Concord Cumberland Presbyterian Church

New Market, Madison County, Alabama

1848 - present

Robert Donnell Presbytery
Synod of Southeast

Other names:
Concord Cumberland Presbyterian Church before 1848-1882
Hazel Green Cumberland Presbyterian Church 1882-1884
Concord Cumberland Presbyterian Church 1884-present


Concord Cumberland Presbyterian Church
1827 Joe Quick Road
New Market, Alabama 35761


History of Concord Cumberland Presbyterian Church

Records show that the first Camp Meetings held in the North Alabama area were conducted at the Hunt's Spring in Huntsville in 1809 by Robert Donnell. At this time he also preached in other areas including Meridianville and Hazel Green. It is believed that the Concord site is the site listed as the "Hazel Green area" since it has been a handed down fact all these years that it was a camp ground long before a church was built. The Concord meeting grounds were located on the main road from Winchester, Tennessee to Athens, Alabama at that time. A large spring was located on the meeting grounds where travelers often stopped for a night's rest. The camp ground was the scene of summer camp meetings which were social as well as religious for the scattered residents of the early days.Camp Meetings like this drew residents by foot and wagon where there were suitable roads. Families came and spent several nights at these camp meetings every summer.

It was also told over the years that it was called Concord because so many Concord grapes grew on the grounds.

A log building was later erected on the site. This building was used as a church meeting house and a school house.

The area back of the log building was begun as a cemetery. The oldest marked graves are dated in the mid 1800's. Many graves are marked with slate rock which has no date or other information.

The Concord Cumberland Presbyterian Church was organized prior to 1848 according to the Tennessee Presbyterial minutes of their Fall meeting held at Union Chapel, Madison County, Alabama on October 13, 1848. Concord Cumberland Presbyterian Church was represented by Thomas Province.

In April 1853 there was a joint camp meeting proposed to be conducted in August 1853 by New Market, Concord, Union Chapel and Bethlehem Cumberland Presbyterian churches. it is not known where this meeting was held.

According to the book "X+Y=Z" or "The Sleeping Preacher" by William P. Drake, the Rev. Constantine Blackmon Sanders joined the church at Concord on September 5, 1851. In September 1859 while at a Camp Meeting at Concord he had one of his bad spells that lasted a week or so. Rev. Sanders was a well known and controversial preacher in this area.

The log building burned prior to 1873. The Tennessee Presbyterial minutes of September 26, 1873 states the Rev. N. H. Bone, evangelist, preached three times in the Concord area. However, the Concord congregation was without any house of worship and unable to build one.

At the Tennessee Presbyterial meeting of April 20, 1877, the Concord congregation asked to be recognized and taken into the Presbytery. However, the Concord Cumberland Presbyterian Church had not been stricken from the records - even though not represented at Presbytery for many meetings - and was to be continued as a church under the care of that body. W.N. Manley represented Concord at this Presbyterial meeting.

On December 1, 1882, a congregation led by Rev. W. J. Walker, asked the Tennessee Presbytery to be recognized as the Hazel Green Cumberland Presbyterian Church. This is the same congregation as Concord. Concord was not mentioned in several Presbyterial minutes. The Hazel Green congregation was represented in September 1884 by W. N. Manley. On motion at this September 1884 meeting, the name Hazel Green Cumberland Presbyterian Church was changed back to Concord Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

According to a deed dated March 20, 1891, W. N. Manley, Stephen C. Giles, W. Campbell, and William K. Spelce, elders and governing officers of the Concord Cumberland Presbyterian Church deeded all but seven acres on which the church building set to W. N. Fowler for the sum of $50.00. Exactly how much that was we are not sure, but it states something about 33 acres in one sentence. It appears the original tract contained 40 acres and the church was left with seven acres.

According to this information the second building must have been erected in the 1880's. This building was used also as a school house for several years until the Walnut Grove School was built in 1920. Many singing schools were conducted in the summertime for the entire community. It served as a church building for the Concord Cumberland Presbyterian Church congregation until December 1961.

It is known from a local family history that people from the surrounding area helped build this church building. A Mr. Joe V. Cagle, from Francisco, Alabama (a town located at the north of Paint Rock Valley near the Tennessee line) helped to build the Concord Church building. Later he married a local girl, Lucinda Howard. This was in the late 1880's.

