Roane County TN Archives History - Books .....Post Oak Springs Christian Church 1927
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com November 6, 2005, 9:03 pm

Book Title: The History Of Roane County Tennessee 1801-1870

POST OAK SPRINGS CHRISTIAN CHURCH



    The Church at Post Oak Springs is thought to be the oldest Christian Church

in Tennessee, and the interesting facts of its early history deserve to be

perpetuated in the records of Roane County, for the benefit of the present

generation, and the future descendants of the pioneers of early days.



    Among the early settlers who came into the lands and bought of the Cherokee

Indians on the West side of the Tennessee River after the treaty of the Tellico

in 1805, there was a group from Hawkins County and among these Isaac Rice

appears to have been the leader. Isaac Rice, William Marlock and Joseph Mee,

with their families settled on "The waters of King's Creek." Isaac Rice built a

log cabin on a small hill above the spring that now supplies water to Rockwood.

William Matlock, a brother-in-law of Rice, and Joseph Mee, built cabins near by,

and these three built a log cabin church house and organized a church membership

about 1812.



    It appears that Rice had learned new ideas and teachings of the gospel back

in his home in Hawkins County or other sources, his instructors most likely

being representatives of the movement that had organized from the preaching of

Barton W. Stone. The enthusiasm and energy of Mr. Rice in preaching his views

brought a good number of converts, but it also aroused the opposition of others.



    In a few years the Church house was burned and the preacher Isaac Rice moved

to McMinn County, to a place now called Riceville, and this left the membership

to drift for some time. Major John Smith bought land near Post Oak Springs, and

though he was not a preacher he became the leader of the work and would call the

members together under some large oak trees, and have singing and prayer. The

church was called "Schismatics." by other religious bodies in the country, thus

indicating the attitude toward the people with the new ideas. The first Church

building at Post Oak stood near the present structure.



    It is not known just when the Church at Post Oak became acquainted with the

teachings of the Campbells who were later than Stone, but as early as 1838 it is

stated in the Millenial Harbinger that W. T. Owings had sent the money for the

preaching of the gospel. The little flock was visited by Evangelists and

traveling ministers at irregular and long distance occasions.



    In 1845 David M. Buck and Samuel H. Millard who were engaged as Evangelists

by the East Tennessee and South West Virginia Co-operation traveled on horseback

as far west as Post Oak Springs, preaching in Knox and Anderson counties, also

others who preached for them in early days were Messers. Troutt, Eichbaum,

Vermillion, Randolph, J. D. Billingsly Sr., Isaac Mulkey, J. H. Denton and others.



    During the War Between the States the services of this church like many

others were suspended and its members fought on both sides of the unpleasant

fratricidal war. After the war was over it was with some difficulty that the

members could be reorganized into a Christian fellowship. But under the ministry

of John H. Acuff who had sons on both sides in the war, a communion service was

held to which all persons, of whatever denomination, creed or belief, if they

felt themselves worthy were invited to take the emblems of remembrance of the

Savior who had suffered for all alike. Hatred and strife and the wounds of the

War were healed and the Church began again to live and preach Christian Unity.



    An event in the history of that early day that has its lessons for later

time is that of the church undertaking to reproduce the communism of the

Apostolic Church. This was undertaken by W. J. Owings who had earnest

convictions that the experience of the early Church described in Acts 2:44,

should be literally reproduced in the life of the Church of today, and that all

should live as one family or community, sharing all alike in the common good of

the community. After two or three years trial the experiment was abandoned as a

mistaken conception of Christian fellowship and co-operation.



     The Post Oak Church is called the Mother Church, and the growth from that

small beginning has been remarkable. A little acorn planted by Isaac Rice has

grown into a great oak with many branches.



Additional Comments:
From:



Part Three



The History of Roane County Tennessee 1801-1870

by

Emma Middleton Wells



Printed by

The Lookout Publishing Company

Chattanooga, Tennessee



(1927)

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