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DUKE

UNIVERSITY
LIBRARIES

Gift Of

The Reverend Harry R. Mays

The History of

Main Street
United Methodist Church

Greenwood, South Carolina

Interior of Main Street United Methodist Church decorated for
Christmas.

The History of

Main Street
United Methodist Church

Greenwood, South CaroHna

Harry R. Mays

Providence House Publishers
Franklin, Tennessee

Main Steet United Methodist Church

Greenwood, South Carolina

All rights reserved. Written permission must be
secured from the publisher to use or reproduce
any part of this book, except for brief quotations
in critical reviews and articles.

Printed in the Uruted States of America.

ISBN 1-881576-09-4

Published by

Providence House Publishers

Custom Commuiucations Publishing

PO. Box 158, Franklin, Tennessee 37065.

DEDICATED

TO THE MORE THAN

7,000 PERSONS

WHO SINCE 1858 HAVE BEEN MEMBERS

OF THE CONGREGATION KNOWN AS

GREENWOOD METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH

MAIN STREET METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH

MAIN STREET METHODIST CHURCH

AND

MAIN STREET UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Contents

Preface
1 In the Beginning

9
15

2 Organizing in God's Name

3 War Time

4 Reconstruction

5 Coming of Age

6 Growing Pains

7 The Second Building

8 Hosting Annual Conference

9 Getting a College

10 Choosing a Name

11 Another New Building

100

12 Post War Woes

110

13 The Great Depression

122

14 Hope Ahead

127

15 More War Years

136

16 Decades of Change

148

17 Still Building

167

18 Toward Tomorrow

182

Appendices

Appendix I Register of Members

197

Appendix II Ministers

203

Appendix III Veterans of World Wars

213

Bibliography

217

Index

220

Preface

This book is an effort to describe how more than seven
thousand persons over a century and a quarter related together
as a congregation. In the biblical Book of Acts such congregation-
al members are referred to as saints. It seems quite proper to use
that same term for members of this congregation. The result
would be a subtitle that reads, "The Acts of the Saints Who Are
Main Street Church."

Persons relating to their God and Savior are the warp and
woof of congregational life, but local records generally report
church life in broad strokes. How precious it would be to know
the faith story of those seven thousand "Main Streeters," but
such facts are generally available only at some point of controver-
sy. Let one example suffice.

Some years ago a book entitled The Stained Glass Jungle
became popular in Methodist Church circles. The story was a fic-
tionalized tale of a young pastor learning his way through the
traditional power structure of a Methodist Annual Conference. A
copy of the book was ordered for the library of Main Street
Church, but the book was never reported available for congrega-
tional reading. Finally the truth was revealed. Two self-appointed
censors had taken the book and carefully supervised its burning
in the furnace used to heat the church building. "It is too naughty
to read," was the censors' explanation. There have been a few
such unholy acts like the above by some would-be saints, but the
church records tend to generalize at these points. Forgiveness is a
congregational virtue to be praised and appreciated, even if it

10 Histoiy of Main Street United Methodist Church

bends the way history is ultimately presented in church records.

Fortunately sources beyond available church records pro-
vide considerable breadth to the Main Street story. The
Bibliography gives an indication of these sources.

Many have helped in this project. Herbert Hucks,
Archivist for the South Carolina United Methodist Annual
Conference, accumulated archival sources that provided invalu-
able and, in some cases, unique information. Hucks also suggest-
ed avenues of inquiry that made the search for information from
the past much easier. No amount of thanks is sufficient for his
assistance in the search for the Main Street Church story.

The staffs of the South Caroliniana Library of the
University of South Carolina and the Greenwood Public Library
were helpful, patient, and capable as they provided high levels of
skill in assisting in research.

At Main Street Church there were helpers too. C. J. Lupo,
Jr., and Carlos O. Gardner, Jr., both Senior Pastors during the
writing of this book, offered unequivocal support. Jan Marshall,
Assistant to the Pastor, was especially helpful in making available
the oldest church records. Betsy Stockman Wood, Chair of the
History Committee, has in many ways helped and supported as
the congregation's official representative in this project. In a real
sense this is her book, too, because she has shared in so many
decisions and has been the guide in the process that stretched
from the seeking of a writer to the printing and sale of the book.
To the members of the History Committee, Hennie Cox, Lalia
Huguley, Bettye Kinard, Becky Melton, Gee Poe, Clara Rodgers,
and Nettie Spraker, go thanks for their continued support. That
Committee is preserving much from the past that could have
been lost to hasty and unthinking clean-up campaigns.

One Main Street Church member has made a very signifi-
cant contribution to the overall presentation of the text. Dr. Mary
Lynn Polk of the Lander College English faculty provided her
editorial skill to enhance the readability of the text. How can one
thank her enough?

Both Andrew Miller, President, and Mary Wheeler,

Harry R. Mays 1 1

Managing Editor, at Providence House, the publishers of this
book, helped in many ways to bring this project to completion.
They enabled one who had never attempted to publish anything
to move with confidence through the process. They were patient
yet professional, as the book in your hands is clear evidence.

Tom Hutto of Hutto Photography was the dependable
one who advised, criticized, and ultimately produced the photo-
graphic prints used in this book. His cooperative spirit was price-
less.

Very special appreciation goes to Harriet Anderson Mays.
She struggled to computerize the writings and re-writings of the
text. All along she helped in the textual construction and acted as
a conceptual sounding board in the search to make the often dry
bones of history take on the flesh of a human story. In all of this
her patience endured when others would have shot the writer.

As you read this book and discover errors, mark those
against the author. One word of caution. Most local church
records are hand-written. Not every item is written legibly, and it
is not unusual to have misspelled words. Names are especially
vulnerable to error, and initials are suspect at times. If you doubt
the presentation of a name, your doubt may be justified. What
you doubt, however, is the form in which some long-dead secre-
tary wrote for the record. '^Blessed are the merciful."

If you read this book and are inspired, it is the strength of
"the people called Methodists" who are Main Street Church. If
you read this book and are amazed at what the congregation has
accomplished since 1858, that is evidence of the power of God,
the guidance of the Lord of the Church, and the presence of the
Holy Spirit in the midst of the life of this congregation that con-
tinues to do its faith in Greenwood.

Harry R. Mays

Heritage Hills

Greenwood, South Carolina

Good Friday 1992

"The only way to look into the future
is to stand on the shoulders of the past.'
— author unknown

Chapter 1

In the Beginning

The year was 1858 and the village of Greenwood had
fewer than three hundred residents. The year before the
Legislature of South Carolina had granted to the village a charter
of incorporation. In 1852 the Qiarleston and Columbia Railroad
had reached Greenwood, tying the village to both Greenville and
Columbia. Although small and still struggling to survive.
Greenwood felt it was at the very edge of great things.

Records indicate that in 1823 James Pert had built a log
house on the site that would become Greenwood. The following
year John McGehee also erected a log house in the vicinity of
Pert's, and the McGehees used their log house as a summer
home. John McGehee was an attorney who, with his young bride,
lived in Cambridge, the village that pre-dated modern Ninety
Six. Community wisdom in Cambridge was that it was not a
healthy place to live during the summer heat because of the mos-
quitoes and malaria (which no one at the time saw as a single
problem). The McGehee family was but the first of several
Cambridge families who chose to summer on the comparatively
high ground around Pert's house. Although the McGehees
moved to Horida in 1829, the community they had led into exis-
tence continued to expand slowly as a year-round village. In 1837
a post office had been established and was assigned the name

16 Histoiy of Main Street United Methodist Church

"Woodville." In 1850 the name of the post office was changed to
"Greenwood," recognizing the name that Mrs. McGehee had
selected for their summer home a quarter-century earlier.

Greenwood in 1858 was little more than a collection of a
few residences, one or two crossroads businesses that could best
be labeled "general stores," and a tiny railroad station. It was still
forty years before Greenwood County would be formed out of
parts of the old Abbeville District. To understand the way
Methodism came to Greenwood readers should note something
of the historical background of the area.

In colonial South Carolina the overwhelming majority of
the population lived near the coastline. To the seaboard settlers
the 'l3ack country" began not many miles inland, and the "up-
country" above the Fall Line was considered to be the wild fron-
tier and Indian territory. Early contacts with the Cherokee
Indians in the lower Piedmont were made by traders who went
among the Indians to swap cloth, beads, firearms, gunpowder,
and liquor in exchange for animal pelts. This lucrative business
enticed a handful of hardy families to settle in what became
known as the Ninety Six District. By the 1730s a few dozen white
families were scattered across the huge area bounded by the
Saluda River on the east, the Savannah River on the west, a line
to the north along the lower boundary of what is now Anderson
County, and a line to the south along the lower boundaries of
today's Saluda and Edgefield Counties. When Robert Goudy
opened his log cabin trading post at Ninety Six in the early 1750s,
he had no close neighlx)rs, white or Indian.

Over the next two decades Indian-white relations in what
became known as the Ninety Six Judicial District were sometimes
good and on occasion dangerous. In 1755 the Cherokee Nation
ceded much of the lower Piedmont to the royal colony of South
Carolina along a line generally following the lower boundary of
toda/s Anderson County. Not, however, until after the American
Revolution did most would-be settlers feel comfortable living in
the area and not fearing Indian attacks. As the 1760s and early
1770s passed, the number of permanent residents grew. Men and

Hariy R. Mays 17

women from Ireland, Scotland, Germany, and the colonies north
of the Carolinas began to seek the good farm land that was
known to be available near what later became the town of Ninety
Six. At the end of the American Revolution in 1782 a near flood
of immigrants began to pour into what would one day be
Greenwood County.

Because of communication and travel difficulties, most of
the immigration into the up-country of South Carolina came
down the Great Wagon Road that led from Philadelphia south-
westward through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia into the
Piedmont Carolinas. As Alfred Glaze Smith, Jr., points out, "A
thick belt of swamps made connections with the coastal areas
extremely difficult, and communications with Philadelphia,
though much further in distance, was no further in time." Thus,
growing crops for sale or export was impractical. These settlers,
therefore, at first farmed only to produce crops that would sup-
port them and their families. It was a couple of decades into the
nineteenth century before short staple cotton became the domi-
nant cash crop for the up-state of that era. Likewise, the develop-
ment of some form of river traffic was necessary before exports of
any kind could be developed above the Fall Line. Consequently,
the Piedmont of South Carolina developed a character and atti-
tudes that were foreign to those of families that had been resi-
dents along the coastline before the Piedmont began to be devel-
oped.

Methodism came into the up-state of South Carolina
along that Great Wagon Road as settlers brought with them the
basic religious ideas of John Wesley and the hymns of his brother
Charles. No records exist to identify either the first Methodists or
the first circuit-riding pastors in the Greenwood area. Evidence
does exist of occasional visits by Methodist pastors like James
Foster, who came into the Piedmont in the 1760s and 1770s.
Certainly by the time the Methodist Episcopal Church was orga-
nized in Baltimore at the Christmas Conference of 1784 unnamed
Methodist traveling preachers had begun riding circuits that
included parts of the Ninety Six District.

18 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

A.H. Mitchell, then rector of the school at Cokesbury,
wrote in 1838 that Thomas Humphries had formed between fifty
and sixty years earlier a Methodist Society at what would become
known as the Tabernacle Methodist Episcopal Church. That
would have meant that this Society (or congregation) at
Tabernacle Church dated from the period between 1778 and 1788.
The Journal of Bishop Francis Asbury, the first church-wide
leader of American Methodism, reveals that on November 24,
1800, he visited the home of George Conner and preached that
evening in "Conner's Meeting House." (This would have been
located along the modem highway 254 and about a mile south of
the present Park Seed Company.) The next day Bishop Asbury
and his traveling companion, Richard Whatcoat, continued their
trip on horseback southward to visit Hugh Porter, a Methodist
Local Preacher, who lived near the present Rehoboth Methodist
church in lower Greenwood County.

Three weeks later Asbury and Whatcoat returned to
George Conner's, and there, on December 16, 1800, a C^arterly
Conference was held for the Bush River Circuit. The Bush River
Circuit at that time encompassed all of what was then called
Abbeville District as well as territory to the east of the Saluda
River. Records do not indicate how many preaching places and
how many buildings like Conner's Chapel existed, but Asbury
admits that "there were at that time few Methodists, the most
populous settlements being composed of Presbyterians." It
would not have been unusual for the Bush River Circuit to have
had a hundred or more preaching appointments scattered over a
trail two or three hundred miles long. Asbury, who traveled
through all of the original thirteen colonies on horseback,
observed that Abbeville District, which then stretched from the
Savannah to the Saluda Rivers, "had the best land of any county
in the State." Nine years later, in January of 1809, Bishop Asbury
again rode through Abbeville District and stopped at George
Conner's to enjoy the hospitality of this early Methodist layman.
Asbury notes in his journal, "At Conner's Chapel I spoke on
Thursday. After the sermon I ordained John Stone a local deacon."

Hariy R. Mays 19

Conner's Chapel is described as nothing more than a one-room
log cabin set in a small clearing on land owned by Conner.

By 1820 the name of Conner's Chapel (or Meeting House)
had been changed to the Tabernacle Methodist Episcopal Church,
and a growdng congregation was developing at this site just a
couple of miles north of present-day Greenwood. In that year
Stephen Olin arrived to establish a school at Tabernacle Church.
(Public schools were not a part of the South Carolina scene until
close to the end of the nineteenth century.) Olin, a graduate of
Middlebury College in Vermont, was hired to organize
Tabernacle Academy. He remained at the Academy for four years
and then left to become a minister in the South Carolina
Methodist Annual Conference. His work as a minister was short-
lived; ill health forced him to leave what was called the "travel-
ing ministry," and he became a well-known college professor and
president, first at Randolph-Macon College in Virginia, and later
at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. A few years after Olin's
departure, the Tabernacle Academy was closed. Most of the near-
by residents and church members had moved two miles north-
ward to the planned community first known as Mount Ariel and
later as Cokesbury.

The Cokesbury community was described by E. Don
Herd, Jr., as a "planned town where the residents hoped to estab-
lish the {perfect community." Cokesbury Academy became well
known all across South Carolina as it trained and produced some
of the political, religious, and business leaders of the state in the
last half of the nineteenth century. It was not until the early twen-
tieth century that efforts to operate this church-related academy
were finally halted. Accurate calculation of the effect of this edu-
cational effort is not possible, but, measured against many
schools and academies that flourished and then died in the nine-
teenth century up-country of South Carolina, Tabernacle
Academy and Cokesbury Academy or Conference School were
among the leaders.

