Church: Oak Grove, Lincoln Parish, LA Submitted by: Rachel May, Mmaenad@aol.com Source: Unknown ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** THE HISTORY OF OAK GROVE CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH On November 11, 1855, a Cumberland Presbyterian Church was organized in Arcadia, Louisiana, by Ministers W. B. Scott, R. M. Searcy, and Hugh McMahon. Thomas McGuire, M.D. McClain, and M. Del?ny were elected ruling elders of the Arcadia congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church within the bounds of the Ouachita Presbytery. Charter members of this organization were R. M. Searcy, H. V. Johns, M.D. McClain, Thomas McGuire, Mary J. Madden, Mariah Madden and M. Del?ny. The organizing ministers preached to the congregation from November 11, 1855 to 1861. At this time the War Between the States began. Then Rev. G. H. Clamp??t and Rev. S. S. Smart took charge of the church and moved it out the where the church now stands about four miles southeast of Arcadia. The land where the building stands was donated by Robert Steele. In 1850 he had given the land for a public cemetery. The first person buried there was his wife, Rachel Steele, who died July 15, 1850. The original lot contained three acres, located in the fork of two roads, one leading from Arcadia to Simsboro, the other from Arcadia to Hodge. The deed was made by P. W. Stewart, son-in-law of Robert Steele, and recorded in the Court House at Vienna, in Lincoln Parish, during the year 1876. In recent years the cemetery has been enlarged--more land being given by Mr. J. A. Durrett. During the Civil War a brush arbor was built at Oak Grove are services held under it. After the close of the war, the people bought a two-story house in Arcadia and moved it to where the church now stands. In 1879 Rev. S. S. Smart, with the assistance of Mr. Wesley McKee, had the church remodeled; it was cut down to one story and made twice as large as it was, but was not ceiled until two years later. During 1902 the church was overhauled, recovered, and painted. Mr. William Austin and others were responsible for this work. In 1931 the old church house was sold and a new one was built and paid for. It was during the ministry of Rev. Thomas H. Campbell that this building was erected. The elders of this church at this time were T. L. Smart, E. N. Boddie, C. E. Daniel, and S. E. Smart. Mr. T. L. Smart, son of Rev. S. S. Smart, fourth pastor of the church, is due much credit for the work he did in getting the building erected. In 1941 when Rev. ?. H. Hunter was pastor, this church was host to the Texas Synod. Originally Oak Grove Church was in Ouachita Presbytery which included a portion of southwest Arkansas from Camden southward together with a portion of the state of Louisiana. Several of the older churches, including Old Bethany, near Couschatta, and the church at Athens (which went into the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. in 1906) were formerly in Ouachita Presbytery. The present Louisiana Presbytery was not organized until about 1872. The original ministers composing the Louisiana Presbytery were the Revs. G. N. Clampitt, S. S. Smart, and Joslin Jones. Some of the ministers who have pastored this church are: W. B. Scott, Hugh McMahon, R. M. Searcy, George N. Clampitt, J. F. Spurlock, S. S. Smart, J. T. Sailes, William McDougle, John McDougle, N. J. Slaton, W. D. Owen, J. J. Wilson, J. A. Conville, W. H. Bass, F. A. Clampitt, J. L. Stevenson, T. G. Randell, L. W. Beard, J. N. Cunningham, G. A. Henderson, R. B. Kirkpatrick, J. E. Baggarly, C. H. Jackson, Mrs. Ada Slaton Bonds, Thomas H. Campbell, Earl L. Turner, M. F. Allen, H. H. Hunter, L. C. Kerans, and H. S. Johnson (compiled in October 1955)