Clay County AlArchives Church Records.....History of Hatchett Creek Presbyterian Church Copyright Date November 1, 1956
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Linda Ayres http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00031.html#0007674 September 10, 2023, 11:12 pm

The Enterprise-Chronicle:
Few people ever realize the importance that a little country church has on the 
growth of a county and even as far as its importance to the growth and 
advancement of a great nation, such as ours. Among the communities that have 
played a part in the molding of our nation is that of the Hatchett Creek 
Presbyterian Church, better known to the older members as Brownville 
Presbyterian Church, located in the Brownville Community four and one-half miles 
from Goodwater. 
According to Lathe Watts, oldest living member in the community of the 
Brownville Church, the church grounds had been in use for some time when he 
moved into the community. There were old log tents, used to live in during 
camp meeting, already rotting as proof they had been in use for quite a while.
Mr. Watts came to the community in 1879 and the church was established in 1832. 
lie said that when the meetings were in full swing, there were at times as many 
as 5000 people to attend the meeting. The meetings were held in October when the 
moon was full because there was no means to light, so they had to depend on 
moonlight for their traveling. The people came from all surrounding areas such 
as Opelika, Talladega, Nixburg and Rockford for the gathering, which lasted for 
one week. Mr. Watts said the first funeral he attended in the cemetery was that 
of the Rev. William Swift. 
The arbor was built in 1886 on the property of Jane Brown, the wife of Malcolm 
Patterson and was donated to the church by her. The arbor is built from lumber 
cut from local trees and built by the members of the church The rafters are held 
together by wooden pegs about 12 inches long because they couldn't get nails and 
the pews that are now used in the church were cut and made from one gigantic 
pine and approximately one-half of the tree was used in the process The 
community of Brownville was at first known as "Little Scotland" because of the 
great number of Scottish settlers in the community. Among some of these were the 
McDiarmids, McNeills, McKays, McPhails, McElraths, Evans, Ross, Brown, 
Pattersons. Leachs and Martin Bull who was killed by Indians. 
Perhaps one of the oldest of the first settlers in the community was Virgil 
Patterson. Negro who walked all the way from North Carolina with his masters, 
the Patterson's from whom he got his last name. He was born in 1795 and died in 
1905. a life span of 110 years. He is buried not far from the Hatchett Creek 
Church in another cemetery. 
Mr. Watts said that he recalled the wedding between Mary Willingham and a McDade 
that took place there in the 1800s. Her three sons. Col. Thomas. Captain 
Archibald and Sgt. Malcolm, victims of the War Between the States are buried 
there alongside her. There are many others buried in the cemetery that took an 
active part in the war. They are Francis Partridge, Malcolm McPhail, D. A. 
Gatson, J.W.N. Rogers, J.R. King, W.E. House and George House, just to name a 
few. 
In the older days the present site Church was in Talladega County, but the 
boundaries were changed to Clay County in 1866. The first grave marked in the 
cemetery is that of a young ministerial student from Tennessee who died while 
visiting relatives in Hackneyville. 
Perhaps one of the most devoted members of the church was J.M.L. McPhail, who 
was an elder in the church for 60 years and Superintendent of the Sunday Schools 
for 50 years. 
Many sons of former stalwarts of the community have left their birthplace to 
achieve fame and fortune outside the county and outside the state, as did some 
of the Carmichaels. 
The Carmichaels were all born and reared in the Brownville community and it the 
growing into manhood, some left and achieved fame elsewhere Dr. O.C. Carmichael
as he is known now is at present the president of the University of Alabama and 
his brother Oliver is Superintendent of Public Schools in Louisville. Ky.
The cemetery of the Hatchett Creek Church has a varied history as it was the 
only cemetery in the surrounding areas for many years. There are many 
denominations buried in the Hatchett Creek Presbyterian Church with all beliefs 
and religions being represented there. 
The descendants of certain families still come to the church for reunions every 
year to pay homage partly to the church of their ancestors and parity to the 
memory of their ancestors as credit is certainly due them for the work, they 
have done in establishing a community that has greatly contributed to the growth 
and welfare of this great nation that is our heritage from them.


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