By the end of the Civil War the community that once had
supported Tabernacle Church had disappeared, and the building

20 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

TO ABBEVILLE

SITE OF SECOND AND __
THIRD BUILDINGS D

LOGAN STREET
(Later Main Street)

FIRST PARSONAGE

TO NEW MARKET

GREENWOOD IN 1858

not to scale

SITE OF

FIRST BUILDING

METHODIST
CEMETERY

(a traditional site)
I THE CHAPEL (?)

TO COKESBURY

FIRST NAMED

BROADWAY

OR BROAD STREET,

THEN CHURCH STREET,

MAIN STREET,

AND NOW EAST

CAMBRIDGE STREET

TO CAMBRIDGE
(NINETY SIX)

Hany R. Mays 21

stood abandoned and decaying. In 1873 the trustees of the
Greenwood Circuit decided that the building that had housed the
congregation of Tabernacle Church should be dismantled and the
lumber used in erecting a parsonage for the pastor of the Circuit
in the town of Greenwood. This house, which stands on the north
side of the 400 block of East Cambridge Street, is a direct tie that
links Main Street Church to its antecedents and the historical past
out of which it arose.

Chapter 2

Organizing in God's Name

It was in 1850 that the Post Office named Woodville offi-
cially was renamed Greenwood. At the time Greenwood was no
more than a village of a few residences scattered along the road
that connected Abbeville with Cambridge and the village near
that other crossroads now known as Ninety Six. Near the center
of the village was the Baptist-related Fuller Institute for Girls
located near the old Methodist Cemetery on today's Cambridge
Avenue. At the eastern end of town was located the Hodges
Institute, a Presbyterian-related school for boys. About midway
between the two schools was a building known locally as "the
chapel." According to CM. Calhoun, the chapel was located at
the comer of today's Cokesbury and East Cambridge Streets, or
"near McClintock's store on Broadway," and was no more than a
single room building erected as a public meeting hall for the vil-
lage. Any preacher who rode into town on horseback, whether he
was Baptist, Methodist or Presbyterian, could gather a group for
a preaching service at the chapel. Here various school-related
meetings and other community gatherings were also held. It was
in the chapel, for example, that the strategy was planned that
brought the Columbia to Greenville Railroad through Greenwood
in 1852 instead of along the more direct route by way of the town
of Laurens.

Harry R. Mays 23

The census records of 1850 suggest the composition of the
community of Greenwood at that time. There were five carpen-
ters, one of whom was a free black man, a brick and stone mason,
and a cabinet maker. There was a confectioner, a boot and shoe
maker, a tailor, a coachmaker, and some crewmen related to the
railroad. There were only three merchants, indicating that the vil-
lage business district was very small. Two physicians and two
druggists represented the medical community. Also three med-
ical students were serving apprenticeships under a local physi-
cian as they trained to become qualified doctors of medicine. In
the area loosely referred to as the Greenwood Post Office in the
census records, some 334 free persons lived, including one free
black couple and their four free children; apparently this was the
family of the free black carpenter. The two clergymen in town,
one Baptist and one Presbyterian, and a couple of teachers, were
related to the schools. Except for farm owners and four overseers,
no other occupations were mentioned among the citizens.

The village of Greenwood in 1850 could claim no orga-
nized churches. The Presbyterians worshipped at "the Rock"
Church; Baptists traveled to nearby Mount Moriah Church, while
the Methodists generally attended worship at Mount Lebanon
Church, Tabernacle Church, or Tranquil Church. All of these con-
gregations were less than an hour's ride from the village by
horseback or a horse-drawn vehicle.

About 1850 the Methodists of Abbeville, Cokesbury,
Ninety Six, and Greenwood developed a campground just off
Deadfall Road at the bridge crossing Little John's Creek. There
annual camp meetings were conducted for more than a decade.
Families planned for months in order to enjoy the two or three
weeks of camp meeting time. The meals served were delicious,
according to all reports, and convivial socializing (and courting)
was enjoyed as much as the well-filled schedules of preaching by
any number of visiting clergymen. Visiting politicians were more
numerous than the preachers, for the campgrounds were looked
upon as a fertile place for those soliciting votes.

By 1857 there was sufficient growth around the village of

24 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

Greenwood to justify its incorporation. The chapel was used as
the theoretical center of the town, and a circle with a one-mile
radius was drawn to establish the boundary of Greenwood. The
1860 census suggests the growth of the population in and around
the new town. A seamstress, a silversmith, and a tinner had
added their skills. A blacksmith, a harness maker and his appren-
tice, a coach maker, a coach painter, and four wagonmakers tell of
a new industry that had arisen to bolster the town's growing rep-
utation for progress. The number of merchants, traders, and ped-
dlers had quadrupled in number to twelve since the last census.
An "inventor /merchant," S.L. Bonds, was enjoying a varied
career that is an untold story of a native genius. Seven physicians
and a dentist were serving the health needs as Greenwood devel-
oped a primitive medical community of its own. A hotel-keeper
and a boarding house operator demonstrated the evolution of a
need to house transient peddlers and other business travelers
brought to Greenwood by the railroad. For a town of just about
three hundred persons, free and slave. Greenwood was growing.
On December 21, 1857, the South Carolina Legislature voted to
present a charter of incorporation to this growing community.

No records are known to exist that relate precise details
about the moment of organization of the Greenwood Methodist
Church, as Main Street Methodist Church was first named. From
cherished traditions and from some known facts about the ways
of circuit-riding Methodist preachers at that time, however, some
general details about the congregation's origin may be presumed.

William H. Lawton, pastor-in-charge of the Ninety Six
Circuit, was the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, representa-
tive in the birth of organized Methodism in the village of
Greenwood. A native of what is now Hampton County, South
Carolina, Lawton had grown up in a "home of culture and
wealth." At the time of his death in 1893 his friend, J. Thomas
Pate, wrote in Lawton's memoir for the South Carolina Annual
Conference Journal, "His father was one of the most cultured,
influential and wealthy men of the lower section of the State. His
piety was of the purest type. Upon his children — especially

Harry R. Mays 25

William — he made an indelible impression." Educated at
Randolph Macon College in Virginia, William Lawton had
brought his bride from Virginia to South Carolina where he went
into business with his father. Seeking a new purpose for his life,
Lawton left South Carolina to settle in Rorida. There Bishop
James O. Andrew, a family friend, helped the then thirty-year-old
Lawton to respond to a spiritual call to the Methodist ministry, a
call Lawton had encountered and was denying. Returning to
South Carolina, Lawton was sorely tried by the unexpected death
of his wife and the grief that followed.

Overcoming his grief, Lawton joined the South Carolina
Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in
1852. After serving appointments to the Barnwell, Orangeburg,
and Cypress Circuits, he arrived in the Greenwood area in 1858
to serve the newly established Ninety Six Circuit. The churches of
this circuit were Asbury, Bethel, Bethlehem, Ebenezer, Kinards,
Rehoboth, Salem, Tabernacle, and Tranquil.

As the son of a wealthy low-country planter, Lawton was
a man of considerable wealth. Today he would be considered a
multi-millionaire. However, William Lawton and his second
wife, Ann, whom he had met and married while serving in
Orangeburg, made no pretense of wealth as they lived in the fru-
gal fashion typical of the Methodist circuit-riding pastors of that
era. Nevertheless, as the census enumerator knew, in 1860
William H. Lawton appears to have been possibly the wealthiest
person in the Greenwood community.

Decades later, when Lawton was superannuated (retired),
he and his wife moved to a home they established north of
Ninety Six near the Saluda River. There they were living when
Lawton died in 1893. In his period of retirement the Lawtons vis-
ited Greenvjood many times, and he preached on several occa-
sions at the Greenwood Methodist Church.

There is no argument that William Lawton was the orga-
luzing pastor of the Greenwood Methodist Church. There is sug-
gestive evidence, however, that Colin Murchison and his imme-
diate predecessors serving the Abbeville Circuit prior to 1858 had

26 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

begun work that bore fruit under Lawton's pastorate. During the
first seventy-five years of Methodism's life in America, circuits
were ridden on horseback six days a week; Monday was the day
generally reserved for the preachers to prepare for their grueling
activities. By 1857 the Abbeville Circuit had more than thirty
churches and preaching places to be routinely visited by the pas-
tor of the circuit. Preaching places were locations where no
church building or organized congregation existed but where the
circuit-riding pastor regularly visited to conduct worship ser-
vices. Although these were not considered to be formally orga-
nized local churches, those who faithfully attended worship ser-
vices at the preaching places were considered to be members of
the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Consequently, Lawton
was building upon a spiritual foundation already laid by
Murchison and others in the Greenwood village area prior to
1858.

When the Abbeville Circuit was divided at the 1857 ses-
sion of Annual Conference, three circuits resulted: the Cokesbury
Circuit, the Ninety Six Circuit , and the Abbeville Circuit. Each of
these circuits had about ten regular preaching appointments. In
this division of the huge Abbeville Circuit both William Lawton
and John Carlisle came to Greenwood to live. Thus Lawton was
on the scene to organize what for fifty years would be known as
the Greenwood Methodist Church. Carlisle was serving the
Cokesbury Circuit.

That the new congregation of Methodists used ''the
chapel" for their regular worship services is a valid assumption.
These services, however, were not necessarily held weekly or
even on Sunday. Scheduling was a complicated matter for the cir-
cuit riders, and congregations were delighted to welcome their
pastor whenever he could come.

Tradition declares that William Lawton met with seven
women to organize and charter the Greenwood Methodist
Church. Those seven were listed by Charles in his 1958 historical
statement concerning Main Street Methodist Church: Mrs. L.D.
Merriman, Mrs. Eliza Turpin, Miss Anna Turpin, Mrs. Elizabeth

Hany R. Mays 27

Byrd, Mrs. R.H. Mounts, Mrs. Milton Osborne, and Mrs. Mary D.
Bailey. George C. Hodges, an early leader of the congregation,
lists the first members as Mr. L.D. Merriman, Mrs. Elizabeth
Byrd, Mrs. Eliza Turpin, Mrs. R.H. Mounce [sic], Mrs. Milton
Osborne, Miss Anna Turpin, and Mrs. Mary D. Bailey. James F.
Davis, another equally early member, insisted that the first mem-
bership in the congregation included the seven women listed by
Charles and three men: L.D. Merriman, R.A. Bailey, and Milton
Osborne. Davis wrote, "I saw this in the 'minute book' which my
successor lost." S.H. McGhee, another old-timer in the congrega-
tion, was certain that the list should not contain the name of Mrs.
Elizabeth Byrd but should include the name of Mrs. A. St. Claire
Lee, and he, too, spelled the Mounts name "Mounce." All of
these lists can be found published in either the Greenwood news-
papers or the Southern Christian Advocate, and the author of each
list claims it to be authoritative.

Which of the above lists is absolutely correct there is no
way to confirm, since no records exist of the membership until
1889. Because the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, did not
permit women to be Stewards or Trustees or Sunday School
Superintendents in a local church until well into the twentieth
century, however, it is difficult to understand how an all-women
congregation could have been organized in 1858.

Men were involved in the earliest days of the Greenwood
Methodist Church. Captain J.R. Tarrant, for example, was the first
Superintendent of the Sunday School. Also, James A. Bailey was,
until his death in 1871, the first treasurer of the church as well as
the secretary of the church conference. One must keep in mind
the fact that, to the Methodists of the mid-nineteenth century, the
definition of "charter member" was not so specific as is that term
in the late twentieth century. The example of Eliza Turpin and her
daughter, Anna, is a case in point. The Turpins did not move to
Greenwood from Cokesbury until after the death of Mrs.
Turpin's Methodist minister husband in April of 1859. The names
of those two women, however, are included in every charter
membership list. This demonstrates the impossibility of imposing

28 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

current definitions upon what was an accepted practice more
than a century ago.

The tradition that seven women could have been the
leaders in the beginning of organized Methodism in Greenwood
startles many who are familiar with the attitudes of the Old South
toward women. Forgotten by such doubters is the fact that tradi-
tions generally are based upon some elements of fact. Could it
have been that those ladies were the nucleus around which
William Lawton was able to organize a congregation in
Greenwood? Were they able to encourage their husbands and
other men in the community and lead these men to support what
became the Greenwood Methodist Church? George C. Hodges, as
mentioned earlier, was a leader in Methodist circles almost from
the beginning of the congregation. Writing in 1897 in the South
Carolina Methodist Advocate, he accepted the tradition as general-
ly factual. By the time Hodges wrote, all of the organizing mem-
bers as well as their pastor of that earliest date had "passed over
the river to the heavenly land of promise." He commented, "God
buries his workmen, but carries on his work." Hodges had
known all of the earliest persons involved in the organization of
Greenwood Methodist Church. It is quite possible that seven
women constituted one of the "classes" that were an integral part
of organized Methodism from the beginning of the denomination
until almost the twentieth century. The "class meeting" was a
venerable Wesleyan idea in which a small group met weekly for
spiritual examination and group support. One needs to remem-
ber, however, that there is no correlation whatsoever between a
Sunday School Qass in 1858 or any other date and a "class meet-
ing." Under the guidance of their class leader, who may well
have been their pastor, it would have been quite normal for the
"class" to cooperate with others in the vicinity to bring into being
the Greenwood Methodist Church. When one understands the
history of John Wesley's concept of the "class meeting," it is easy
to visualize how from just such a close knit, spiritually alive and
motivated group, the need for an organized Methodist Church in
Greenwood was first perceived.

Harry R. Mays

Dqnction of the first building of the Greenwood Methodist Church
based upon a sketch in a notebook of Mrs. C. W. Tribble. (Artist:
Virginia Wiggins)

In his Index-Journal column, "On the Road," Harry Legare
Watson recorded some insights into the lives of early Greenwood
Methodist Church personalities. Mary Hodges Bailey (Mrs.
Samuel A.) was married to one of the partners of the post-Civil
War Greenwood mercantile firm of Bailey, Hodges and Company.
Mary Hodges Bailey was a native of nearby Cokesbury. She had
been baptised Mary Ann Dorothy Hodges, the child of Samuel
Anderson Hodges and Mary Conner Hodges. Her mother was a
descendant of George Conner, the friend of Bishop Francis
Asbury.

