February 13, 2012 Coats Museum News
Much of the article today comes from the church history of “Mt. Pisgah Harnett Original Free Will Baptist Church History” written by John Chalmers. Did Peggy Holliday Robinson have a hand in this project? It was recorded that following the Civil War and in 1867, the Cape Fear Conference advised the colored members to unite and form churches themselves: but could remain members of the white churches if they so wished. Many white churches no longer welcomed the freed slaves.
According to the history, Mr. Bright Walter was given an acre of land by his former slave owner, Mr. Bill McKoy, for the purpose of building a church. The history indicates the church trustees were Mr. Jack McKoy, Mr. Sandy McKoy, and Mr. Thomas Ryals. This was also confirmed by the original deed that the church has which showed that on 1891, Mr. William Biland McKoy and his wife, Mrs. Anna Stacy McKoy, officially deeded the land to the church trustees.
The history wrote that some of the forefathers and mothers came to the church called “Old Egypt” on their mule and wagons while others had to walk. Although their feet would be tired and dirty from traveling on the hot and dusty dirt roads, they would still come from many miles to worship the Lord. They came to hear the Word of the Lord and to fellowship with family and friends who lived many miles away. Because most members lived and worked on various farms as sharecroppers and woodsmen, they did not get to see one another until Sunday at worship services. The people would dust off their feet and shoes and brush off the dust from their clothes to get ready to go into the services. On the way to the church, some women would wear a pair of cotton stockings and comfortable shoes, but after they arrived at church, they would put on their best stockings and high heeled shoes. During the winter months, they would go in and warm by the pot-belly stove before services.
Pastoral Sunday was held once a month on the third Sunday. With the ringing of the church bell, the people knew the church service was beginning. The service began with the singing of beautiful hymns, powerful praying, inspiring testimonies, and uplifting praises to God. The writers recorded that the members could be heard a great distance away cheerfully singing, vigorously clapping their hands, loudly shouting, spiritedly dancing and praising the Lord.
When the members and friends came to the church, they brought baskets and boxes of food and served cold fried chicken, beans, peas, biscuits, sweet potato pies and homemade cakes. When they left, they would hug and kiss each other upon saying their goodbyes and would begin their long night journey home.
It was said of the members at Mt. Pisgah that when rain had not come on the farmers’ crops for many days that the members would go to the church anytime during the day, bringing their umbrellas, praying and believing God until He sent rain.
The first ministers would travel from one church to another spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A few of the men who pastored early on at Mt. Pisgah Church were Elder Bright Richardson, Elder Bright Walter, Rev. Daniel Hicks, Rev. Steve McKoy, Rev. George Bailey, Rev. Arthur Lofton, Rev. Clyde McKeithan, and Rev. Doug McNeill.
What happened to the original Mt. Pisgah Church, “Old Egypt”? According to the history, that although the church continued to promote the ideals of Christian faith, serious differences developed between members in the church and later the church was deliberately burned.
The members used their skills, time and money to build a second Mt. Pisgah Church which was completed in 1924 and at one time had as many as 160 members. Some of those members were baptized in ponds such as the Surles’ Pond, Thorn’s Pond, and the pond behind the home of Deacon Dories and Mother Ellla A. McKoy’s home.
For baptizing, men wore shirts and pants with the legs rolled up to the knees. The women wore white sheets around their bodies and clean white cloths tied around their heads. The services were very spiritual with singing of songs, shouts of praises and clapping of hands. Is their baptism service the same in 2012?
I do know that Mr. Chalmers wrote that many changes have been made since “Old Egypt”. A rag had been used as a wick in a Coca Cola bottle filled with kerosene to provide lighting in the church. This way of lighting continued until the 1925 church was erected and then a large steel drum was placed in the ground to hold fuel oil that would feed the four Delco oil lamps. These gave way to electrical lighting. Outhouses had been used at “Old Egypt”. Indoor facilities were not available until the third Mt. Pisgah Church was built.
The second church built of clapboard became unsafe for worship. In 1955, about thirty members dismantled the old clapboard church and dug the foundation for the new church built of cement blocks that would later be covered with bricks. The church would contain lots of materials saved from the dismantled church. That third church would grow to contain a modern new sanctuary, bathrooms, kitchen, lunchroom, classrooms, closets, supply room, pastor’s study, library, a copier room, a secretary’s office, a baptismal pool and much more. WOW-what a journey it was from “Old Egypt to Mt. Pisgah Harnett Original Free Will Baptist Church.
Angier, Barclaysville, Coats, Turlington and Erwin were stops on the Durham and Southern Railroad. Lucy and Son Weaver operated a coal business off a spur of the railroad on the property adjoining the museum’s site. Kenneth Weaver dropped by the museum last Sunday to give the museum the coal cart pusher used by his dad. Kenneth said the Weavers sold about 15-16 carts of coal a year from 1958-1968. What an artifact that will be to display in a Durham and Southern Railroad Exhibit in the new addition being built on the Heritage Square-THANKS-Kenneth.
