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| Harrison churches date to 1834 |
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| Question: Only moved to the area recently. Enjoy your history column. My question is: Seems Boone County has a great many churches - what were some of the early churches? |
| Answer: Since the beginning of settlements in this area, churches have played a big role in the communities in which they were organized. The earliest known church was Crooked Creek Primitive Baptist in 1834. Shortly thereafter in the same year, the Presbyterians formed their church in the Crooked Creek Valley. |
| Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, in what is now Bellefonte, organized in 1840, followed by many other area churches in the 1870s through 1890. It would be almost impossible to name all the early religions, but to name a few: Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1870; Methodist Church, 1873; Christian Church, 1876; Sugar Loaf Baptist Church, 1880; Harrison Baptist, 1890; Bergman Methodist, 1909; and St. Blasé Catholic Mission Church in 1911. |
| This is only a partial list, but it certainly gives an idea of how important the early settlers felt about religion. |
| Harrison Sabbath School was organized in April 1873. First known as a Sunday School, citizens all worshipped together in the courthouse since there were not enough members of one denomination to separate and build churches on their own. Some were of the Southern Methodist faith, and those later took part in organizing the M.E. Church South, which stood for many years on the corner of South Cherry and Central Avenue. |
| The first building for the Baptist denomination in Harrison sat on the side of a rather steep hill west of the northwest corner of the downtown square. The little white building could be seen from its hillside location all over the downtown portion of our little town. Even though the church had some difficult times, it managed to grow in membership. |
| Later, the Baptists moved to the corner of Ridge and Vine and erected a large buff brick building that served them for many years. |
| Replacing a frame building, the Methodists erected a beautiful brick church in 1913, on the same original site on Pine and Stephenson. Its wonderful old stained glass windows stood out as a thing of beauty, but the explosion of the Boone County Telephone Company made the building unsafe. Their house of worship relocated on property at the end of West Bower Street. |
| First regular church services for the Disciples of Christ (1st Christian) were December 11, 1893, in their new building on a hillside at the corner of South Pine Street and Stephenson Avenue. This building still stands today as apartments, but lacks the luster and beauty of bygone days. In 1956, the church moved to 915 South Maple. |
| In 1912, the first Catholic Mission was established. At that time, there were few Catholics living in the country. But as more came to work with the railroad, land was purchased by the parish. In 1919, St. Blasé Mission Church was erected. This serene looking little church stood near the present location of Parkview Apartments on the corner of Ridge and Pine. Attorney Van Younes occupies the second building, constructed by the Catholics in 1954. But once again, as the congregation grew, they completed a building program in 1991 on Highway 43 East. |
| Eleven devout Cumberland Presbyterians met and organized a church on the banks of Crooked Creek in 1870. The Bellefonte Presbyterians set about establishing a "southern" church, and after Harrison residents joined them, they merged and became a member of Presbyterian Church, USA. This merger did not suit some members, however, and old feelings about Bellefonte being a Confederate stronghold and Harrison being Yankee territory began to erupt. Cumberland built a church on North Willow, and the other group built on Spring and Stephenson. The history of the Presbyterians was documented by the late Marietta McGaughey and is on file at the museum. |
| There are so many church histories that it is impossible to name them all. Our area is often referred to as the "Bible Belt" and if you take time and count the number of churches just within Harrison - not to mention those in surrounding communities - you will see that the name probably fits. |
| The History of Boone County, Arkansas, with a narrative by Roger V. Logan, Jr., One Hundred Years, 1873-1973: A History of the Methodist Church in Harrison, Arkansas by Clyde R. Newman, The History of the Christian Church by Dorothy Sharp, A Century of Service: 100th Anniversary of the First Baptist Church, The History of the Presbyterian Church by Marietta McGaughey, and The History of the North Arkansas Baptist Association by Roger V. Logan, Jr. are just a few of the books and pamphlets available at the Heritage Museum. All serve as excellent research material on churches within the county. We encourage you to stop by for additional information. |
| Each household in Boone County should have received a brochure this week telling about the Historical Society's upcoming Volume II of the Boone County, Arkansas Family History Book. This is a follow up to the History of Boone County, Arkansas, done almost ten years ago. It is your opportunity to join in documenting families who have lived in the area. We also invite organizations, churches and businesses to join in this effort by turning in their story. Brochures are available online and also at the museum, located on the corner of South Cherry Street and Central Avenue. Hours are 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. |
| Remember, Saturday, October 14, 2006 is our Annual Railroad Day. Featured speaker will be Dr. Charlton Stanley. This program commemorates the M&NA, M&A and A&O Railroads that were headquartered in Harrison. The museum will open at noon, with the program beginning at 1 p.m. |
| This column appears Fridays in the Harrison Daily Times. Mail questions to Boone County Heritage Museum, P. O. Box 1094, Harrison, AR 72601. Marilyn Breece can be contacted at bchm@windstream.net |
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