Eliza Byrd was the wife of Captain Thomas B. Byrd, a
large land owner. The Byrds lived in the vicinity of the village of
Woodville or Greenwood for more than two decades, and
Captain Byrd had been the second postmaster when the village

30 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

was still known as Woodville. Their home in Greenwood was
located where today's Elm Court is situated, and they had the
first 'liouse of public entertainment," or hotel, in Greenwood.

Mrs. L.D. Merrimon, a Clinkscales before marriage, was
the wife of a long-time Greenwood merchant. Otherwise, her life
and that of her husband are not a matter of record.

Rebecca Redmond Mounce was married to Robert H.
Mounce, and they were both originally from Laurens County.
Robert Mounce was an expert tailor, and a family tradition indi-
cates that at one time he was associated with Andrew Johnson,
also a tailor, who later became the seventeenth president of the
United States of America. Some records indicate that the
"Mounce" name should properly be spelled "Mounts."

Mrs. Milton Osborne's identity is completely tied up in
that of her husband who operated a harness and saddle shop and
who served as the fourth postmaster of Greenwood. With the
arrival of the railroad in Greenwood in 1852 the Osbomes moved
their place of business to "The Square," as the future downtown
of Greenwood was known growing up around the depot of the
Columbia and Greenville Railroad.

Eliza Turpin was the widow of Alfred Bell Turpin, a
Methodist minister who was a member of the faculty of
Cokesbury Conference School at the time of his death. Soon after
Turpin's death on April 17, 1859, Mrs. Turpin and her family
moved to a home located on land where the Citizen's Trust
Company is located at the corners of North Main Street and
Beaudrot Street.

Annie E. Turpin, the daughter of Eliza Turpin and Alfred
Bell Turpin, moved from Cokesbury to Greenwood with her
mother after her father's death. On E)ecember 15, 1859, she was
married to Dr. Franklin Ramsey Calhoun, and the couple moved
to Cartersville, Georgia, where they made their permanent home.

Ella B. Hodges, the youngest sister of Mary Hodges
Bailey, is included in S.H. McGhee's list of charter members of
the Greenwood Methodist Church. If not a charter member, she
was surely numbered among the earliest of the congregation's

Harry R. Mays 31

members. She later married A. St. Claire Lee; they continued to
reside in Greenwood and were stalwart members of the
Greenwood Methodist Church.

By 1860 the Greenwood Methodists felt there was suffi-
cient growth and strength to justify planning for a permanent
house of worship. On Broadway, now known as Cambridge
Avenue, the building once used to house the Fuller Institute for
Girls was a part of the estate of Albert Waller. For the price of
$1,005 the Greenwood Methodist Church purchased this brick
building and 2.25 acres of adjacent land. They quickly set about
converting the school building into a place for divine worship.
One of the first gifts received by the congregation was a
mahogany sofa, covered with red velvet, that was contributed by
a Mrs. Morgan. The sofa was used for decades to provide seating
for the clergy behind the pulpit. Soon a cemetery was established
using some of the land available. It appears that Dr. George
Spires, who died in 1861, was the first to be interred in the
Methodist Cemetery.

One of the long remembered events from the earliest
days of Greenwood Methodist Church was the great revival
preached in 1860 by Manning Brown. This event saw thirty-five
persons converted and twelve added to the church membership
roll. At the time of the completion of the second building in 1897,
John T. Parks related that he and James A. Bailey, another of the
stalwarts of the faith in the congregation's earliest days, were
among those added to the church roll at the time of that revival.

At the 1860 Annual Conference the Greenwood
Methodist Church was transferred from the Ninety Six Circuit to
the Cokesbury Circuit. The new pastor of the two-year-old con-
gregation thus became John Mason Carlisle, already a resident of
Greenwood. Carlisle, with his wife, Elizabeth, had five children
at that time whose ages ranged from one to nine years. A native
of Fairfield County, South Carolina, Carlisle was a graduate of
the Cokesbury Conference School. He had served as a pastor for
four years, and then after a few years of teaching and three years
as president of the Holston Conference Female College in

32 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

Asheville, North Carolina, Carlisle had re-entered the ministry of
South Carolina Methodism. He was appointed to the Cokesbury
Circuit at the same time Lawton was appointed to the Ninety Six
Circuit. Both men had parsonages in Greenwood. Of Carlisle one
who knew him well reported, 'It was good preaching to see him
walk the streets of our town." It would be Carlisle's pastoral
responsibility to assist the people of Greenwood Methodist
Church as they dealt with the impending upheaval known as the
Civil War or the War Between the States.

Chapter 3

War Time

Life in Greenwood, in the Old South, and indeed in all of
the United States began to change dramatically and quickly,
when, on December 20, 1860, a secession document was signed
by delegates to a convention representing the citizens of South
Carolina. After that act events sped with an accelerating pace
toward a war between the states. The South Carolina militia fired
upon the United States naval ship "Star of the West" on January
9, 1861, in the Charleston Harbor. This prevented relief supplies
from reaching Fort Sumter, a part of the harbor defenses for the
port. Soon afterward the Confederate States of America was
formed by South Carolina and other seceding states after frantic
peace efforts failed in early 1861. On April 12, 1861, Confederate
artillery fired upon beleaguered Fort Sumter, and the next day
the fort was surrendered by the Federal troops. Impending war
now became awful reality. After the first battle at Manassas,
Virginia, on Sunday, July 21, 1861, the word of the death and
wounding of more than five thousand soldiers. North and South,
warned people in Greenwood of the high cost of warfare yet to
be waged.

Certainly a high point in the excitement created by the
war, as experienced in Greenwood, was that day in 1861 when
John Mason Carlisle, by that time the pastor of the Greenwood

34 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

Methodist Church and the other congregations on the Ninety Six
Circuit, acting on behalf of the town, presented a flag of the new
Confederate nation to the Secession Guards. This military unit,
commanded by Captain W.W. Ferryman, had been recruited from
the general area of Greenwood. S.H. McGhee relates that the
Guards were preparing to board a train that was to transport the
men to the war zone. In a ceremony at the railroad station, com-
plete with the usual patriotic speeches, Carlisle handed the flag,
made by Greenwood women, to the unif s flag bearer, S.D. Bond.
The Secession Guards were destined to become a company in one
of the Regiments of the South Carolina Volunteers. Carlisle would
later serve as a chaplain of that Regiment for two tours of duty.

When Carlisle left Greenwood to serve as a chaplain in
the Army of the Confederate States of America, the Greenwood
Methodist Church was fortunate to have available the pastoral
services of Doctor Samuel Barksdale Jones. Bom in Charleston,
South Carolina, in 1828, Jones was a graduate of the South
Carolina Military Academy (the Citadel). He had joined the
Methodist Conference in 1854 as a traveling preacher, but from
1862 to 1867 he was listed as a supernumerary residing in
Greenwood. This meant that for some reason Jones could not
"travel" during that time on a pastoral circuit. Jones' first wife,
Emma Caf)ers, had died soon after their marriage, and his second
wife, Charlotte Elizabeth Power, was from the Abbeville District.
This relationship probably explains their living in Greenwood,
but it does not explain why Jones had been given the supernu-
merary relationship. When Jones was able to return to the travel-
ing ministry, he was asked to become president of the Columbia
Female College, a position he was to hold twice after leaving
Greenwood. Jones was a leader of South Carolina Methodism in
the decades after the Civil War, and Greenwood Methodists con-
sidered themselves most fortunate to have him available to assist
them when Carlisle was serving as a chaplain in their nation's
military service.

While war took the center of attention for everyone in
Greenwood, the members of the Greenwood Methodist Church

Harry R. Mays 35

continued to expand their congregational activities. In 1861 a
Sunday School was organized under the superintendency of
Captain J.R. Tarrant. Since the congregation owned no musical
instrument at that time, tradition declares that Tarrant played his
flute to accompany the singing at both Sunday School and at
worship times. Longtime member James R Davis, who was a
church member at that time, has written in the South Carolina
Methodist Advocate of November 12, 1943, "J.R. Tarrant leading
the tunes by the use of a flute is a myth. It was C.N. Averill, a
refugee from Charleston during the Confederate War, a great
song leader, who did use the flute." The baptism of the child of
Mrs. Anna Calhoun, the first time this sacrament was adminis-
tered before the congregation, was another small sign of the con-
gregation's move toward maturity.

A walk through the old Methodist Cemetery on
Cambridge Avenue reveals some of the human agony that faced
the Greenwood Methodists during the Civil War. The cemetery
contains marked graves or memorials for six men who died as
soldiers in the Confederate Army. The grave of S.T. Donnelly
indicates that he was a private of Company E, the Second Rifle
Regiment, South Carolina Volunteers. He died December 17,

1863, at the age of 19 years, "A humble Christian and a brave sol-
dier." Markers are set to the memory of two who apparently
were brothers: James Charles Lawton was "killed in battle at
Farmville, Virginia, April 4, 1864"; the marker for J. Mikell
Lawton remembers one who died in Greenwood on June 6, 1864,
at the age of 21 years, "of disease contracted in the Army of
Northern Virginia." That marker is a reminder that the armies
North and South actually lost more soldiers to disease in the
American Civil War than to actual battle casualties. The two
Lawton men appear to have been sons of the William O.
Lawtons. The marker for Lieutenant R.S. Cobb, Company C,
Sixth Regiment, South Carolina Volunteers, indicates that he was
killed in battle near Armstrong's Mill, Virginia, on October 1,

1864. No information is available on the number of men from the
membership of Greenwood Methodist Church who volunteered

36 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

for military service in the Confederate Army. Markers at twenty-
five graves in the Methodist Cemetery and at sixty-four graves in
Magnolia Cemetery, Greenwood's other old community burial
ground, suggest the level of the patriotic fervor of the time in this
village of less than 400 white citizens.

Two graves in the cemetery provide mysteries for which
no one has an answer in the late twentieth century. Lieutenant
J.H. Blow of the Confederate Army "died in Greenwood on May
26, 1865." The marker placed by "his friends" states that he was
"A brave soldier. A humble Christian. He rests far from the home
of his youth." How did Blow come to die in Greenwood? What
circumstances surrounded his death? Who was he? Just as there
is no knowledge concerning Blow, there is a deeper mystery at a
marker that simply chronicles this fact as listed in the cemetery
inventory: "A Confederate Soldier with no name. 1861 - 1865. In
service." As with all unknown soldiers, the questions pile up as
one wonders. Who was he? Where was his home? How did he
come to Greenwood? How did he die? No records or traditions
exist to explain these graves in Greenwood's old Methodist
Cemetery.

One more grave marker speaks to a side of warfare that is
easily forgotten by those who think that all battle casualties are
among the armed forces. "Sacred to the memory of Margaret W
Mikell, widow of Dr. Aeneas M. Mikell of James Island, South
Carolina." The marker says that she "died in Greenwood on the
twentieth of September, 1864, while a refugee from home in con-
sequence of the Confederate War." Fifty-year-old Margaret
Mikell, like many others, sought a safe refuge inland from the
threats that resulted from the warfare swirling around her home
and community. Since Greenwood was the choice of many more
like Mrs. Mikell, the reader can only wonder what part the
Greenwood Methodists played in giving refuge and care to those
who fled to the interior of South Carolina seeking safety during
the Civil War.

In other less somber, but nonetheless obvious, ways those
living in Greenwood were reminded of the economic and social

Hany R. Mays 37

upheaval that accompanied the war years in the early 1860s.
There was great difficulty in obtaining food, cloth for making
clothes, medicine, and other items considered basic and essential.
Mail from the soldiers fighting far off battles told of the boredom
of waiting, and the fearsome and devastating experiences of com-
bat, as well as the shortages of food and equipment for warfare.
All in all, the personal experiences of those war years were most
difficult for those who were the membership of the Greenwood
Methodist Church.

Despite the hardships, stories tell of many acts of com-
passion and generosity among the people called Methodists in
that era. Mary Neal Baker, in her study of the economic history of
the Abbeville District from 1860 to 1875, relates that the ordinary
soldiers of the Confederate Army, the privates in the ranks, gen-
erally owned no slaves. Their families, therefore, could not pro-
duce enough food to feed themselves; consequently, near starva-
tion was commonplace for the families of these humble soldiers.
Like probably every other Southern community. Greenwood had
its Soldiers' Aid Society in which the Methodist women were
very active. The Society offered money and food to assist the
neighborhood families of the Confederate soldiers in need. Out
of this common sharing of the suffering created by warfare, a
new sense of community began to develop that would help
Greenwood adjust to new ways of living after the surrender of
General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at
Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.

Greenwood Methodist Church had an additional lesson
in denominational polity during these turbulent war years. As
has been noted, at the Annual Conference session meeting in
Columbia in December of 1860, J.M. Carlisle had been appointed
to the Ninety Six Circuit and was the pastor of Greenwood
Methodist Church until the 1863 Annual Conference, when L.M.
Little, a native of Catawba County, North Carolina, was appoint-
ed the pastor of the Ninety Six Circuit for one year. He was fol-
lowed by W.P. Mouzon, who was pastor of the Cokesbury Circuit
to which the Greenwood Methodist Church had been transferred

38 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

at the beginning of the 1864 Annual Conference year. Such fre-
quent pastoral changes were normal in that era of Methodism,
and the congregation in Greenwood expected and accepted an
almost annual turnover of pastoral leadership. It was Mouzon,
then, who was the pastor of the Greenwood Methodist Church as
the disheartened veterans of the Confederate Army drifted back
home and, with their families, entered that difficult period in
Southern history called "Reconstruction."

Chapter 4

Reconstruction

Both the records and the recollections of the South's
Reconstruction era indicate a decade of chaotic economic, politi-
cal, and social life which affected every aspect of southern living
and the institutions surrounding that life. No battles had been
fought in the vicinity of Greenwood. Nevertheless, the fact that
Confederate President Jefferson Davis' party, fleeing from
doomed Richmond, had passed through Cokesbury on its way to
Abbeville on May 1 and 2, 1865, had brought the attention of the
Federal troops upon the area. Except for an occasional visit by
troops passing through the town, however, no mention is made
of any permanent presence of occupying forces in Greenwood.
Fortunately, at that time the community was too insignificant to
warrant much attention from the Federal troops or even from the
Radical state government in Columbia.

Veterans of the Confederate Army returning to their
hometown of Greenwood found everyone struggling to achieve
normality. Food was in very short supply until the summer of
1866. Then gardens began to produce enough for individual fam-
ilies, and some produce was available to sell. Two terrible eco-
nomic shocks to the southern economy were felt by every citizen,
including the recently freed slaves. All Coiifederate currency was
worthless, as were all of the Cor\federate government bonds in

40 Histoiy of Main Street United Methodist Church

which so many patriotic supporters of the "The Lost Cause" had
invested. At the same time, the freeing of the slaves had removed
one of the items of value with which southern personal wealth
had up to that time been calculated.