Much of the article today comes from the church history of “Mt. Pisgah Harnett Original Free Will Baptist Church History” written by John Chalmers. Did Peggy Holliday Robinson have a hand in this project? It was recorded that following the Civil War and in 1867, the Cape Fear Conference advised the colored members to unite and form churches themselves: but could remain members of the white churches if they so wished. Many white churches no longer welcomed the freed slaves.
According to the history, Mr. Bright Walter was given an acre of land by his former slave owner, Mr. Bill McKoy, for the purpose of building a church. The history indicates the church trustees were Mr. Jack McKoy, Mr. Sandy McKoy, and Mr. Thomas Ryals. This was also confirmed by the original deed that the church has which showed that on 1891, Mr. William Biland McKoy and his wife, Mrs. Anna Stacy McKoy, officially deeded the land to the church trustees.
The history wrote that some of the forefathers and mothers came to the church called “Old Egypt” on their mule and wagons while others had to walk. Although their feet would be tired and dirty from traveling on the hot and dusty dirt roads, they would still come from many miles to worship the Lord. They came to hear the Word of the Lord and to fellowship with family and friends who lived many miles away. Because most members lived and worked on various farms as sharecroppers and woodsmen, they did not get to see one another until Sunday at worship services. The people would dust off their feet and shoes and brush off the dust from their clothes to get ready to go into the services. On the way to the church, some women would wear a pair of cotton stockings and comfortable shoes, but after they arrived at church, they would put on their best stockings and high heeled shoes. During the winter months, they would go in and warm by the pot-belly stove before services.
Pastoral Sunday was held once a month on the third Sunday. With the ringing of the church bell, the people knew the church service was beginning. The service began with the singing of beautiful hymns, powerful praying, inspiring testimonies, and uplifting praises to God. The writers recorded that the members could be heard a great distance away cheerfully singing, vigorously clapping their hands, loudly shouting, spiritedly dancing and praising the Lord.
When the members and friends came to the church, they brought baskets and boxes of food and served cold fried chicken, beans, peas, biscuits, sweet potato pies and homemade cakes. When they left, they would hug and kiss each other upon saying their goodbyes and would begin their long night journey home.
It was said of the members at Mt. Pisgah that when rain had not come on the farmers’ crops for many days that the members would go to the church anytime during the day, bringing their umbrellas, praying and believing God until He sent rain.
The first ministers would travel from one church to another spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A few of the men who pastored early on at Mt. Pisgah Church were Elder Bright Richardson, Elder Bright Walter, Rev. Daniel Hicks, Rev. Steve McKoy, Rev. George Bailey, Rev. Arthur Lofton, Rev. Clyde McKeithan, and Rev. Doug McNeill.
What happened to the original Mt. Pisgah Church, “Old Egypt”? According to the history, that although the church continued to promote the ideals of Christian faith, serious differences developed between members in the church and later the church was deliberately burned.
The members used their skills, time and money to build a second Mt. Pisgah Church which was completed in 1924 and at one time had as many as 160 members. Some of those members were baptized in ponds such as the Surles’ Pond, Thorn’s Pond, and the pond behind the home of Deacon Dories and Mother Ellla A. McKoy’s home.
For baptizing, men wore shirts and pants with the legs rolled up to the knees. The women wore white sheets around their bodies and clean white cloths tied around their heads. The services were very spiritual with singing of songs, shouts of praises and clapping of hands. Is their baptism service the same in 2012?
I do know that Mr. Chalmers wrote that many changes have been made since “Old Egypt”. A rag had been used as a wick in a Coca Cola bottle filled with kerosene to provide lighting in the church. This way of lighting continued until the 1925 church was erected and then a large steel drum was placed in the ground to hold fuel oil that would feed the four Delco oil lamps. These gave way to electrical lighting. Outhouses had been used at “Old Egypt”. Indoor facilities were not available until the third Mt. Pisgah Church was built.
The second church built of clapboard became unsafe for worship. In 1955, about thirty members dismantled the old clapboard church and dug the foundation for the new church built of cement blocks that would later be covered with bricks. The church would contain lots of materials saved from the dismantled church. That third church would grow to contain a modern new sanctuary, bathrooms, kitchen, lunchroom, classrooms, closets, supply room, pastor’s study, library, a copier room, a secretary’s office, a baptismal pool and much more. WOW-what a journey it was from “Old Egypt to Mt. Pisgah Harnett Original Free Will Baptist Church.
Angier, Barclaysville, Coats, Turlington and Erwin were stops on the Durham and Southern Railroad. Lucy and Son Weaver operated a coal business off a spur of the railroad on the property adjoining the museum’s site. Kenneth Weaver dropped by the museum last Sunday to give the museum the coal cart pusher used by his dad. Kenneth said the Weavers sold about 15-16 carts of coal a year from 1958-1968. What an artifact that will be to display in a Durham and Southern Railroad Exhibit in the new addition being built on the Heritage Square-THANKS-Kenneth.