhausted.
In the first year of the Church life
the Woman’s Missonary Society was organized, with Mrs. J. E. WILSHIN as its President.
Until 1937 there were only two other presidents, Mrs. ANNE E. NEWBILL and Mrs. SALLIE E. JAMES. In 1937, Mrs. RACHEL M. BUCHAN was elected president, serving one year and was
succeeded by Mrs. PAULINE L. HAYNIE,
the incumbent. Shortly after the
formation of the Missionary Society for the woman, a Rosebud Missionary Society
was organized.
In September of 1889 the Chesapeake
Academy began its work, holding its first session in the Old Chapel and Good
Templar’s Hall. Our Church was greatly
helped through the years by teachers from this school, such as Mr. and Mrs. H. B. NOLLEY, Mr. and Mrs. S. P. LATANE, Mr. CARROLL VADEN, Miss RUTH
VADEN, Mr. F. G. NEWBILL, Mr.
and Mrs. D. R. ANDERSON, and others. Especially do we owe a great debt to the
music department of that school for its share in making our Church Choir so
efficient that its excellent singing was known throughout the Northern Neck.
During the infancy of our Church there
was a revival, unique, almost Pentacostal.
It began in a prayer meeting led by several members of the Church, in
which there were several conversions.
The people were deeply moved, and decided then and there to continue the
services. The influence of this
protracted meeting was felt throughout our community and in the surrounding
villages.
We grew in every way under the
ministry of the deep thinker, the Rev. JOHN
T. PAYNE, who, when he pointed a finger and said “Just another thought!”
had really another thought for his listeners.
His stay was saddened by the death of his oldest son and namesake. In August, Mr. Payne resigned and the rest
of that Conference year we were served by the Rev. M. S. COLONNA, JR.
The next four years we had with us our
beloved Rev. J. W. S. ROBINS, who
later came to us a second time. It was
during Mr. Robins’ pastorate that the Irish Evangelist Lee set fire to the
torch of Local Option in Lancaster County.
RAY ROBINS, the only son of
the Pastor, died here.
Then followed a four-year term under
the logic and reasoning of the Rev. C.
R. JAMES. Members of his family
today refute the oft quoted slander about parsonage children. ALFRED
JAMES and ARTHUR JAMES are not
names to make a parsonage ashamed.
The Christian gentlemen, the Rev. J. M. ANDERSON, came in 1902. For some while there had been on foot a
movement to build a new parsonage in the oak grove of the Church yard. In 1903 we completed our pretty parsonage,
designed by Mr. W. McD LEE, and Mr.
Anderson’s family moved in. He had often
been heard to say “I’d rather wear out than rust out,” which wish was not
denied him, for he laid down his work at the close of a full Sunday in February
of 1906.
During Mr. Anderson’s pastorate two
Missions were established. Anderson
Chapel was built near Weems and Moran Chapel was established in the Taylor’s
Creek community. Mr. J. W. HAYDON served both these Missions
as Sunday School Superintendent. Moran
Chapel is now occupied by the congregation of Wesley Presbyterian Church and
Anderson Chapel was long since sold.
After the death of Mr. Anderson, the
Rev. JAMES RIDDICK LAUGHTON served
as Pastor from May of 1906 until the meeting of the Annual Conference of that
year. Mr. Laughton then showed promise
of becoming one of the most scholarly men of the Conference, which promise has
been more than fulfilled in his later ministry.
From 1906 – 1908 the Rev. E. F. GARNER pleasingly filled our
pulpit and had large congregations to listen to him. During that time our finances seem to have been good, as the
Parsonage Society reported a surplus of $20.00 in the Treasury, and no needs
for supplies in the parsonage except cretonne for a curtain.
Quite a change was made in the
interior of the Church during the Pastorate of the kindly and genial spirit,
the Rev. JOHN D. HOSIER. The pulpit was extended to form the choir
loft, the present metal ceiling was put up, walls were tinted and decorated,
frosted windows were replaced by stained glass, a new carpet was laid, and pews
were rearranged to provide a large center aisle, which provided a better
arrangement for funerals and weddings.
In the Fall of 1916, during the second
Pastorate of the Rev. J. W. S. ROBINS,
the Conference rearranged the District, placing Irvington Church with
Kilmarnock. During this year, Mr.
Robins was in poor health, and the pulpit was supplied at frequent intervals by
several other ministers, notably among them was the Rev. L. C. Smart. The newly formed Circuit was served for one
year by the Rev. FRANK McLEAN being
followed by the Rev. W. Y. SCALES. Mr. Scales received into the Church one of
the largest classes of young people on record.
The history of Methodism was featured in a program under his direction.
In 1919 Irving Church was made a
station. Our first Pastor was the Rev. GEORGE H. McFADEN, who gave up his
loved work as head of the Masonic Orphanage to come to us. It was in that year that Anderson Chapel was
sold. The present organ in the Church
was purchased and installed during his pastorate.
The Sunday School reached its high
water mark in the years when the Rev. WALTER
C. GUM was with us. At one time
there was an enrollment of 250. Our
records show that, with an enrollment of 220, we were having an average
attendance of 195. Mr. Gum’s
spirituality and marked ability caused him to be called to larger fields of
service after two years here.