Nevertheless, it was in 1866, under the pastorate of W.R
Mouzon, that the Greenwood Methodists were able to obtain a
pump organ to supply music for their congregational worship
and for the Sunday School. Such obvious dedication to the life of
the church makes one wish that more were known of the story of
sacrifice and devotion that moved through the Methodist people
of Greenwood at that time.

Greenwood's struggle to achieve normalcy began to
attain results early in the Reconstruction period. In 1866 an
express agency was opened at the railroad station, reminding the
citizens of their good fortune in having railroad service to con-
nect them with many other communities in the reunited nation.
In 1867 the mail routes were restored, and by 1871 telegraph ser-
vice was available. Possibly one of the best signs of Greenwood's
move toward normality is the insight that survives from several
sources. Within a year after the end of hostilities two race tracks
were in operation in Greenwood. One was on the farm of Richard
Griffin and the other on "Thomas Wier's place." Horse racing
was back! CM. Calhoun assures us that "small stakes would be
put up, much whiskey drank, and fist fights were innumerable."
We can only imagine the sermons that the preachers in
Greenwood must have delivered as they thundered against such
conduct!

One of the difficulties facing the Methodist Episcopal
Church, South, and particularly the Greenwood Methodist
Church, was the place of the former slaves who had been church
members. To the question, "What shall be done to promote the
religious interests of the colored people?" the 1866 Book of
Discipline for Southern Methodism answered with the recognition
that most of the colored people were choosing separate congrega-
tions.

A tantalizing question relates to the possible presence of

Hany R. Mays 41

slaves among the early membership of Greenwood Methodist
Church in its formative years. Records from the Annual
Conference Journals give hints that cannot be overlooked. Of the
993 church members in the churches of the Ninety Six Circuit in
1858, 654 were slaves. Two years later the report of the Ninety Six
Circuit showed that 562 of the 786 members of the churches of
the Circuit were slaves. No membership reports exist for the next
four war years. In 1866, however, the membership report from
the Cokesbury Circuit, of which the Greenwood Church was then
a part, showed a total membership of 1034 of which 472 were col-
ored persons. The report for 1867 notes a slight increase in the
white membership while the colored membership showed a
decrease to 312. That same year a Ninety Six Colored Circuit was
reported with 150 members. By the next year, 1868, the
Cokesbury Circuit reported that only 50 colored persons
remained on the membership rolls of the churches of the circuit.
That year both a Greenwood Colored Circuit and a Ninety Six
Colored Circuit were reported as part of the Cokesbury District.
At the same time no colored members were reported from the
Cokesbury Circuit, and this remained true for as long as colored
members were reported in the Annual Conference records.

Although the above information does not confirm slave
or colored members of the Greenwood Methodist Church in the
first decade of its congregational life, it would only be surprising
to discover that such memberships did not exist. The position of
the Methodists of the South was that the local churches had a
grave responsibility to care for the souls and the spiritual welfare
of the slaves and the other colored people around them. A con-
cern of the first Cokesbury District Conference in September 1867
illustrates that this concern did not end with the freeing of the
slaves in 1865.

At that District Conference J.T. Kilgo, pastor of the
Cokesbury Circuit, of which the Greenwood Church was a part,
was asked to lead a discussion of "the relationship of the colored
people to our church and the best means of continuing that rela-
tionship." After lengthy debate it was decided that the churches

42 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

"will heartily cooperate with the PE (Presiding Elder) and
preachers of this District to carry out the Discipline in reference to
the colored people and will do all in our power with the help of
God to advance their spiritual interests." No further reference is
made in the District Conference records relating to this matter.
Readers can only surmise that the colored people chose to sever
all ties with their former church relationships in and around
Greenwood and in the rest of the District.

Except for property deeds, no local church records exist
for the Greenwood Methodist Church until 1889. The pastors'
reports to the Cokesbury District Conference, held annually
beginning in 1867, however, provide precious insights into the
life of the Greenwood Methodist Church. With eight churches on
the Cokesbury Circuit in 1867, the pastor had a rather full sched-
ule of preaching appointments to fill as well as home visits to
make and meetings to attend in order to fulfill the role expected
of the pastor. The Circuit would have seen the pastor riding on
horseback in an area from Stony Point and Coronaca to Rehoboth
and Bethel, as well as Donalds and Cokesbury, and of course
Greenwood. One pastor could report concerning the Circuit, "we
move harmoniously," while admitting, "Class meetings have
gone into little prayer meetings." Southern Methodism was
changing and the Greenwood Methodist Church was caught up
in that change.

At the 1870 Cokesbury District Conference, the
Cokesbury Circuit's and Greenwood Church's pastor J.J. Mood
reported, "Our parsonage is comfortable, but not quite paid for."
Up until that year the parsonages of both the Ninety Six Circuit
and the Cokesbury Circuit, although located in Greenwood, had
apparently been rented housing. At the end of 1870 the
Greenwood Methodist Church was transferred to the newly
formed and more compact Greenwood Circuit, which at once set
about to build a parsonage for the pastor.

As indicated earlier, the old Tabernacle Church building
had been abandoned about the end of the Civil War because all of
its members had transferred either to the Cokesbury Church or to

Harry R. Mays 43

the Greenwood Church. The Cokesbury District Trustees allowed
the Tabernacle building to be dismantled and the salvaged tim-
bers to be used in constructing a parsonage for the Greenwood
Circuit. This new house, completed in 1871 and valued at $1^00,
was on what was then known as Broadway. It was used as the
home of the Greenwood Circuit pastor, and when the circuit was
disbanded the property was sold. In 1931 S.H. McGhee reported
that it was then the residence of Dr. Fitz Lee.

The newly formed Greenwood Circuit was composed of
six churches and two additional preaching places. The preaching
places were visited twice a month and were located at Stony
Point and Deadfall. The churches were Greenwood, Bethlehem,
Asbury, Tranquil, Mt. Lebanon, and St. Paul's in Ninety Six. That
year, 1871, the building of the Greenwood congregation was
extensively renovated at a cost of more than $1,000. In that era
this was a handsome sum, especially considering the overall
financial situation in the Abbeville District and in the South in
general.

At the 1872 Cokesbury District Conference William
Hutto, pastor of the Greenwood Circuit and the Greenwood
Church, reported that the Sacrament of Holy Communion was
observed quarterly and that he had found "no use of ardent spir-
its; none attended circuses, dances, etc." Hutto reported that
there were six organized Sunday Schools and that two of these
"continued during the winter." This was considered a significant
achievement in those days of poor roads and flimsy buildings.
Hutto reported 525 members on the circuit and set a value of
$5,000 for the six church buildings. He also reported an interest-
ing twelve "social meetings per month." "Social meetings" were
at that time defined as prayer meetings, love feasts, class meet-
ings, and other regular church meetings other than that time of
congregational worship that involved preaching. Nothing in the
modern sense of "social" was involved.

The 1875 Cokesbury District Conference was held at the
Greenwood Church. By then the size of the Greenwood Circuit had
been reduced to just five churches, and J.M. Murray, the pastor.

44 Histoiy of Main Street United Methodist Church

reported that four of these churches 'liave stoves/' This gives
some indication of the primitive conditions that persisted well
into the late nineteenth century around Greenwood. At the con-
clusion of that District Conference, which lasted several days
including a weekend, a resolution of thanks was adopted to
express appreciation to some of the pastors in Greenwood who
had invited visiting Methodist clergy to preach to community
congregations. The thanks was tendered to the pastors of the
Baptist, Presbyterian, and Wesleyan Coloured Methodist
Churches for the use of their houses of worship on the Sabbath.

In 1878 R.D. Smart reported at the District Conference
that the Greenwood Circuit was composed of eight churches with
a combined membership of "about 500 on the circuit." To one
unfamiliar with South Carolina Methodist history in the latter
half of the nineteenth century the frequent shifting and changing
in the comf)osition of the circuits may be perplexing. Many fac-
tors were involved in this process of matching preachers and
churches. The bishop presiding at the Annual Conference session
was responsible for making all pastoral appointments and for
deciding the make-up of each clergyman's pastoral responsibility.
The apparent instability in the composition of the circuits to
which the preachers were appointed to serve from year to year
was not irrational. The bishop making the pastoral appointments
did not necessarily have any familiarity with South Carolina.
Nevertheless, he decided upon the make-up of each clergyman's
pastoral responsibility. In these decisions the bishop received the
advice of the Presiding Elders. There was a Presiding Elder to
oversee the work of the churches in each District within the
Aimual Conference.

This small group knew how many preachers were avail-
able for appointment. They also had to estimate the ability of a
given grouping of churches to support a pastor, to provide a par-
sonage, and to be able to pay a share in the upkeep of the organi-
zation of the denomination at the state and national level. The
group also had to judge whether an adequate or overwhelming
work load had been arranged for each pastor. There were still

Hariy R. Mays 45

more factors to be considered. Was the area swampy, mountain-
ous, or well tilled farm land? What was the condition of the
roads, bridges, and, where no bridges existed, fords' If the
weather was inclement, could the preacher make his rounds on
schedule? As a consequence of all of this, every year the bishop
was faced with the task of searching for the best and most equi-
table appomtments for each of the preachers and the individual
churches.

In 1879, when J.A. Porter came to serve the Greenwood
Circuit, he was responsible for four churches. Besides the fast
growing Greenwood Church he preached at Tranquil, Bethlehem
and Asbury Churches. He reported that the congregations each
had acceptable buildings and that there was "a parsonage in
good condition and tolerably furnished." This reduction in the
size of the Greenwood Circuit was a tacit indication of the
increasing demands of the growing Greenwood Church.

It was Porter who, on October 5, 1879, led in the organi-
zahon of a Woman's Foreign Missionary Society for Greenwood's
congregation. Writing in 1928, Mrs. Helen Bourne reported that
the Society was organized with eighteen members. She listed

T^^'^iTu "^^'^ ^' ^''- ^•^- ^°8^^^' M'-s- LD. Merrimon, Mrs.
J M Oldham, Mrs. J.M. Greene, Mrs. J.F. Davis, Mrs. Emma
Waller, Mrs. R.W Major, Mrs. WA. Clyde, Mrs. Kate Medlock,
and Mrs. Ella Cobb. Listed as the first officers were Mrs. Mary
Greene, President, Mrs. J.M. Oldham and Mrs. WE. Anderson
Vice Presidents, Mrs. Cad G. Waller, Corresponding Secretary
Miss Ella Cobb, Recording Secretary, and Mrs. J.F. Davis
Treasurer. The General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, South, had authorized the Woman's Foreign Missionary
bociety just a few months earlier, and this means that the
Greenwood Church organization was among the earliest in South
Carolina.

Mrs. Bourne reported, "The cause of missions was not
popular in those days and the women were met with discourage-
ment and indifference. The work was new There were no inter-
esting bulletins or literahire sent out to inform the women of the

46 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

needs in foreign fields. The ten cents dues a month were hard to
collect, and often ice-cream suppers and lectures were had to sup-
plement these gifts/'

Two women's organizations existed in the early history of
Greenwood Methodist Church prior to the Woman's Foreign
Missionary Society. Little is known, however, about their local
activities beyond the general information available about all such
groups. At the Cokesbury District Conferences in the late 1860s
and early 1870s the pastors mention "the good work of the
Ladies' Parsonage Aid Society." As the name implies, this group
of women was responsible for keeping the parsonage supplied
with the necessities, such as furniture, bedding, and the basic
kitchen utensils. The pastor's family arrived with little more than
their personal clothing, a few boxes of books, and possibly some
precious items such as family portraits and an heirloom or two.
Everything else needed by the pastor's family to live in the par-
sonage, except food, was the responsibility of the Parsonage Aid
Society.

The other women's organization, "The King's
Daughters," is only mentioned as the donor of a large stained
glass window installed in the second church building. The King's
Daughters was an interdenominational organization of Protestant
church women who covenanted to participate in definite spiritual
exercises daily and to perform at least one "act of Christian chari-
ty" each day. First organized in New York City, the King's
Daughters provided nineteenth century women with a support
group of spiritually alert friends in the Faith. Although acting
independently of any denomination. The King's Daughters was a
recognized force for goodness in every congregation where the
women were organized. The Parsonage Aid Society and The
King's Daughters offered women opportunities for service and a
community of like-minded friends interested in the welfare of the
Lord's Church and the development of faithful Christian women.

At the 1879 Cokesbury District Conference J. A. Porter
reported concerning Greenwood Methodism, "The membership
is devoted to the church." But he added that there is "not as

47 Hariy R. Mays

much religious life as formerly. None profess entire sanctification,
though many have decided convictions as to the duty and privi-
lege of seeking the spiritual life. There are no class meetings but
there is much improvement in the duty of family prayer. There is
a good prayer meeting in the church." The Sunday School was
"in inspiring condition/' and the finances "are in a healthy condi-
tion." Looking back it is obvious that times were changing for
Southern Methodism.

Chapter 5

Coming of Age

By 1880 it appears that Greenwood had generally moved
beyond the harsh days of the defeat of the Confederacy and the
upheavals resulting from Reconstruction. The town itself had
grown to about 1,000 residents. This was the year that the Ninety
Six Circuit was dissolved and the Greenwood Circuit formed
with four churches. Greenwood, Lebanon, Ninety Six, and Salem,
all served by W.C. Power who lived in the parsonage in
Greenwood.

At the mid-year meeting of the Cokesbury District
Conference Power reported the total membership of the
Greenwood Circuit to be 363 persons. All four of the congrega-
tions were of a similar size; Salem Church had 92 members,
Lebanon Church had 93 members. Ninety Six Church had 96
members, and Greenwood Church had 92 members. That year
the four churches were to pay their pastor a salary of $l/)50 and
were faithfully fulfilling their promise. The pastor was very
appreciative of the overall support he was receiving from the four
congregations.

When the Cokesbury District Conference met in July
1881, Power, now in his second year as the pastor of the
Greenwood Circuit, reported that the spiritual condition of the
four churches was ''healthful," and he added that the finances

Harry R. Mays 49

were likewise in a "healthy condition." During the meeting of the
District Conference it was noted that the nation's president,
James A. Garfield, was lingering between life and death. Garfield
had been shot by a disappointed office-seeker and lived ten
weeks before succumbing to his wound. Power "mentioned the
severe affliction of the president and moved that the District
Conference pray for President Garfield and that the secretary of
the Conference communicate to Mrs. Garfield the sympathy of
the Conference." This is one of those rare times when the church
records give any indication of events beyond the narrow scope of
local church life and interests.

