1850
Elder Representative from Liberty
congregation - Isaac Williams
Liberty
Congregation, through their representative, Bro. Isaac Williams,
requested the services of Rev. E. J. Ragan as their pastor,
which request was granted.
[Source: "Extracts of the Minutes of the
Charlotte Presbytery," The Banner of Peace and Cumberland
Presbyterian Advocate, December 27, 1850, page 1]
1877
October 1877 - Charlotte Presbytery
met with the Liberty congregation - Stewart County, Tennessee
[Source: "Announcement of meeting,"
The Cumberland Presbyterian, September 13, 1877, page 5
& "Extract of the Minutes of Charlotte Presbytery,"
The Cumberland Presbyterian, April 4, 1878, page 5]
1888
March 9, 1888 - Charlotte Presbytery
met with the Liberty congregation (three miles from Dover)
- Stewart County, Tennessee
[Source: "Extract of the Minutes of Charlotte
Presbytery," The Cumberland Presbyterian, March 22,
1888, page 5]
1898
March 12-15, 1898 - Charlotte Presbytery
met at Liberty, Tennessee
[Source: "Extract of the Minutes of Charlotte
Presbytery," in The Cumberland Presbyterian, March
24 1898, page 13]
The Mount View Cumberland Presbyterian Church is located about three miles northwest of Dover, Tennessee, in the Liberty Springs Community of Stewart County.
It is a mission church of Clarksville Presbytery. Its present elders are Henry Sykes and Johnny Rowlett.
I. ANTECEDENTS
The Cumberland Presbyterians effected an organization in Stewart County in about 1812 or 1814, yet churches were not built until a later day. Probably the first meetings of any congregations of this denomination in the county were held at the residence of William Cherry, which stood one mile south of Dover, some time during the above years. For several years the meetings of this church were held at camp grounds, of which they had three, they being situated on Wells and Lick Creeks and at Duck Springs. The first Cumberland Presbyterian Church was erected about 1816 or 1818, and stood near the Kentucky line.(1)
II. ORGANIZATION
A union church was organized in the Liberty Springs Community sometime before 1873. The Baptist and the Cumberland Presbyterians worshiped in the church. It was known as the Liberty Springs Union Church. The Cumberland Presbyterians of that congregation were known as the Liberty Springs Cumberland Presbyterian Church.(2)
The oldest available session minutes of this church were dated April 5, 1873. At that time, the elders were: Ike Williams, George Daugherty, T. L. McLish and F. A. Roder. John McClisk was moderator of the session.(3)
III. REORGANIZATION
On March 3, 1900, the Liberty Springs session voted to reorganize the church, changing the name to the Mount View Cumberland Presbyterian Church. They instructed James Broadway, their delegate to the next meeting of presbytery, to ask the Clarksville Presbytery to change the name of their church.
The elders of the new church were: J. L. Dougherty, J. E. Lancester, Na Lancester, and James Broadway. Other members who were present at that meeting of the session were James Lancester and T. J. Dougherty.(4)
IV. BUILDINGS
First building. The Mount View church has had two buildings. The first building was the union church which was used by the Cumberland Presbyterian and the Baptists. It was a log building which stood in the hollow near the present home of Henry Sykes.(5)
Second building. By 1900, both the Baptists, and the Cumberland Presbyterians had grown to sufficient membership to have separate buildings. The Cumberland Presbyterians built a one room framed building about one mile north of the union church upon the ridge. It was at this time that the name of the church was changed. The Baptists continued to use the old log building.(6)
V. PASTORS
The following ministers have served the Mount View Cumberland Presbyterian Church: A. J. Parrish, 1884; T. O. Webb, 1888; A. R. King, 1900; 1901-1902; B. C. Scruggs, 1904-1905; J. J. Rye, 1907; A. H. Sykes, 1908-1911; J. E. Powers, 1912; M. C. Powers, 1914-1916; J. C. Ross, 1918; R. J. McCaslin, 1921; Robert A. Taylor, 1922; E. M. Neighbors, 1925; J. L. McMillan, 1928-1930; S. T. Neeley, 1931; M. C. Powers; 1933-1937; J. R. Burtscher, 1944-1950, and Howard Herndon since 1953.(7)
VI. CONTRIBUTIONS
The Mount View church was a member of Charlotte
Presbytery in 1898.(8) In 1899, the
Charlotte
Presbytery was dissolved, and Mount View became a part
of Clarksville
Presbytery. (9) Since that time, Clarksville
Presbytery has met with the Mount View congregation twice: September,
1905,(10) and March 14, 1922.(11)
[Source: This is an excerpt [pages 120-123] from "A History of the Existing Churches of Clarksville Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church," by Ollie Newsome Harvey, a thesis presented to the faculty of the Cumberland Presbyterian Theological Seminary, McKenzie, Tennessee in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Bachelor of Divinity, May 1956.]
1. History of Tennessee (Nashville: The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1886), p. 919.
2. Henry Sykes (This information was received by the author in a personal interview on December 27, 1955.).
3. Minutes of the Session of Liberty Springs Cumberland Presbyterian Church Book I.
4. Minutes of the Session of the Mount View Cumberland Presbyterian Church Book I.
7. Minutes of the Session of the Mount View Cumberland Presbyterian Church Book I.
8. Minutes of the Tennessee Synod of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church October 18-21, 1989, p. 3.
9. Ibid., October 17-20, 1899, pp. 47-48.
10. Minutes of Clarksville Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church October 10-12, 1911, p. 25. 11. Ibid., March 14-15, 1922, p. 1.
These directions start at Hwy 79. Directions To Mount View Cumberland Presbyterian Church: At Barrets Service station turn right on Hwy 49, drive 1 and a half miles and take a right. This will be Hickman Creek Road, go about 3/4 of a mile and the church and cemetery will be on your right.