The outstanding monument to the work
of the Rev. J. U. EDWARDS and his
wife, a trained teacher, was the beginning of the grading of the Sunday School,
which work was not completed because of his failing health. During Mr. Edwards’ pastorate, Mr. HOLLAND R. WILKINSON assisted in two
revivals. Due to the illness of Mr.
Edwards during his last year, the pulpit was filled by visiting pastors, Dr. T.
F. Carroll assisting frequently.
The unfinished work of Sunday School
organization was taken up and developed by the Rev. WM. R. REED, who served from 1926 to 1928. At this time the Church reached its highest
financial peak. Over $1,000 was spent
on the Church, shutting off the wings with folding doors, separating the
vestibule from the body of the Church, installing electric lights, replacing
side walls with the present metal walls, and painting inside and outside. Nearly as much was spent on the
parsonage. Out total collections in
1927 reached nearly the $7,000 mark.
The Rev. S. A. DONAHOE, afterward, Dr. Donahoe, by the beauty of his
sermons and his wonderful oratory, filled the Church pews for two years. The Sunday School organization was being
pushed, and in 1928 there were seven (7) organized classes.
The Rev. E. K ODELL, ably assisted by his consecrated wife, wrought well,
keeping his finger tips on the pulse of every phase of the work. Our children and young people were their
special interests. They re-organized the
Epworth League, and under Mrs. Odell’s wise direction, the young people did
excellent work.
In the summer of 1934, we had a Home
Coming Day which was a great success.
The speaker of this morning was the Rev. WALLACE R. EVANS, who was sent to us by the Bishop at the next
session of the Annual Conference. Both
he and his wife kept in touch with all the work, and their busy days were spent
for the Church. He worked hard in trying
to perfect the Church School organization, took very active part in the Daily
Vacation Bible School in connection with the Baptist Sunday School, and the
Training School in which we had been participating every year since Mr. Reed
was with us. In 1934 we made a
religious survey of the community.
Our last year as a station church was
under the leadership of the Rev. JAMES
RIDDICK LAUGHTON, who was appointed to us for the second time in 1936. The Annual Conference of 1937 again made us
a part of Lancaster Circuit, joining us with White Marsh, Bethel and Emmanuel
Churches.
The Rev. B. B. BLAND came in 1937 and at once began a campaign for the youth
of the town. The Junior Choir is a
monument to his talented wife. His Holy
Week services were outstanding. We were
very glad to be able to send him to Conference with our share of the finances
fully paid up, something we had failed to do for several years previous.
In 1938 we started out again under new
leadership. Much has been done toward
perfecting the Church organizations, big things are planned for the on-going of
the Kingdom, by this tireless, devoted leader, the Rev. ALLEN J. CARTER.
Our Church through the years has been
served by the following organists: Mrs.
W. J. NEWBILL, Mrs. PEARL RILEE CLEMENTS, Mrs. CHARLES L. SMITH and Mrs. OLIVE WHITE MESSICK.
The Rev. Dr. LOVICK P. LAW, General Evangelist of the Methodist Church, and
Prof. F. J. BALMOND,
Evangelist-Singer, have been recent valued additions to the Church.
This is indeed a goodly heritage. “Seeing we also are compassed about with so
great a cloud of witnesses,” we dare not fail to take up the torch and go on
from victory to greater victory, till the last stronghold of the enemy is
taken. The obstacles overcome, the
victories won in this half century are a challenge to us. “There is still the Man on the Cross”.
“Lord, thou hast been our
dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth, or even thou hadst formed the
earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”
J.
R. Tillery*
John
T. Payne*
M.S.
Colonna, Jr.*
J.W.S.
Robins*
C.R.James*
J.M.Anderson*
James
Riddick Laughton
E.
F. Garner*
John
D. Hosier
Frank
McLean
W.
Y. Scales
George
H. McFaden*
Walter
C. Gum
J.U.
Edwards
Wm.
R. Reed
S.
A. Donahoe*
E.
K. Odell
Wallace
R. Evans
Benjamin
B. Bland
Allen
J. Carter
Officiary
presiding at Golden Jubilee
The
Rev. William Walter Peele, DD., Presiding Bishop
The
Rev. C. Fred Williams, Presiding Elder
The
Rev. Allen J. Carter, Pastor
Dr.
Lee S. Liggan, Chairman of the Board of Stewards
William
J. Haynie, Superintendent, Church School
Mrs.
Julia M. Lee, Chairman, Board of Education
Mrs.
Pauline L. Haynie, President of the Woman’s Missionary Society
Mrs.
Olive White Messick, Church Organist
Jubilee
Committee
Dr.
Lee S. Liggan, General Chairman
The
Rev. Allen J. Carter, Pastor
Mrs.
Julia M. Lee--Church History
Mrs.
Hill Fleet—Founders’ Day Memorial Service
William
J. Haynie—Home Coming Day
Mrs.
Rachel M. Buchan – Publicity
Mrs.
Lee S. Liggan – Historical Pageant
Mrs.
Pauline L. Haynie—Music
William
D. Long – Properties
Mrs.
Mattie Jett – Meals
Mrs.
Julia M. Lee – Floral Decorations
Ministers
preaching Jubilee Weeks
Rev.
Wm. R. Reed
Rev.
Lovick P. Law DD
Rev.
James Riddick Laughton
Rev.
Wallace R. Evans
Rev.
Walter C. Gum
Bishop
W. W. Peele
Rev.
C. Fred Williams
Rev.
B. B. Bland