At the 1881 session of Annual Conference the usual pas-
toral change took place. The newly appointed pastor-in-charge
was Robert Newton Wells, a native of Summerton, South
Carolina, who, during the Civil War had served as a Chaplain in
the Army of the Confederacy. After his military service he had
attended Wofford College, graduated from the University of
South Carolina, and in 1870 had become a member of the clergy
of the South Carolina Annual Conference.

In 1882 the town of Greenwood celebrated the comple-
tion of its second railroad connection. For several years convicts
from the State Penitentiary had been employed by a local compa-
ny in little better than slave conditions to do the actual construc-
tion work. The cost for this labor to the company had consisted of
the price of meals and clothing for the convicts and a reimburse-
ment to the State of South Carolina at a cost of $3.00 per month
per convict. Generally about 100 convicts were employed as the
railroad was being constructed. There is no record of the actual
cost in terms of the convicts who died during the construction,
but it may have been higher than a hundred deaths per year. The
railroad was a part of the Charleston and Western Carolina
Railway System, and it renewed the commercial relations
between Augusta, Georgia, and Greenwood that had been grow-
ing in the decades just before the arrival of the first railroad
through Greenwood.

As has been mentioned before, the make-up of the circuits

50 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

in South Carolina Methodism in the nineteenth century was in an
almost constant state of adjustment. In 1884 the Greenwood
Circuit consisted of Asbury Church, Bethlehem Church, Tranquil
Church, and the Greenwood Church. Each of these churches had
an active Sunday School, and there were two additional Sunday
Schools in locations as yet not served by an organized congrega-
tion. Altogether these six Sunday Schools claimed "345 scholars,"
and the pastor, William Anson Rogers, could proudly report that
five of the Sunday Schools 'lived through the winter." Rogers
reported that there were "stoves in all of the churches" on the cir-
cuit, a claim that many of the pastors could not match.

Rogers had been bom in Bishopville, South Carolina, and
attended Washington College in Virginia in 1867 when General
Robert E. Lee was the college president. The next year Rogers
transferred to Wofford College. Rogers enjoyed telling that he
arrived at Wofford with a letter of commendation from Lee him-
self. Graduating from Wofford College in 1872, Rogers at once
joined the clergy ranks of the South Carolina Annual Conference.
Four years later he married Annie Anderson of Alabama.

In the pastor's report to the Cokesbury District
Conference of 1884 it was noted that the Greenwood congrega-
tion had "a large brick church but it needs some repairs."
Assurances were given that the needed repairs were scheduled to
be completed before the close of 1884. At the same District
Conference the decision was made to move the District
Parsonage, the home of the Presiding Elder of the EHstrict, away
from Cokesbury, where it had been located for 54 years. The
enabling resolution for the move faced the fact that "the location
of the District Parsonage in the town of Cokesbury is exceedingly
inconvenient both to the Presiding Elder and the officials of the
District." The EHstrict Parsonage in Cokesbury, because of its "age
and condition will necessitate extensive and costly repairs." The
resolution continued, "[The] sense of the District Conference is
that the railroad and other facilities in Greenwood make that
town the most suitable place for the location of our District
Parsonage." The Methodists of Greenwood were extremely

Harry R. Mays 51

gratified with this recognition of the growing importance of their
town within the circles of Methodist leadership.

Greenwood Methodists reported with pride that year that
"three of our girls are at Columbia Female College and one of our
young men is at Wofford." The congregation was also delighted
to report that their Woman's Foreign Missionary Society was one
of only six in the Cokesbury District that was ''in good working
condition."

By the middle of the 1880s the pastor of the Greenwood
Circuit/ W.A. Rogers, was realistically reporting that "class meet-
ings have become passe, as have love feasts." For several more
years, the records indicate that the pastors dutifully appointed
"class leaders" despite the absence of classes to be held. Love
feasts were another matter. The love feast was an early Methodist
ritual taken with little modification from the Moravians. It was
not related at all to the Sacrament of Holy Communion, which
emphasized the work of Christ in human salvation. The love
feast was observed at stated times on every nineteenth century
circuit until about the 1880s. The service began with a simple
congregational meal of bread and water as a token of good will.
Then the church leadership, clergy and lay, made statements of
"light and love on the things of God, specially as related to per-
sonal experience," explains Bishop Holland N. McTyeire in his
History of Methodism. By the time Greenwood Methodist Church
was organized, the love feasts had ceased to be instructional and
had become times for personal testimonials. In this latter phase
the love feast soon lost popularity as "too much pious bragging"
became the norm. This obvious shift away from traditional
Methodist practices of the past century was a subtle admission
that Episcopal Methodism was no unchanging monolith, and
that the local churches, too, reflected this Methodist genius to
adjust to current realities.

At the 1886 Cokesbury District Conference Rogers was
able to report that the Greenwood Circuit has "a new parsonage
well furnished by the room plan." What the term "room plan"
meant is a mystery a century after its use. The new house for the

52 Histoiy of Main Street United Methodist Church

Greenwood Circuit pastor had been built and furnished at a cost
of $1300; all but $400 of this cost had been paid, and "by the fall
we expect that this debt will be paid," the pastor assured the
District Conference. This was typical of church finances as long as
Methodists of South Carolina depended upon agriculture for
their principal income. In the fall, after crops were harvested, it
was expected that debts private and church-related would be sat-
isfied. The pastor also reported that the "four houses of worship
need repairs and [are] not as comfortable as they might be."
Nevertheless, he could report that 80% of the membership
attended the preaching services and 90% "attend the Lord's
Supper." Such averages would be unbelievable in almost any
congregation in the last decade of the twentieth century!

The Cokesbury District Conference of 1886 went on
record as "desirous of building the District Parsonage in
Greenwood without encumbering the District with debt."
Although authorized two years earlier, no work had begun on
the new parsonage. R.W. Major, a member of the Greenwood
Church and treasurer of the building project, gave a report on the
rather dismal financial response of the various churches in the
District to the call for funds for the construction of the new home
for the Presiding Elder.

An interesting part of Rogers' report to the District
Conference was the observation that the people of Greenwood
saw the need for churches to be organized in the Buck Level and
Deadfall areas. Apparently this possible extension of
Methodism's ministry into these communities evoked no
response from the leadership of the District or the Annual
Conference. It may have been that there were "preaching places"
already active in these two localities, but this cannot be proved.

Although church fellowship halls were a twentieth centu-
ry innovation, Methodists in the nineteenth century must have
enjoyed one another's company more than records indicate. In
the Greenwood Tribune of November 18, 1886, the following was
reported: "The Methodists will hold their annual Missionary Fair
in Waller's Hall tomorrow evening at 7 1/2 o'clock. In addition to

Hariy R. Mays 53

the fair an elegant supper will be served; everybody is expected
to go and go hungry. There will be much that is pleasant to eat
and beautiful to see."

That year, 1886, the Greenwood Methodist Church decid-
ed to make their building "more attractive and usable for wor-
ship and for Sunday School." Unfortunately, there is no record of
what work was involved in this second renovation of the former
Fuller Institute building. The work was done at a cost in excess of
$1,000, and for that sum considerable renovating could have been
done. This is probably why the extant drawing of that church
building looks so much like a building that was erected as a place
of worship. The use of new doors and windows, for example,
would quickly change the outward appearance of the building,
and interior work could accomplish equally dramatic changes in
appearance and usage.

The District Parsonage located in Cokesbury had been
sold some time prior to mid-summer of 1887, and Greenwood
Church's R.W. Major reported that "the money was safely invest-
ed at 10 percent per annum." A new Parsonage Building
Committee for the Cokesbury District Parsonage was authorized;
it was composed of three men from the Greenwood Church: R.W.
Major, H.F. Fuller and V.R. Hinton. These three were instructed to
build the parsonage for not more than $1^00 and "the money on
hand be used to purchase a lot" with the remainder of that sum
being used to "improve the lot."

Greenwood had received Frederick Auld as their new
pastor at the preceding Annual Conference. A native of Laurens,
South Carolina, Auld had been, in 1834 after the death of his
father, apprenticed to learn "the mechanics trade." In 1858 he
began his pastoral service in the South Carolina Annual
Conference. During the Civil War he served as a chaplain for the
24th South Carolina Regiment. He was married to Emma
Zimmerman of Newberry, South Carolina. At the Cokesbury
District Conference Auld was pleased to report that there were
four very satisfactory houses of worship on the circuit and that
there were five Sunday Schools. He added that the Sunday

54 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

Schools ''do not suspend/' This meant that the Sunday Schools
did not close during winter. Generally in rural areas it was the
custom for Sunday Schools to close down from late November to
early March. Auld could likewise report, "We have no opposition
to missions." At that time many advocated that all of the work of
the churches should be aimed within the congregation and its
immediate surrounding community instead of focusing attention
on foreign fields.

Certainly 1888 proved to be a landmark year for the
development of the town of Greenwood. The opening of the
Greenwood Bank with J.K. Durst as president and James W.
Greene as cashier was especially significant. Greenwood could
now begin to develop as a financial center. At the same time,
behind the scenes, work was begun that would soon bear fruit in
the first textile factory in town. Greenwood was beginning to
assume the appearance of more than just an over-sized village.

For the Greenwood Methodist Church 1888 was impor-
tant also, especially for the women of the church. The ladies of
the church were hostesses for the first state-wide meeting of any
kind to be held in Greenwood when they entertained the tenth
meeting of the Annual Conference Woman's Foreign Missionary
Society. The local newspaper commented most favorably con-
cerning the ability of the local ladies to organize and carry out
such an undertaking. Editorially the newspaper saw this kind of
action on the part of the Methodist women as the first of many
endeavors to spread the word across South Carolina that
Greenwood was a progressive and attractive place to live and
work.

Mrs. J.W. Humbert of Lyons, South Carolina, the presi-
dent of the Conference Woman's Foreign Missionary Society,
reported on the Annual Meeting in the South Carolina Methodist
Advocate. The meeting had been held June 23-26, 1888. She wrote
that the sessions were held "in the bright clean brick church
which owed its attractive appearance to the energetic ladies of
the congregation who had recently had it overhauled and neatly
trimmed." (The pastor would later report that this work had cost

Hany R. Mays 55

in excess of $1,200.) Mrs. Humbert reported, "Sixty-two delegates
and many visitors made this the largest of our annual meetings."
The program included a sermon by Bishop W.W. Duncan on
Sunday morning, Jur\e 24, and a mass meeting during the after-
noon addressed by Mrs. Humbert, Mrs. Bishop William M.
Wightman, and Bishop Duncan. A Tenth Anniversary meeting
was held at 8:00 P.M. Sunday everting. The music for the various
meetings on the program was provided by vocalists, an organ,
and a comet and contributed much to the various services, Mrs.
Humbert reported.

Mrs. Humbert's report closed declaring, 'The cordial
welcome and hospitable entertainment of the warm-hearted peo-
ple of Greenwood made the meeting an enjoyable occasion. The
hospitality of the Greenwood friends was unbounded, and every
delegate and visitor was delighted with the beautiful town."
Those who came to Greenwood to attend the Annual Meeting
were housed and fed in the homes of the families of the congre-
gation and in other homes in Greenwood. The town was highly
pleased with this very first venture into the field of hosting con-
ventions and other large-scale meetings. "The ladies of the
Methodist Church have led the way for us," extolled a newspa-
per reporter at the close of the Annual Meeting.

For a group no larger than the membership of the
Greenwood Church to extend an invitation to host a state-wide
meeting indicates that many friends of the Methodist women
must have cooperated. These were the days when those attend-
ing church meetings were invited into the homes of the town's
residents, as mentioned above, for meals and the use of "the
guest bedrooms of the town." Auld was justly proud to make his
report to the Cokesbury District Conference. After relating the
experiences of the women he added that the circuit parsonage
had undergone considerable repair and that only "about $400
was owed" and that "this will soon be paid for." R.W. Major
reported that all five of the circuit's Sunday Schools were "dis-
tinctly Methodist." By this he meant that the Methodist plan for
organizing Sunday Schools was followed and that only literature

56 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was used by the
Sunday School teachers and scholars.

At the opening of the 1889 Annual Conference year the
Greenwood Circuit was again reconstructed. A "Greenwood
Station" appointment was formed consisting of the Greenwood
Church and Tranquil Church. A third Sunday School called
Briarwood was the responsibility of Tranquil Church. The new
pastor-in-charge, John Marcellus Steadman, reported that the
Greenwood Church had received 29 new members "by letter"
and 18 by "profession of faith" in the first six months of his pas-
torate.

Greenwood Methodist Church and the town of
Greenwood were definitely on the move. The Greenwood Cotton
Mill was organized by William C. Durst in 1889 with a planned
capacity of 10,000 spindles. The Greenwood Methodists that year
subscribed $500 to the Wofford Endowment Fund, the total to be
paid within five years. Local church finances had begun to op)er-
ate on the "assessment plan," R.W. Major reported to the
Cokesbury District Conference. This plan was based upon the
idea that the leaders of the local church would meet and deter-
mine how much as a minimum each family was expected to con-
tribute to the church over the ensuing year. These were the days
when such a regimented fiscal plan was considered acceptable to
the people called Methodists.

As the Greenwood Station began to organize, the trustees
reported with some embarrassment that the copy of the legal title
of the Greenwood Church property had been "misplaced" by the
former trustees. J.T. Park was appointed a committee of one to
obtain a replacement from the Court House in Abbeville. At the
same time the Greenwood Methodists began to realize that
growth meant a challenge that the next decade would place
before the congregation.

Chapter 6

Growing Pains

In the United States that decade just preceding the twen-
tieth century is often called "the gay nineties." In the Piedmont of
the Carolinas those ten years saw unprecedented change and
growth taking place, and Greenwood Methodist Church was
caught up in all of the excitement of that unusual decade. Church
membership in 1890 was 152, and its facilities were crowded and
impractical to use despite two extensive renovation programs in
the past fifteen years. The church building on Broadway (or what
had become known to many as Church Street) was no longer sat-
isfying the congregational needs. In the 1890s church member-
ship would more than double to a few more than 300 members.
By 1898 the congregation would have constructed and be enjoy-
ing a debt free edifice ''built in the Elizabethan style," and the
building would be "richly and elegantly furnished," according to
newspaper accounts at the time. But the move from the congre-
gation's first to its second "church home" came only after great
sacrifice and determination on the part of the congregation. This
was possibly the most significant ten years in the life of the
Greenwood Methodist Church.

