History
For the 250th Homecoming celebration, an updated version of Brittain's history was published. Below is a condensed version of how Brittain Presbyterian Church was founded and has changed throughout the years.
1938
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2018
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Settlers Came
Presbyterianism was introduced in North Carolina with the coming of the Scots-Irish highlanders in 1736-1740. The hardy and courageous highlanders migrated from earlier settlements in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, seeking territorial gains and fertile lands on which to build their homes. They planted Presbyterianism in the Cane Creek and Broad River Valley area, which later became part of Rutherford County. It is known today as Brittain.
Church Organized
Brittain Presbyterian Church was organized in August 1768 by Rev. Daniel Thatcher and three elders - Samuel Reid, Samuel Adams, and James Mitchell. The congregation consisted of twenty members. Descendents of those first settlers are still living in the area. With approval from The Presbytery of Hanover, "Little Britain" was formed. This name was chosen because there was already a vacant burial ground on the land belonging to Great Britain. Later, a large acreage was granted to Mr. William Long by King George III. Mr. Long in turn deeded seven acres of this land to the church.
Name Changed
The name "Little Britain" was retained until after the Revolutionary war. An overture to the Mecklenburg Presbytery asked that another "t" be added to distinguish it from the mother country of Great Britain. The church has been known as "Brittain" since that time.
Buildings Constructed
The first building was erected in the fall of 1768. It was constructed of logs, as were most other buildings of the time. The little log church remained on its first site for 32 years.
In 1800 it was moved 1 1/2 miles up the Union Mills road to the Young farm. Mr. William Porter, the landowner, deeded 2 1/2 acres to Britain. This second building was also a log church. A cemetery was located at the second site, but due to neglect it no longer exists today.
Brittain remained on this site until 1852, when it returned to its original location. This time, the church was built of hand dressed lumber, with a balcony in the back that was occupied by slaves. Older members of the church recall having heard that John Baldridge built this edifice. After the Civil War, the balcony was removed and other minor changes were made.
In 1941, the building was encased with brick and a basement was added to provide Sunday School rooms and a fellowship hall. A dedication ceremony for the building was held in 1941. Also at the ceremony, donations of 18 stained glass windows were received and dedicated. This building is the same one in use today.
Early Rolls
Prominent names on the early church roll include: Andrews, Baldwin, Black, Carson, Erwin, Flack, Gettys, Guffey, Jones, Long, McFarland, Mitchell, Moore, Morrison, Patton, Porter, Reid, Smart, Spratt, Stribling, Thompson, Watson, and Wharey.
In the first half of the nineteenth century other names were added: Alexander, Farnsworth, Forney, Hampton, Logan, Monteith, Nabor, Strafford, Wallace, and Young.
Pastors
In over 230 years of life, more than 40 pastors have served Brittain Presbyterian Church. Each one, aside from their regular pastoral duties, contributed his or her own special talents and extra spiritual programs.
Westminister School
Westminister School, a co-educational and semi-industrial school, was established by Rev. W.R. Minter and Rev. R.C. Morrison. It opened its doors in 1902 on land adjacent to Brittain. Eight churches, some of them daughters of Brittain (all organized after Brittain), joined in the establishment of Westminister School. The institution filled a great need in the area for approximately 26 years. The school closed its doors due to the establishment of a public school system in Rutherford County.
Sunday School
The first Sunday School was started by Rev. E.C. Walker. This was different than other Sunday Schools because it opened at 9 am and lasted all day, with students taking a break for lunch. Studies included the Bible and Catechism. Today's version of Sunday School begins at 10 am Sunday mornings, lasting only 45 minutes.
Daughter Churches
During its history, Brittain has helped establish 5 other Presbyterian churches in the area. This includes the following: Duncan's Creek (the oldest), Union Mills (second church, made up of members from Brittain), Bostic (sponsored by Forest City Presbyterian Church, but with the entire list of charter members coming from Brittain), Rutherfordton (elders of Brittain officiated in its organization in 1834), and Sandy Plains Church in Polk County (officers of Brittain helped with its organization).
1968 Bicentennial
The principal project of the Bicentennial observance of Brittain was the restoration of the "Old Burying Ground" that included hundreds of graves dating back to the Revolutionary War. Graves of veterans of the Revolution, the War of 1812, the Spanish American War, and World Wars I and II can be found here. Many of the old graves were unmarked, out of position, broken, or otherwise defaced. The area was overgrown with grass, weeds, small bushes and trees, and it was altogether unsightly and difficult to locate even marked graves.
