Thomas County GaArchives Church Records.....Springhill Methodist Church HIstory by James Ferrell Copyright Date 1924 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Ellie Gray EDOLLY1001@aol.com September 30, 2009, 6:02 am Springhill Methodist Church & Cemetery Springhill Road Metcalf, Thomas County Names mentioned: Peter McKinnon Lockland Morrison Angus Morrison James Ferrell Kindred Braswell Simon Peter Richardson Ira Potter Samuel Anthony Dick Taylor Tommy Taylor John Ferrell's History of Spring Hill Times Enterprise Thomasville, Georgia Dear Sirs: On last Sunday, September 19, 1924, there was a homecoming celebration observed at Old Spring Hill Church, about ten miles south of Thomasville on the Spring Hill road. People came from far and wide to worship God in this sacred spot and enjoy the fellowship of dinner on the ground. Since I was one of the oldest natives and had spend my entire life in the this neighborhood, it fell to my lot to give the history of the church, which history I am forwarding to you in hopes that you will print it for posterity. I have searched every available source and have given the facts as accurately as possible, using inference in many cases to fill in the gaps. This church was organized under a bush arbor during the summer of 1822 of 1823 by Peter McKinnon, Lockland Morrison, Angus Morrison, and one other pioneer whose name is lost. During the fall following the Bush Arbor Meeting these pioneers built without nails or sawed lumber a log cabin (jokingly called Peter's Chapel by the mischievous boys of the neighborhood). This chapel was called Spring Hill because of the many natural springs coming out of the high hills of the surrounding countryside. For many years the people who came here to worship drank from the cool spring below the church. Especially was this spring a mecca to the boys and girls who stayed for a baseball classic after Sunday School on Sunday afternoons. (When a pasture fence was built and topped with barbed wire, the spring was no longer within bounds for the worshippers. Soon the spring filled up and was not fit for drinking water.) Regular monthly services have been held here since 1826, according to my father, James Ferrell. My grandfather came to this county from North Carolina when his son James, (my father) was eight years old. My father was born on December 18, 1818, and always in telling of their arrival here in a covered wagon, he would indicate the date by his age. The church was there then and was judged to be about two years old from the fade of the white peeled pine logs. Also, my grandfather recollected that the Bush Arbor was then falling down. My ancestors attended this church, as it was the only one in Thomas County for several years after their arrival. Thus we can infer that the church was organized either in the summer of 1822 or 1823. Within a decade the log church was too small to accommodate the growing congregation in a growing community. The new churchh at the present site was built in 1833, the land being donated by Lockland Morrison, the same person who had donated the land for the first church. Spring Hill neighborhood at that time was about thirty miles in diameter. As more people moved into the area, other churches sprung up. Ochlocknee at Beachton was first, Kindred Braswell being the leader; then Pisgah (in Leon County), Old Boston, Union, Indian Springs, Miccosukee, Tallahassee, and later Thomasville came in rapid succession, all drawing away from Spring Hill, until now the Old Mother Church is weak and poor. However, in the 1830's and 1840's it was the banner church of South Georgia and Middle Florida, its membership being about 500. During the early 1820's and 1830's quarterly meetings were camp meetings comparable to the present homecomings except longer than one day. People came in covered wagons from as far as Morven in Brooks County, Georgia, and from all over Leon and Jefferson counties, Florida, and camped out in order to attend services from Saturday at 11:00 until the following Thursday noon. These were great spiritual revivals when such preachers as Simon Peter Richardson, Ira Potter, Samuel Anthony and uncles Dick and Tommy Taylor, all young men at that time, brought the message from their hearts. Services were held at 11:00 in the morning and again at night. Conversions ran into the hundreds in these crusades for Christ, as these pioneers were in full conscience with all the principles and precepts of religion and were washed in the blood of the Lamb. The services had a great spriritual significance as the congregation lifted their voices in praise with the old-fashioned hymns. John Wesley?? spoke of it as "The Witness of the Spirit", quoting Romans 8:16. Not all the people who attended these camp meetings belonged to Spring Hill Church, but in those days people looked forward to these camp meetings from year to year. If they did not attend the quarterly meeting, they would come to the Fourth of July barbecue for the annual celebration and muster call, when all able-bodied men answered the roll call on Muster Day. Since Spring Hill was centrally located, it was designated as the muster place, people coming by the hundreds from four to six counties. Here they camped for the great reunion and barbecue in the morning and the celebration and muster in the afternoon. Everybody knew everybody, and this neighborhood was at the zenith of it's glory in its love of God, country, church and fellow countryman. Thus we see teh fleeting history of a grand old mother church which fostered all the churches in this countryside for forty years. Spring Hill was then in the Florida conference. After the Civil War, the old church could not hold the lead anymore, but such shouting, singing, and preaching as was once heard in these hallowed walls has no equal anywhere except at Pisgah in Leon County, in the early 1830's and 1840's. Very truly yours, John Ferrell* * Revised by the writers daughter, Margaret Carolyn Ferrell (Mrs. Roscoe Cline Wilder), November 27, 1959. Additional Comments: Originally submitted as a scanned image by Ellie Gray EDOLLY1001@aol.com Feb 2003 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/thomas/churches/springhi143bb.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/ File size: 6.7 Kb