There are some local records dating from 1889, and
insights into the day-to-day life of the congregation now become
available. A listing, for example, of the members of the Quarterly

58 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

Conference gives the names of recognized church leaders.
Because the Greenwood Station appointment still included
Tranquil Church as a second preaching and pastoral responsibili-
ty, some of the names are of persons who did not attend the town
church, but a century later it is difficult to separate the leaders of
the two congregations. For the record, below is listed the
Quarterly Conference membership of "Greenwood Station" for
1889:

G.W. Davis, Local Preacher

R.W. Major, Sunday School Superintendent, Steward,

and Church and Parsonage Trustee
J.F. Davis, Recording Secretary, and Church and

Parsonage Trustee
J.T. Medlock, Greenwood Church Secretary
C.G. Waller, Church and Parsonage Trustee
S.G. Major, Church Trustee
G.W. Rampey, Church Trustee and Steward
A.A. Gage, Church Trustee and Steward
J.W. Pinson, Church Trustee
J.B. Sample, Church and Parsonage Trustee
L.M. Moore, Class Leader
J.T. Park, Class Leader
J.R. Golden, Class Leader
G.C. Hodges, Class Leader

As indicated earlier, there were no longer active ''classes" in the
Greenwood Methodist Church organization, but four men of the
church were designated to lead these non-existent groups.
Probably this was the convenient way at that time to recognize
and utilize the leadership of more church members. The listing of
G.W. Davis as "Local Preacher" is a reminder of a clergy category
no longer utilized in Methodism. A Local Preacher was a lay per-
son who was authorized by the Charge Quarterly Conference to
assist the preacher in charge. Local Preachers were especially use-
ful when they conducted worship services on multiple church

Harry R. Mays 59

circuits or charges where it was impossible for the pastor in
charge to visit all of the churches on a given Sunday. As the size
of the circuits became increasingly smaller along with the avail-
ability of automobiles, and as more station appointments (single
churches) were developed, the need for Local Preachers gradual-
ly disappeared. (In late 20th century United Methodism the Lay
Speaker program has provided a somewhat similar opportunity
for lay assistance to appointed pastors in the conduct of worship
services.)

The Greenwood Station pastor from 1889 to 1891 was a
bachelor, Robert Edgar Stackhouse, a native of Marion County,
South Carolina, and a graduate of the State Normal College of
the University of Nashville, Tennessee. After teaching school for
three years he had become a Methodist pastor in 1888. His fresh
enthusiasm must have excited the congregation.

At the 1891 Cokesbury District Conference Stackhouse
included in his repxjrt a statement that indicates his "fresh enthu-
siasm" may have been less than appreciated by some in the con-
gregation. He stated that a group "in the Greenwood congrega-
tion have been dancing, but it is hoped that this can be adjusted
without exhorting to the extremities of the law." Later the pastor
added that "no other disorderly conduct has been noted." Here is
the first hint that the conservative Methodist attitude toward the
rules of everyday social conduct was beginning to change as
"worldliness" came to a community that had considered itself
above the frivolities enjoyed in certain other nearby towns and
cities.

The fact that the Greenwood Methodists did not report
any church trials to the Cokesbury District Conference seems to
have disturbed some nearby congregations as well as the
Presiding Elders. The truth appears to be that those who were
Methodists in Greenwood were a tolerant group when it came to
matters of "disorderly conduct." Nevertheless, their pastors
agreed with the Reverend P. F. Kilgo's evaluation in 1892: "These
are noble men and women at the Greenwood Church. They work
for the church and are a great help to the pastor."

60 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

When the Greenwood Station appointment had been cre-
ated, the membership of the Greenwood Methodist Church had
purchased the ownership shares of the other churches who had,
together with the Greenwood Church, built and paid for the
Greenwood Circuit Parsonage. The Greenwood Church Trustees
could report that all members had been repaid who had loaned
money to make that purchase possible. The church owed just
$216 to the Cokesbury Circuit, which had owned a small interest
in the parsonage because one of its churches had at one time been
a part of the Greenwood Circuit and had contributed to the cost
of the house originally. Such complicated financial problems were
typical in this period of frequent realignments of the Methodist
circuits. As the Greenwood Church planned its relocation, a pre-
liminary act had been to sell the Methodist Cemetery to a group
incorporated as The Old Greenwood (^emetery Association. The
trustees could report to the congregation that a right-of-way had
been sold to The Old Greenwood Cemetery Association so that
there would be access to the burying ground from what was then
called Main Street or Church Street and today is known as
Cambridge Street.

Even as there is perceptible change in the Church's life,
one can note that the town of Greenwood was also beginning to
grow and change at an accelerated pace. As a railroad hub, the
number of trains arriving and departing daily led the Greenwood
Tribune to editorialize that the town was fast becoming ''the
Atlanta of South Carolina." William Durst's cotton factory was
leading the way as the town moved to become a "textile manu-
facturing center," the editorial continued. With three banks now
in operation. Greenwood felt that it was on the way to becoming
a leading city in the state and hopefully in the Southeast as well.

In 1891, however. Greenwood had problems that compli-
cated life for the Greenwood Methodists. Stackhouse observed
that "children do not seem to dread rain and mud as much as
their parents." He was concerned about the low attendance of
adults at both Sunday School and worship time when there was
inclement weather. The culprit, he felt, was more "the road" than

Hany R. Mays 61

the rain. Since all of the streets in Greenwood were as yet
unpaved, the mud that developed after rain or snow had fallen
quickly discouraged would-be worshipers. The truth was that
Greenwood Methodist Church could only be reached by
unpaved streets, and Stackhouse dared to point this out to the
congregation and to the town's leadership; not everyone appreci-
ated his frankness.

At the Third Quarterly Conference, held on June 12, 1891,
the Local Preacher's License of A.J. Cauthen, Jr., was renewed,
but to the congregation the most important action that day was
that "on motion, authority was given the membership of
Greenwood to erect a new church building." F.F. Dunbar, G.C.
Hodges and R.W. Major were appointed a committee "to move
forward in the work." Later the pastor observed, "The
Greenwood Congregation has by the act of the Church
Conference inaugurated a movement to build a new church. The
location of our present building puts us to a great disadvantage
and fifty years of progress is believed to be hinged on the present
move. A very desirable location will be donated and fifty-five
hundred dollars are now in subscription, which with the old
church and lot, will erect a building creditable to the congrega-
tion." For the first time the congregation would have the experi-
ence of planning a proper building to house its activities.

Stackhouse would also report to the Cokesbury District
Conference, with deep pride in the community, that "a grade
school will be established in Greenwood in September and this is
regarded as the best thing to have happened to the educational
interests of the community." A number of private schools had
operated in Greenwood and earlier Woodville. The life span of
such schools, however, generally depended upon some one
dynamic personality who never seemed to stay in Greenwood for
more than a few years. The advent of public schools at least gave
a promise of educational permanence.

For several years the Cokesbury District Conference had
fretted over the fact that the churches of the District had not sup-
ported with sufficient money the move to erect a parsonage for

62 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

the Presiding Elder in Greenwood. At last, in the fall of 1891, con-
struction began on this long delayed project. This fit well into the
dreams of progress for a greater Greenwood Methodist Church
and a greater City of Greenwood. The local Granite City Land
Company in some of its promotional material for 1891 pro-
claimed Greenwood as "a city of 2,500 wide-awake citizens of the
railroad center and El Dorado of the Sunny South." Such was the
lavish dreaming of the developing city in which the Greenwood
Methodist Church was located.

As Stackhouse prepared to leave Greenwood for another
appointment at the Annual Conference of 1892, he knew that
Tranquil Church was to be returned to the Greenwood Circuit for
pastoral leadership. This meant that the Greenwood Church
would finally stand alone as the sole responsibility of its full-time
pastor. Greenwood Church now had "a graded Sunday School"
with almost 175 scholars. Mr. and Mrs. C. G. Waller had con-
tributed land "in a more convenient part of the town" on which
to erect a new church building, and as Stackhouse saw it, ''the
people are fully alive in the missionary work; especially is this so
as to the Women and their juvenile work."

The new pastor for the Greenwood Methodist Church,
P.R Kilgo, came to a town that was celebrating the arrival of the
Georgia, Carolina, and Northern Railroad. To some of the
Greenwood Methodists, Kilgo was already familiar since he had
been born in Cokesbury when his father, J.T. Kilgo, had served
the Cokesbury Circuit, of which the Greenwood Church was then
a part. Kilgo found the Greenwood Church organizing to erect
their proposed new church building. On Monday, November 23,
1891, the cornerstone for the building had been laid with the
Presiding Elder, W.D. Kirkland, officiating. The Finance
Committee for the construction consisted of F.F. Dunbar, L.M.
Moore, J.F. Davis, Dr. R.B. Epting (a Lutheran) and F. C. Greene (a
Presbyterian). Everything seemed in readiness for the
Greenwood Church to move into a new phase of its congrega-
tional life.

As Kilgo and his wife, the former Nettie Bethea of Marion

Hany R. Mays

Second building of Greenwood Methodist Church. (Artist: Virginia
Wiggins)

County, South Carolina, became acquainted with life in
Greenwood two interesting events took place. A complaint was
brought against one of the church trustees who had been absent
without a good reason from the Third Quarterly Conference of
1892. No record states that a church trial took place, but this was
a dramatic departure from the live-and-let-live attitude toward
church discipline in the past. About the same time the
Presbyterian Congregation decided to build themselves a new
church building across Logan Street from the Methodists' new
location. In the newspaper report of this decision it was stressed
that the Presbyterians would not begin their building until they
had "all of the money needed to erect and equip their proposed
building." Was there some sarcasm here aimed at the
Methodists?

In the meantime work began on the new Methodist
Church building. In the files of the Church Trustees is a bill from

64 History of hAain Street United Methodist Church

Dunbar and Mays, dated February 9, 1892, for 70300 bricks fur-
nished at a cost of $6 per thousand or a total of $425. This bill was
paid on February 20, 1892, by notes from G.C. Hodges, J.R Davis,
D.A.P. Jordan, J.K. Medlock, L.D. Merrimon, and A.A. Gage,
according to a notation in the Trustee's records. Three months
later, on May 13, 1892, the Trustees were granted a loan from the
Board of Church Extension of the Methodist Episcopal Qiurch,
South. Signing as Trustees were C.G. Waller, J.F. Davis, S.G.
Major, L.M. Moore, J.B. Lamper, J.T. Parks, G.W. Rampey, P.
Mickler, and A.A. Gage. This loan was to be repaid at the rate of
$300 per annum, but it was actually satisfied on April 8, 1896.

At the 1893 Annual Conference Kilgo received a new
appointment, and the Greenwood Methodist Church received
William Henry Hodges as its new pastor. Hodges and his wife,
the former Alma Elise Kennedy, had lived the two prior years in
Spokane, Washington, where he had served a Methodist congre-
gation. The biographical data for Hodges in Twentieth Century
Sketches notes, "When he reached Greenwood the walls of the
new Methodist church were up, but work on the church had
stopped for some time." During the year work was recom-
menced, and before Conference the congregation worshiped in
the new edifice, though the building was far from completed and
a large debt was owed. The contract for a new parsonage was
also let that year.

Records of the Trustees show that on September 26, 1893,
'Trustees and Building Committee of the M.E.C. parsonage met
at City Bank. G.C. Hodges elected chairman. PL. Stucky, Sec. The
Chrm then stated object of meeting was to decide on plan of
house and settle exterior. Members present were G.C. Hodges, J.R
Davis, S.G. Major, L.M. Moore, J.B. Sample, J.R Keller, PL. Stucky
It was resolved to build of wood and plans were then freely dis-
cussed as to building. The following committee was then elected
to build the parsonage: J. Frank Keller, PL. Stucky, S.G. Major.
The Building Committee was then made the canvassing commit-
tee to raise what money was necessary. To be built without debt,
and put on comer on line with church. PL. Stucky , Secy."

Hany R. Mays 65

A well was dug for the parsonage at a cost of $15 by J.H.
South and Company of New Market. Cook and Greenwood of
Greenwood "received $203.55 for supplies on parsonage build-
ing." A statement from D.C. DuPree, Drugs, Paints and
Stationery, dated November 1, 1893, reveals some of the prices
for material paid at that time:

10 gals wood filler $ 21.00

1/2 gal turpentine .20

2 lbs putty .10

sandpaper .05

5 gals Hand ai 7.50

During December of 1893 the Southern Art Glass
Company of Atlanta, Georgia, installed special windows in the
church building. One triple window honored Bishop William
Wightman; this window cost $158.65. The cost included $6 for
installation and $2.65 for freight charges. Other windows were
contributed by various families and one group of women in the
church. The donors and the cost of the windows were as follows:

L.M. Moore $ 33.80

Wm Greene 38.50

Major 54.40

Waller 158.65

Keller 110.39

Epting 27.40

King's Daughters 55.40

There were also four art glass windows installed in the Sunday
School area. With the windows installed the congregation could
then use their building for worship even though pews and the
furnace were not yet installed and other items remained to be
purchased. Painting and plastering also had not been completed.
More happened in Greenwood in 1893 than the arrival of
a new Methodist preacher and continued work on the new

66 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

Methodist church building. Possibly the most significant commu-
nity fact in 1893 was the development, adjacent to the
Greenwood Cotton Factory, of the first community for the "facto-
ry operatives/' Twenty-five dwellings were erected as homes for
the families of workers who had generally moved from the rural
areas nearby to accept employment at the cotton factory. The pro-
vision of these "dwellings for the workers" would account for
some of the increasingly fast growth in Greenwood's population.
Although Hodges' pastorate was for just one year, and
his successor, A. B. Watson, stayed in Greenwood only two years,
these seem to have been two healing pastorates. Apparently the
two years that Watson was in Greenwood were primarily spent
raising money to pay some of the indebtedness that the congrega-
tion had created. Unfortunately, at that time the pastor's report to
Annual Conference and District Conference did not include sta-
tistics, and so the precise amount of money raised in that two-
year period is unknown. At the 1894 Annual Conference
Frederick Auld, a former pastor, was superannuated and moved
to Greenwood to live in retirement. Auld had been injured
severely in a buggy accident and was never involved in commu-
nity and church life; however, the family was warmly welcomed
to town. From the records it is obvious that Mrs. Auld became
increasingly active in the life of the congregation. Watson would
report to the Cokesbury District Conference that the Greenwood
congregation provided him and his family "an excellent parson-
age." He confessed, however, in the same report that "fifteen per-
cent of the membership neglect public worship." The Greenwood
Church was beginning to show signs of the realities that would
bedevil all churches of all creeds in twentieth century
Christendom.