The Concord Cumberland Presbyterian Church members met April 23, 1961 and elected Herman Satterfield General Chairman of the building committee to build a new church. Louise S. Brown was elected Secretary-Treasurer. Also a building committee and finance committee were appointed. The ground was leveled on May 18, 1961 and foundation was laid on May 27, 1961. All labor was donated by people of the church congregation and community and all expenses were paid by donations. The first service was held in the new building on December 3, 1961. All the bills had been paid at this time and we had $40.70 in the treasury. The interior of the church was finished at the time but still had to be bricked outside. They started bricking the church building on May 2, 1962 and finished July 7, 1962. All debts were paid on November 23, 1962 and the dedication was held on November 25, 1962.

New pews, song books and carpet were installed and dedicated on December 16, 1970.

On December 8, 1972 it was decided that an addition was to be added to the church building. A fellowship hall and kitchen were completed in 1974. Stained glass windows were added to the sanctuary in 1985.

A metal steeple, topped by a three foot gold leafed cross, was erected and dedicated in October 1995.

All building and additions to the present structure were paid for by donations prior to completing each project.

In 1978 the Concord Cumberland Presbyterian Church purchased a mobile home and installed it just east of the church building. The pastor moved into it. In 1982 a sealed bid was made to the Bevil's Chapel Baptist Church for their manse. It was bought and moved on to an acre of land just west of the church building. This manse was remodeled and the pastor moved and the mobile home was sold.

Registers of ministers, elders and clerk are available from 1896. It is not known if records were maintained prior to 1896 or if any burned in the log building used during the mid 1800's. Sunday School records are available from 1923. On January 7, 1923, 50 people attended Sunday School and the offering was $1.39. During the summer attendance rose to 93.

The Concord Cemetery bell is a historic feature of the church grounds. It was donated and used to summons people in the community to help dig graves. When a grave was needed to be dug someone would ring the bell for several minutes. This bell could be heard for approximately five miles. This bell is not used at the present time except for very special occasions. It is installed on a concrete pedestal just east of the church building.


Register of Ministers

 NAME

DATE OF INSTALLATION

 Berry Copeland

1896

F.M. Copeland

1900

W.W. Thompson

1901

S.M. Bennett

1904

A.H. Manley

1906

T.G. Reed

1906

Joe B. Swyer

1907

C.G. Stroud

1909

J.C. Ross

1910

Thomas J. Bradford

1913

F.M. Copeland

1914

C.G. Stroud

1921

R.L. Stem

1925

L.B. Morgan

1925

F.M. Copeland

1928

J.A. Rodgers

1933

E.E. Smith

1941

Robert Hall

1943

H.B. Smith

1947

Robert Hall

1943

Mrs. Esch

1948

C.E. Bishop

1949

J.D. Cobb

1952

H.F. Jaynes

1960

Carl V. Easterwood

1961

Robert Hall

James W. Campbell

 1967

Elmer Alverson

1976

Dale Shelton

1978

N.V. Ragsdale

1983

James Lambert

1985

James E. Hunter

1993

Register of Elders

 NAME

DATE OF ORDINATION

 James B. Mitchell

1896

S.C. Giles

1896

G.N. Fowler

1896

J.W. Campbell

1896

C.A. Manley

1896

W.K. Spelce

1897

S.C. Smith

1898

W.D. Curry

1905

R.R. Teague

1906

G.W. Giles

1910

George W. Campbell

1910

J.E. Ramsey

1910

J.B. Fisk

1915

George N. Powers

1917

Joe E. Campbell

1917

W.M. Boles

1919

Joe Ed Campbell

1919

E.W. Hall

1926

C.C. Satterfield

1944

Roy Davis

1944

W.J. Thomason

1944

Herman W. Satterfield

1950

James W. Campbell

1950

Wilson Campbell

1950

Marvin M. Benson

1960

Paul J. Brown

1960

Waymon Campbell

1978

Richard Cole

1978

William Bole

1982

 

Register of Clerks

 NAME

DATE OF ELECTION

J.M. Cowley

1896

James B. Mitchell

1898

John W. Smith

1904

James B. Mitchell

1906

J.E. Ramsey

1910

James B. Mitchell

1913

J.B. Fisk

1919

E.W. Hall

1941

Herman W. Satterfield

1950

 

Register of Trustees

 NAME

DATE OF ELECTION

William R. (Bill) Boles

May 18, 1981

Gerry W. Satterfield

May 18, 1981

Eugene Land

May 18, 1981

Charles C. Satterfield

May 18, 1981


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Page Last Updated on June 5, 2002

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