Brittain launched a movement to restore, as far as possible, the entire cemetery area. The response was generous. On days designated for work in the cemetery, men came with tools and women prepared dinner and/or supper for the workers. A clean, grass covered cemetery with tombstones straightened, cleaned, and mended was the result. New markers were placed, walkways were opened, as well as driveways being created around the cemetery. The lawn between the cemetery and highway was beautified and outlined with greenery. Along with the cleanup, a permanent cemetery fund was established to help with its care and maintenance.
In addition to the cemetery being cleaned up, the sanctuary was redecorated with new pew cushions and carpet was added. An annual homecoming celebration was set for the first Sunday in August.
Latest Improvements
Several improvements have been made to the church since 1968. The sanctuary was redecorated, the pulpit remodeled, and a church library was established. Sun-damaged carpet in the foyer was replaced with tile. To protect stained glass windows, plexi-glass panels were installed over each window. Eventually, other windows in the basements were also covered with plexi-glass. The fellowship hall was improved with the installation of carpet. Wainscoting was installed on the walls of all basement rooms following water damage. The addition of a central heating and air conditioning unit for the Sanctuary, along with window units in the Sunday School rooms and fellowship hall assure a comfortable atmosphere for all types of church activities. In 1999, a handicap ramp was added to the right-hand side of the church.
Back in 1998, Brittain sold its manse and bought the home of Robert and Beth Atchley, which was adjacent to the church's property. This is now used as Brittain's manse.
Cemetery Registered
In 2001, 5 Revolutionary War markers were dedicated, bringing the total number of markers to 13. In the same year, Brittain's cemetery was placed on the Department of the Interior's National Park Service Register for the Overmoutain Victory National Historic Trail.
Within the cemetery, the following can be found: 3 former pastors, 8 Revolutionary War soldiers, 11 Civil War soldiers, 1 War of 1812 soldier, 1 Tory soldier, 5 doctors, 4 sheriffs, 1 legislator, 1 House of Commons member, many elders, deacons, Sunday School teachers, and many faithful servants of Christ.
More information is available on one of the Revolutionary War soldiers buried at Brittain, Thomas McColloch, as well as Fort McGaughey which stood near Brittain.
Our Heritage
We, the members of Brittain Church, are proud of our heritage and grateful for the founders of our church. Many times the church was without a resident pastor, but services were held regularly, in the true Christian manner.
Presbyterianism was introduced in North Carolina with the coming of the Scots-Irish highlanders in 1736-1740. The hardy and courageous highlanders migrated from earlier settlements in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, seeking territorial gains and fertile lands on which to build their homes. They planted Presbyterianism in the Cane Creek and Broad River Valley area, which later became part of Rutherford County. It is known today as Brittain.
Church Organized
Brittain Presbyterian Church was organized in August 1768 by Rev. Daniel Thatcher and three elders - Samuel Reid, Samuel Adams, and James Mitchell. The congregation consisted of twenty members. Descendents of those first settlers are still living in the area. With approval from The Presbytery of Hanover, "Little Britain" was formed. This name was chosen because there was already a vacant burial ground on the land belonging to Great Britain. Later, a large acreage was granted to Mr. William Long by King George III. Mr. Long in turn deeded seven acres of this land to the church.
Name Changed
The name "Little Britain" was retained until after the Revolutionary war. An overture to the Mecklenburg Presbytery asked that another "t" be added to distinguish it from the mother country of Great Britain. The church has been known as "Brittain" since that time.
Buildings Constructed
The first building was erected in the fall of 1768. It was constructed of logs, as were most other buildings of the time. The little log church remained on its first site for 32 years.
In 1800 it was moved 1 1/2 miles up the Union Mills road to the Young farm. Mr. William Porter, the landowner, deeded 2 1/2 acres to Britain. This second building was also a log church. A cemetery was located at the second site, but due to neglect it no longer exists today.
Brittain remained on this site until 1852, when it returned to its original location. This time, the church was built of hand dressed lumber, with a balcony in the back that was occupied by slaves. Older members of the church recall having heard that John Baldridge built this edifice. After the Civil War, the balcony was removed and other minor changes were made.
In 1941, the building was encased with brick and a basement was added to provide Sunday School rooms and a fellowship hall. A dedication ceremony for the building was held in 1941. Also at the ceremony, donations of 18 stained glass windows were received and dedicated. This building is the same one in use today.