Chapter 7

The Second Building

When Artemas Briggs Watson was appointed the pastor
of Greenwood Methodist Church at the Annual Conference of

1894, he had been a minister for just five years but was 43 years
of age. He and his wife moved into the new parsonage located on
the northwest corner of the present church property facing East
Cambridge Street. Watson came to Greenwood with his third
wife, the former Amelia Bonneau Wightman. That same year the
Cokesbury District Parsonage was finally completed at the corner
of what is now the intersection of Elm Court and Cambridge
Avenue. As the Presiding Elder, J.B. Campbell, moved into the
new District Parsonage, Watson and his wife moved into a house
that would be used as the parsonage for the Greenwood Church
until 1948. These two new Methodist parsonages were a part of
the evidence that Greenwood was growing in importance in the
affairs of Abbeville County. (The political term "District" had
been recently changed to "County") It was a reminder, too, that
the importance of Cokesbury in South Carolina Methodism was
fast entering an obscure past.

When Watson moved to another pastorate at the end of

1895, he was succeeded by a pastor who seemed to be the perfect
match for the pastoral needs of the Greenwood Methodist
Church. Marion Dargan was a native of Darlington, South

68 Histoiy of Main Street United Methodist Church

iwood. S. C

-^^ ^-'•^Ht^

Second building of Greenwood Methodist Church as depicted on a
contemporary post card.

Interior of second building decorated for Easter Sunday.

Harry R. Mays 69

Carolina, and was thirty-nine years old when he and his wife, the
former Anna Hicklin of Chester, South Carolina, and their chil-
dren, Edina, Marion, Junior, and William, moved to Greenwood.
For the two years just prior to his coming to Greenwood, Dargan
had been the agent for Columbia Female College. In this capacity
he had traveled across the state seeking financial support for the
college. As a graduate in theology from Vanderbilt University,
Dargan was one of the earlier pastors of Methodism in South
Carolina with specific advanced training for ministry. Dargan
had unusual abilities in business and in the organization and
management of groups of people. He would later be lauded by
Methodists and non-Methodists alike as the man who led the
Greenwood Methodists to "accomplish near miracles" during his
pastorate.

The building program had been basically stagnant for
more than two years when Dargan arrived in Greenwood. It was
reported that the cornerstone had been sitting forlornly atop the
uncompleted stonework that was part of the building's still-to-
be-finished exterior. The major problem, Dargan discovered, was
money. In order to complete the building a $2,500 debt had to be
liquidated. At that time this sum represented a consolidation of
several past debts that had developed as the congregation sought
funds for day-to-day operations as well as sporadic construction.
So long as this debt was outstanding, no work could be done on
the partially completed structure. Under the last two pastors the
debt had been reduced by about seven hundred dollars, but it
was apparent that something drastic was needed to breathe new
life into the congregation's desire for a new church building. It
was at this point that Dargan's creativity and dynamic leadership
came to the fore.

After studying the Greenwood Church very carefully for
about six weeks, Dargan developed a plan that he proposed to
the congregation after a sermon on the first Sunday in March
1896. An anonymous article in the Southern Christian Advocate
reported the achievement. Using as his text, 'The love of Christ
constraineth us" (II Corinthians 5:14), the pastor insisted that

70 Histoiy of Main Street United Methodist Church

"the debt on this church is doing great damage to the cause of
Christ. God sends his love and asks you to remove that debt, and
to do it at once. Will you do it?" To continue to quote from our
unknown reporter who was present that day, ''Many were con-
vinced of the fact that it could be done - that it must be done.
Brother Dargan said that this debt must be paid by April first, so
as to present it to the Lord on Easter Sunday." Dargan's plan
involved sending a letter "to each member or head of a family,
asking that an enclosed note be filled out, signed and returned,
payable April 1st." According to the reporter, all during March
Dargan pointed the congregation toward that single goal. "He
talked and preached giving all of the time."

On the fifth Sunday in March not quite enough had been
subscribed, but the deficiency was raised during the next week.
On Easter Sunday Dargan had the pleasure of reporting to the
congregation that the debt had been paid in full! "Brother Dargan
led the charge; the congregation followed. The Lord of hosts was
with us; no wonder that the victory perched upon our banners,
for if God be for us, who can be against us?" The one who signed
the report "Layman" added, "Who will not say that this is a won-
derful achievement wrought out for us in our midst. How? In
answer to prayer. This is the beginning of still better and greater
things."

A local newspaper reported on Thursday, May 28, 1896,
"Excavation for the foundation of the new Methodist Church is
now going on. The plans for the church are on hand and the con-
tract has been let for the granite work. The church is to be in
every way a modern structure. The main building will have a
seating capacity of four hundred, and in addition there will be a
Sunday School room with a seating capacity of 300 which will be
connected with the church by folding doors." Actually what was
happening was that at last the exterior work and interior finish-
ing work had begun. Another newspaper article on June 4, 1896,
editorialized under the title, "A Good Work Well Done," "Since
taking charge of the Greenwood Methodist Church, the Reverend
Mr. Dargan has done a work that cannot be too highly commended.

Harry R. Mays 71

A few months ago the church was laboring under a debt of some-
thing more than $800. We are now informed that through the
efforts of Mr. Dargan and his congregation the debt has been
entirely wiped out."

As the finishing work continued, orders soon were neces-
sary for the interior furnishings. In February 1897 pews and
chancel furniture, as well as 300 wooden folding chairs, were
ordered from the E. H. Stafford plant in Benton Harbor,
Michigan. A Seaboard Airline Railroad delivery ticket shows that
seventeen bundles were needed to contain all of the folding
chairs. This was soon followed by a delivery of pews, a commu-
nion table, three pulpit chairs, two flower stands, and a pulpit, all
purchased at a cost of $756. The pulpit and three pulpit chairs are
still in use in the Cokesbury Chapel of the present church build-
ing. The installation cost for the pews to seat four hundred wor-
shipers was $10.85. J.M. Sproles of Greenwood installed the cen-
tral heating system for $185. After a few months of use of the
completed building it was decided that folding doors to separate
the Sunday School room from the worship area needed to be
installed. This led to an order for three rolling wooden partitions
from James G. Wilson Company of New York City. These were
delivered at a cost of $197.09. It was agreed by everyone that
these partitions made the building much more usable.

At the Greenwood Methodist Church more than a build-
ing program was on the minds of the members of the congrega-
tion. One example of this was a report in the Greenwood Index of
October 1, 1896. The article reads, 'There was an interesting
meeting at the Methodist Church Thursday evening, the occasion
being a visit from Mrs. Wightman, President of the Woman's
Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
South, and Mrs. J.P. Campbell, a returned missionary from China,
where she has been faithfully laboring for the past nine years.
Mrs. Wightman gave a short talk, setting forth the object and
work accomplished by the society, which is now fifteen years old,
has forty-six missionaries in the field, and an excellent training
school in Kansas City. Mrs. Campbell followed with an excellent

72 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

address on the subject of missionaries in China. Her description
of the customs and conditions of the people and the progress
which Christianity is making was interesting and encouraging.
At the conclusion of the address a collection was taken to aid the
work."

In Greenwood in the 1890s there was obvious growing
cooperation among the denominations with churches in town.
The Index of March 19, 1896, reported that "Dr. Clifton of
Abbeville delivered an able lecture at the Greenwood Methodist
Church last Sunday evening. The pastors of the different church-
es in Greenwood have inaugurated a plan by which they will fur-
nish in turn a lecturer. They hope to have a lecture once each
month." Another report in the Index for July 16, 1896, mentions
that "no evening services were held at the Methodist and
Presbyterian Churches last Sunday evening as the two congrega-
tions accepted an invitation from the Baptist brethren to worship
with them. A Dr. Ramsey from Charleston was preaching." And
on October 8, 1896, the Index noted that the newly completed
Episcopal Chapel, "a beautiful little wooden building," was con-
secrated the past Sunday. This ended a more than decade-long
period when the Episcopalians had held a monthly service of
worship in the Greenwood Methodist Church building. An
Episcopal priest would take the train ride to Greenwood from
Greenville to conduct the service in the Methodist Church and
return to his home the same evening.

On May 14, 1896, the Index noted that "Dr. Leftwich of
Nashville will begin a two week's evangelistic meeting at the
Greenwood Methodist Church. He confines his morning series to
one hour! He is a high class, educated preacher and does not
belong to the guild of professional evangelists whose only stock
in trade is abuse and opprobrious epithets. He has made a good
impression here and gives promise of doing much good."

During the 1890's weekly advertisements in the newspa-
pers indicate that the following was the general schedule of
events at Greenwood Methodist Church:

Harry R. Mays 73

Preaching 11:00 AM Sunday

7:00 PM Sunday
Sunday School 9:30 AM Sunday

Children's Meeting 5:30 PM Sunday

Church Conference Second Sunday after

Preaching
Stewards Monday after the first

Sunday in the evening
Woman's Missionary Meeting 4:00 PM First Friday

The "Children's Meeting" was actually the meeting of the
Epworth League that had been authorized by the General
Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1890.
The purpose of the Epworth League was "to encourage and train
young people in the careful and systematic study of the Word of
God, the doctrine, polity and history of the Church, and good
books generally. And after head and heart have been filled with
living truth, the opportunity is afforded through the various
meetings and efforts of the League to put into exercise all that has
been received." Like its Youth Fellowship counterparts in today's
church, this provided to the "young people" not only an
opportunity for spiritual and intellectual activity but also some
precious moments of socializing and the discovery of some of the
meanings of boy-girl relationships. Reports of discussions of the
Epworth League philosophy at the Cokesbury District
Conferences reveal that some of the pastors and lay leaders felt
that adequate and dependable chaperons were a crucial and
absolute necessity for all of the "children's meetings." No specific
reference is made to any particular local church in those reports.
However, the new idea of such "children's meetings" for the
youth and young adults was difficult for many adults to accept,
even in the "gay nineties." The many who shared in the Epworth
League at the Greenwood Methodist Church attested to the
power of this innovation at a time of dramatic change in the way
Americans were living.

74 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

In October 1896 the Greenwood churches had become
concerned about the spiritual life of those employed at the
Greenwood Cotton Factory where there were 403 "factory opera-
tives." A census revealed that of that number 88 were Baptist, 74
were Methodist, and six were Presbyterian, or a total of 168 oper-
atives were church members. The census further revealed that
236 of the operatives' families were "Baptist inclined," 154 were
"Methodist inclined," and 13 were 'Tresbyterian inclined." Since
only about forty percent of the factory operatives were church
members, the Methodists and Baptists both viewed the develop-
ing mill communities as potential locations for new congrega-
tions and certainly fertile spots for evangelization. That the facto-
ry operatives and their families might be invited to the already
established churches appears not to have been an issue and may
not have even been suggested. Certainly no records have been
found that invitations were extended to the factory operatives
and their families by any of the established churches of any
denomination.

During the first half of the 1890s the membership of the
Greenwood Methodist Church remained generally static at a few
more than 225 members. The church took on a new burst of activ-
ity, however, with the arrival of Marion Dargan. At the 1897
Cokesbury District Conference Dargan could report that in the
last eighteen months 60 new members had been received by cer-
tificates of transfer, and 33 new members had been received on
their profession of faith for a total of 93 additions and a net mem-
bership of 275 persons.

In their reports to the annual District Conference both the
pastors and the lay delegates were expected to make comments
on various aspects of the general life of the local church. The
members of the Greenwood Methodist Church who officially
attended the 1897 Cokesbury District Conference were listed in
that hand-written Journal as follows:

Marion Dargan, Pastor in Charge
Frederick Auld, Superannuated

Hariy R. Mays 75

J.T. Miller, Lcxral Preacher
G.C. Hodges
J.E Davis
L.M. Moore

Dargan reported, "Our church is in good condition, better I think
than formerly. We have one Woman's Society and one Juvenile
Missior\ary Society. They are doing well. We have two Epworth
Leagues, but they are not what they should be. We have five boys
at Wofford, three girls at Columbia, four at Williamston, and two
at Converse. We have about forty subscribers to the Advocate. The
Sunday School is in fine working condition with one hundred
and ninety-seven scholars enrolled. The envelope system is used
for our finances. We do not have a good library." At this point the
District Conference Secretary inserted, "Brother Hodges
explained how it was they had no library. Said it was due to the
removal of the church to a new location and the necessary
expense of same."

After the pastor had made his report to District
Conference, "Brother G.C. Hodges, layman, said that the church
was in good spiritual, working condition, and largely due to the
self-sacrifice on the part of the membership." Almost laconically
it was added, "Brother James Davis, layman, said he thought
they were holding their own, and that there had been no occasion
recently for the administration of discipline." By this latter
expression he indicated that no church trials and expulsions had
taken place recently.

The force of change within the Greenwood Methodist
Church was created by more than the desire for a new church
building. The January 7, 1897, Index reported the death of R.W
Major, "a steward in the Methodist Church for 30 years and the
superintendent of the Sunday School at the Greenwood
Methodist Church when he died." By the 1890s most of the earli-
est members were already dead, and, as reported in the Southern
Christian Advocate, "the memories of what had been evaporated
with them." Major was followed by A.M. Ford as Sunday School

76 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

Superintendent, but within the year George C. Hodges had taken
over this very important position in the local church life.

The Greenwood Index of April 15, 1897, reported, "Our
Methodist brethren have furrushed their new church with a fine
new [red] carpet, elegant circular pews, and a very handsome set
of pulpit furniture. Also, one hundred chairs have been added for
use as the occasion demands. Take the Methodist Church all in
all, outside and inside, it is an excellent and tastefully furnished
structure of which the good and worthy Methodist people as well
as the town should be proud."

Later in 1897, in a souvenir edition of the Greenwood
Journal that celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the cit/s incor-
poration, it was noted that the new Methodist Church "was built
on the Elizabethan style; it is richly and handsomely furnished,
and it has a seating capacity of more than 800. From its first orga-
nization as a local circuit it has steadily increased in numbers to
the present membership of 270." [Newspaper accounts of the
seating capacity appear to be exaggerated.]

