New congregation taken under the care of presbytery: McAdoo at McEwen.

[Source: Extracts of the Minutes of Charlotte Presbytery, March 7, 1890 in The Cumberland Presbyterian, ]

The McEwen Cumberland Presbyterian Church is located on West Main Street in McEwen, Tennessee.

The oldest session minutes of the McEwen church were dated February 22, 1890. Therefore, it has been impossible to obtain a complete history of the church.

The McEwen church was organized as the McAdoo Cumberland Presbyterian Church by Rev. G. W. Nichols, sometime before 1890. There were twenty-eight charter members of the church. The first elders were J. J. Jones, J. H. Parrish, and L. L. Renfrow. The church was enrolled in the Charlotte Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. [Mrs. John Ridings-This information was received by the author in a personal interview on November 22, 1954.]

John McAdoo, a member of the church, gave the land on which the first church was built. The church was named in honor of him. [Mrs. John Ridings-This information was received by the author in a personal interview on November 22, 1954.]

The last meeting of the McAdoo session was on February 20, 1897. A. H. Manley was the moderator, and the elders present were F. H. Clark, L. L. Renfrow, and L. D. Baker. [Minutes of the McAdoo Session of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church February 20, 1897].

On January 1, 1914, the McAdoo church was reorganized in the old school building by Rev. F. P. Arterburn as the McEwen Cumberland Presbyterian Church. There were fifteen charter members: Mrs. F. H.Clark, Mrs. J. J. Ridings, Mrs. W. C. Thedford, Marion Morris, Mrs. R. F. Balthrop, Mrs. John Bryant, John Bryant, A. J. Jones, W. C. Thedford, Mrs. W. D. Patterson, Mrs. W. A. Thedford, Mrs. A. B. Hooper, T. C. Morris, J. M. Choat, and A. B. Hooper. Three elders of the former McAdoo church -- T. C. Morris, A. J. Jones, and A. B. Hooper -- were elected and installed as elders of the McEwen church. Also, J. M. Choat, and John Bryant were elected and ordained as elders of the new church, making a total of five elders. [Minutes of the McEwen Session of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church January 1, 1914.]

First building. The building used by the church when it was first organized was a union church. When the building was paid for it was dedicated as a Methodist church. [Mrs. John Ridings-This information was received by the author in a personal interview on November 22, 1954.]

Masonic hall. After the church was reorganized in 1914, services were held in the masonic hall because the church did not have a building of its own. The church worshiped there until 1917. [Mrs. John Ridings-This information was received by the author in a personal interview on November 22, 1954.]

Second building. The McEwen church built a one room framed building on West Main Street in 1917. It moved into the new building on June 2, 1917. [Minutes of the McEwen Session of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church June 2, 1917.]

The following ministers have served the McAdoo and McEwen Cumberland Presbyterian Churches: G. W. Nichols, 1890-1892; Thomas F. Bowman, 1893-1894; A. H. Manley, 1898; V. B. Larkins, 1899; E. L. McWilliams, 1900-1901; R.J. McCaslin, 1909; F. P. Arterburn, 1914-1919; A. H. Sykes, 1920-1923; S. A. Sadler, 1924; M. C. Powers, 1927-1934; Turner Clinard, 1936-1938; and M. C. Powers since 1938. [Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church 1890-1955, statistical tables.]

Charlotte Presbytery met with the McEwen congregation twice: October, 1890, [Minutes of the Session of the Wells Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church Book I.] and April 14, 1893. [Minutes of the Session of the New Hope Cumberland Presbyterian Church Book I.]

The McEwen church became a part of Clarksville Presbytery in 1899. [Minutes of Tennessee Synod of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church October 17-20, 1899, pp. 47-48.] Since that time, Clarksville Presbytery has met with the McEwen congregation on the following dates: March 16, 1915; [Minutes of Clarksville Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church March 16-17, 1915, p. 1.] March 27-29, [Minutes of Clarksville Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church March 27-29, 1923, p. 1.] March 29-30, 1927; [Minutes of Clarksville Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church March 29-30, 1927, p. 1.] and March 25-26, 1930. [Minutes of Clarksville Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church March 25-26, 1930,p. 1]

[Source: Ollie Newsome Harvey. "A History of the Existing Churches of Clarksville Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church." B.D. Thesis. Cumberland Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 1956, pages 99-102]

The land was donated by Mrs. S. J. Clark on November 14, 1914, in memory of her husband. This lot was located on Long and Chronister Street in McEwen. She requested the church be named "Clark Memorial Cumberland Presbyterian Church."

The first trustees were W. D. Patterson, J. I. Ridings, and J. A. Turner. Trustees in 1944 were M. C. Ridings, Julian Morris and Dillard Hooper. Mrs. Jessie Ridings was clerk.

The ladies of the church gave ice cream suppers to acquire funds to construct the church building. A charge was also made for the privilege of driving a nail into the new building while it was under construction. This was in 1917.

The first pastor was Rev. Avdibon. [sic: Arterburn] Rev. Allen Sykes served from 1918 to 1925. Rev. M. C. Powers served as pastor from 1925 until services were no longer held here.

The church building was sold in recent years and has now been torn down.

[Written by Mrs. Christine Baraga for Humphreys County Heritage Book, 1979]