Early Rolls
Prominent names on the early church roll include: Andrews, Baldwin, Black, Carson, Erwin, Flack, Gettys, Guffey, Jones, Long, McFarland, Mitchell, Moore, Morrison, Patton, Porter, Reid, Smart, Spratt, Stribling, Thompson, Watson, and Wharey.
In the first half of the nineteenth century other names were added: Alexander, Farnsworth, Forney, Hampton, Logan, Monteith, Nabor, Strafford, Wallace, and Young.
Pastors
In over 230 years of life, more than 40 pastors have served Brittain Presbyterian Church. Each one, aside from their regular pastoral duties, contributed his or her own special talents and extra spiritual programs.
Westminister School
Westminister School, a co-educational and semi-industrial school, was established by Rev. W.R. Minter and Rev. R.C. Morrison. It opened its doors in 1902 on land adjacent to Brittain. Eight churches, some of them daughters of Brittain (all organized after Brittain), joined in the establishment of Westminister School. The institution filled a great need in the area for approximately 26 years. The school closed its doors due to the establishment of a public school system in Rutherford County.
Sunday School
The first Sunday School was started by Rev. E.C. Walker. This was different than other Sunday Schools because it opened at 9 am and lasted all day, with students taking a break for lunch. Studies included the Bible and Catechism. Today's version of Sunday School begins at 10 am Sunday mornings, lasting only 45 minutes.
Daughter Churches
During its history, Brittain has helped establish 5 other Presbyterian churches in the area. This includes the following: Duncan's Creek (the oldest), Union Mills (second church, made up of members from Brittain), Bostic (sponsored by Forest City Presbyterian Church, but with the entire list of charter members coming from Brittain), Rutherfordton (elders of Brittain officiated in its organization in 1834), and Sandy Plains Church in Polk County (officers of Brittain helped with its organization).
1968 Bicentennial
The principal project of the Bicentennial observance of Brittain was the restoration of the "Old Burying Ground" that included hundreds of graves dating back to the Revolutionary War. Graves of veterans of the Revolution, the War of 1812, the Spanish American War, and World Wars I and II can be found here. Many of the old graves were unmarked, out of position, broken, or otherwise defaced. The area was overgrown with grass, weeds, small bushes and trees, and it was altogether unsightly and difficult to locate even marked graves.
Brittain launched a movement to restore, as far as possible, the entire cemetery area. The response was generous. On days designated for work in the cemetery, men came with tools and women prepared dinner and/or supper for the workers. A clean, grass covered cemetery with tombstones straightened, cleaned, and mended was the result. New markers were placed, walkways were opened, as well as driveways being created around the cemetery. The lawn between the cemetery and highway was beautified and outlined with greenery. Along with the cleanup, a permanent cemetery fund was established to help with its care and maintenance.
In addition to the cemetery being cleaned up, the sanctuary was redecorated with new pew cushions and carpet was added. An annual homecoming celebration was set for the first Sunday in August.
Latest Improvements
Several improvements have been made to the church since 1968. The sanctuary was redecorated, the pulpit remodeled, and a church library was established. Sun-damaged carpet in the foyer was replaced with tile. To protect stained glass windows, plexi-glass panels were installed over each window. Eventually, other windows in the basements were also covered with plexi-glass. The fellowship hall was improved with the installation of carpet. Wainscoting was installed on the walls of all basement rooms following water damage. The addition of a central heating and air conditioning unit for the Sanctuary, along with window units in the Sunday School rooms and fellowship hall assure a comfortable atmosphere for all types of church activities. In 1999, a handicap ramp was added to the right-hand side of the church.
Back in 1998, Brittain sold its manse and bought the home of Robert and Beth Atchley, which was adjacent to the church's property. This is now used as Brittain's manse.
Cemetery Registered
In 2001, 5 Revolutionary War markers were dedicated, bringing the total number of markers to 13. In the same year, Brittain's cemetery was placed on the Department of the Interior's National Park Service Register for the Overmoutain Victory National Historic Trail.
Within the cemetery, the following can be found: 3 former pastors, 8 Revolutionary War soldiers, 11 Civil War soldiers, 1 War of 1812 soldier, 1 Tory soldier, 5 doctors, 4 sheriffs, 1 legislator, 1 House of Commons member, many elders, deacons, Sunday School teachers, and many faithful servants of Christ.
More information is available on one of the Revolutionary War soldiers buried at Brittain, Thomas McColloch, as well as Fort McGaughey which stood near Brittain.
Our Heritage
We, the members of Brittain Church, are proud of our heritage and grateful for the founders of our church. Many times the church was without a resident pastor, but services were held regularly, in the true Christian manner.