The article continues, 'The Sabbath School has an average
attendance of over 200. A visit to this magnificent structure dur-
ing Sunday School hours enables one to view a magnificent spec-
tacle— the noble work of teaching Christ and his works in its
magr\ificence and active grandeur. The teachers are all devout in
their work, so much so that its beloved superintendent, Mr.
George C. Hodges, though a traveling man, manages to be on
hand every Sunday." In another news item of June 24, 1897, it
was noted, 'The Greenwood saints of all denominations wor-
shiped with the Methodists last Sunday morning [June 20, 1897],
the occasion being the dedication of the latter's elegant, comfort-
able, and thoroughly completed new building. Bishop Duncan
conducted the services morning and evening, and it goes without
saying that the large audience was highly entertained and
instructed by his discourses."

As the Greenwood Methodists had prospered, so had the
Baptist Church in Greenwood. The Index of November 11, 1897,
detailed the community's excitement as the Baptists occupied

Harry R. Mays 77

their new building that had been erected on Logan Street just a
block from the Methodists' new building. Close by was the lot,
also on Logan Street, on which the Presbyterians would erect
their new building as soon as they had in hand all of the money
needed for the project. As was the town's custom, the day the
Baptists celebrated the opening of their new building the
Methodists and Presbyterians canceled their worship services to
share in the Baptists' joy of accomplishment.

The town of Greenwood was growing! One of the special
evidences of this new growth was the beginning of a telephone
system. On November 24, 1898, the Index could editorialize that
"Greenwood has telephone service with all of the world."
Elsewhere in that day's Index, however, a realistic appraisal of the
telephone system mentioned that "a call to Spartanburg is not
satisfactory yet." The explanation for this deficiency indicated a
fault in some switching mechanism elsewhere; the Greenwood
system was "premiere."

A major step in the urbanization of Greenwood was the
town's decision to "macadamize the streets," thus finally ending
the muddy mess that developed every time there was rain or
snow in the town. Of course, only the more important streets
were paved, but even this was a giant step out of the mud.
Greenwood also took pride in the fact that in 1896 the Grendel
Mills had begun operations making cotton cloth, thereby adding
sigi\ificantly to the strength of the town's industrial base.

But a growing Greenwood had at least one unanticipated
problem. Because the town had developed as a railroad center
with dozens of trains coming and going every week, an acute
problem with "tramps and hoboes" had developed.

Vagrants would interrupt their travels as they stopped
over in Greenwood to beg meals all through "the better neigh-
borhoods of our fair city," the Index reported. After reporting the
danger these tramps posed to the ladies of the town, the Index
went on to report that through the Woman's Home Missionary
Society of the Greenwood Methodist Church that congregation
was offering food to these undesirable visitors. No further details

78 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

are given, but this program by the Methodist women met a
special town need that the police force could not solve because
too few officers were available to turn back the beggars at the
edge of the railroad yards.

For the Greenwood Methodists, however, the real chal-
lenge was ahead. At the 1897 Annual Conference session they
had been asked by Bishop Duncan to host the Annual Conference
session to be held in early December of 1898. The Index noted that
''Spartanburg, Greenville, Chester and Orangeburg were in nomi-
nation, but Greenwood 'got there' as in many other instances. Mr.
George C. Hodges made an able and convincing speech before
the Conference in favor of Greenwood as the next meeting place.
Greenwood people were delighted at the news that the Reverend
Marion Dargan would be their pastor for another year. He has
shown great capacity as an organizer and developer. He will be a
valuable factor in the handling of the Conference next fall."

Chapter 8

Hosting Annual Conference

Even before the Greenwood Methodists had begun to
enjoy their completed building, the impending task of hosting
Annual Conference in December of 1898 demanded the congre-
gation's full attention. Their first big problem was the fact that
their new church building could not conveniently seat the many
official and unofficial visitors to be expected for the occasion.
There was the need to provide a large space that could be avail-
able for both day and night sessions. There was the need to find
housing for every visitor, and the town's hotel would not begin
to accommodate the crowds that would be in town. The list of
details, large and small, must have appeared nearly overwhelm-
ing.

However, the whole community of Greenwood seemed
poised to come to the Methodists' assistance. The newly complet-
ed Greenwood County Courthouse was placed at the disposal of
the Methodist Annual Conference. The courtroom was "much
larger and more convenient than the church" and could be light-
ed by electric lights that had just become available in the town. It
was reported to the congregation that "20 electric lights could be
had for $4 f)er month." The church agreed to pay for the installa-
tion the following December. "Brother Joe Major, County
Supervisor, reported that the courthouse yard would be cleaned

80 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

by the county hands, also the rooms, etc., of the courthouse/' A
reading of the list of more than 175 homes where visitors to
Annual Conference were to be housed reveals that many of
Greenwood's non-Methodists agreed to provide both meals and a
place for weary Methodists to find some rest.

In preparation for this experience of hosting Annual
Conference several committees were organized to expedite the
plans. Church records give us the names of persons who served
on four basic committees to plan for Annual Conference.

Publishing Committee L.M. Moore, S.H. McGhee,

G.S. Huiett, W.G. Gambrell,

J.S. Chipley
Committee on Lights W.G. Gambrell

Canvassing Committee L.M. Moore, C.G. Waller,

G.C. Hodges, P.L. Shicky,

A.A. Morris
Transportation Committee Kennedy, Hoke, J.F. Davis

The Greenwood Index lists the members of a Committee on
Reception: T.H. Walker, Chairman, H.G. Hartzog, W.A. Clyde,
N.E. Jenkins, S.G. Major, P.L. Stucky, W.R Stackhouse, Dr. R.B.
Epting, L.M. Moore, J.F. Davis, and C.G. Waller. The Index lists
three more hard-working committees: a Conference Executive
Committee, a Committee on Arrangements, and a Committee on
Correspondence. Nowhere, however, are the members of these
committees listed.

As the time for Annual Conference drew near an interest-
ing admission appeared in the records of the local Church
Conference. Preparation for the entertainment of Annual
Conference was consuming the attention of the leaders of
Greenwood Methodism. Both the stewards and the pastor report-
ed in November 1898 that they were "short on collections"
because of their involvement in preparing for Annual
Conference. This is a reminder that house-to-house solicitation
was the way church funds were generally secured in local

Harry R. Mays 81

Methodist Churches at that time. The pastor visited members to
solicit the money to pay the "assessments" sent down to the local
church by the Annual Conference. These funds went to pay items
such as the salaries of the bishop and the presiding elders as well
as to pay for other items related to the general work of Southern
Methodism in missions and education. The stewards visited the
membership to secure funds to operate the local church. A month
later, on December 4, the pastor and the stewards could report
that they had been able to make sufficient visits so that the
Greenwood Methodist Church could report to Annual
Conference that everything was "paid in full." At that same
Church Conference an impromptu collection was taken to "pay
off the debt on the rolling partitions in the church and for several
minor claims."

The Greenwood Index for Thursday, December 1, 1898,
reported, 'The Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, South, will meet in Greenwood next week. There will be
in attendance probably 500 people from all parts of the State. It
will be a gathering embracing some of the noblest and some of
the most intellectual men of the country. Greenwood has never
before undertaken to entertain so large a body or one more thor-
oughly representative. But every one who attends the conference
will be taken care of. A favorable opinion on both sides is pre-
dicted as a general result of the meeting." The article details some
of the preliminary work accomplished by the Greenwood
Methodists and concludes, "all arrangements are the best possi-
ble."

One interesting feature of that Index article is a listing of
the homes in and around Greenwood where the visitors would
be housed. In addition, the housing arrangements of all expected
visitors are listed, providing the names of Southern Methodism's
leadership in South Carolina as well as the Methodist Episcopal
Church, South, at the close of the nineteenth century. Moreover,
one can read a listing of most of the community leaders of
Greenwood at the same time.

An editorial in that same issue of the Index helps us

82 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

understand the excitement that permeated all of Greenwood and
the importance with which the community viewed the arrival of
these Methodists. ''Bankers, capitalists, lawyers, doctors, farmers,
business men of all sorts, and a few hundred preachers, will be
our visitors for a week. Let the town put on its best holiday attire
and the people put on their best and most pleasant manners.
Some of the biggest men of the whole Methodist Church and
some of the best men of the world will be here. This is a big thing
for Greenwood, a great opportunity for the town, and a source of
gratification for us all."

The following week the issue of the Index dated
Thursday, December 8, 1898, had centered on the front page a
most cordial greeting to the Methodist visitors: "Gentlemen of the
Conference, you are welcome to Greenwood. To have you in our
city is an era in our history." The message then commented on
the fact that Greenwood was "a young town with a short
history." To emphasize the recent growth of the city it was point-
ed out that "houses are where com fields were recently," and that
many of the streets had been "fit habitation for rabbits and par-
tridges ten years ago."

Although the majority of the Conference work was yet to
come, the Index reported that "the 113th session of the South
Carolina Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
South, convened in the Court House Wednesday morning." It
was pointed out that the newly completed courthouse was select-
ed as "the best place for the Conference to hold sessions," and
that "the hall has been fitted with electric lights and other conve-
niences. The first exercise was the singing of the hymn, 'And Are
We Yet Alive,' the Bishop lining ouf the verses as is the confer-
ence custom. The older people present were reminded of other
days and of sainted workers in Zion." The writer observed that
"the connection men appeared in full force," and he was glad to
report that there was "a good attendance of interested specta-
tors." It was observed that Bishop William Wallace Duncan, who
was presiding, "is a tower of strength in Southern Methodism. He
is an erudite, affable gentleman, a gifted orator and a thorough

Harry R. Mays 83

parliamentarian/' The report of the first day's conference activi-
ties closed with the report that the local Methodist Reception and
Transportation Committee "met all trains on which members
came and sent them to their appointed places in little time." It
was claimed that such efficiency was "just typical of what
Greenwood can do!"

The next issue of the Index was dated December 15, 1898,
the day after Annual Conference was completed. The evaluation
was that the session had been "routine but never dull. Some
quite interesting debates and first class tilts were had." Four of
the five columns on the front page of the newspaper dealt with a
lengthy report on the activities; on an inside page a listing of all
of the Methodist pastors' appointments for the state consumed
half of that page. In retrospect the newspaper reporter observed,
"The people of Greenwood are glad that the conference met here.
They enjoyed the presence of so many consecrated, intelligent
people and the numerous opportunities the occasion afforded." It
was pointed out that "during the Conference people of this com-
munity had the pleasure of hearing several eminent ministers.
Large crowds of people attended each service." On the Sunday
during the Annual Conference session visiting Methodist preach-
ers had been in the pulpits of Greenwood's Baptist and
Presbyterian Churches as well as in the pulpits of three Black
congregations and at the Connie Maxwell Orphanage.

The newspaper was especially fascinated by the experi-
ence when Bishop Wallace "read the appointments for the
preachers." Before reading the appointments "the Bishop gave a
pointed lecture and then began the time honored process about
9:30 PM Monday night, December 12th." At the close of the read-
ing, "Everybody wanted to congratulate the man who got a snug
berth and everybody felt sorry for the plodding brother who got
the sand hill, swamp or mountain circuit."

As the visitors left Greenwood the Index pointed out,
"The facility with which the conference members got in and out
of the city proves that this is the gate city to South Carolina."
And the final evaluation noted, "It is gratifying to know that so

84 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

large a group of people carried to all parts of the State a favorable
opinion of the place and the people/'

When the final reckoning was made some months after
the conclusion of Annual Conference, the Reception Committee
discovered that it had some funds on hand. The church confer-
ence decided that this cash should be "turned over to the Ladies
Parsonage Aid Society."

There was one sad note to the closing of Annual
Conference. Marion Dargan had been appointed to be the
Presiding Elder of the Florence District and would soon be mov-
ing from Greenwood. "Rev. Dargan has been an earnest preacher,
a faithful pastor, an unexcelled organizer, and a tireless worker in
every good cause," the newspaper declared. A few days later the
same writer in the Index noted that "Mr. Dargan's final sermon
was full of feeling. Greenwood evidently has a deep hold on him.
The other ministers of the city were present, there being services
in no other church. The Greenwood Methodist Church was
crowded." It was added, in good Methodist style, that the newly
appointed pastor of the Greenwood Methodist Church, R. A.
Child, "is a man of distinguished abilities, considered one of the
foremost preachers of the Conference. He is a native of
Greenwood County. His appointment to this charge is gratifying
to the people generally."

At a Church Conference on Sunday, December 18, 1898,
the congregation made its official farewell in a resolution that
was passed unanimously expressing "great regret at the sever-
ance of our connections with our beloved pastor. Reverend
Marion Dargan, who has been sent to another field by the recent
Conference." EM. Sheridan, Secretary of the Church Conference,
records that "the pastor responded feelingly, thanking the church
for their kindness and consideration."

In Marion Dargan's biographical statement in Twentieth
Century Sketches it is noted that "at Greenwood a large church
debt was paid during his pastorate, and money for seating and
furnishing the church was also raised. In addition, the children
raised enough money to paint the church."

Chapter 9

Getting a College

Greenwood Methodist Church's new pastor, Rufus
Alexander Child, was bom in Old Cambridge near Star Fort at
Ninety Six and was considered almost a hometown boy by the
people of Greenwood. Educated at Richmond College, Virginia,
he had, after college, first practiced law for two years in Pickens,
South Carolina, and then edited the Pickens Sentinel for several
years. He also served one term as a Representative in the
Legislature of South Carolina. In 1883 he had become a member
of the Pickens Methodist Church, six years later felt the call to
preach, and became a member of the clergy in 1889. After his first
wife's death he had married Maggie A. Roper of Marlboro
County, South Carolina, who moved with him to Greenwood.

At the beginning of 1898 one of the frustrations faced at
the Greenwood Methodist Church, as the members basked in the
afterglow of their recent accomplishments, was the obvious fact
that something was badly wrong with the heating system in their
new building. At the Church Conference on February 27, 1899,
the "trustees were instructed to look after the condition of the
heating apparatus of the church and to have the same repaired."
The precise nature of the problem is never mentioned, but this
was a problem that continued to irritate the congregation for sev-
eral more years. In the meantime. Child had taken up the work

86 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

where Dargan had left it. During Child's first year the Sunday
School enrollment passed two hundred scholars, and the congre-
gation's membership reached 301 souls. Thus, in the decade of
the ''gay nineties," the membership of the Greenwood Methodist
Church had doubled and the Sunday School enrollment had
more than doubled.

The decade that began with the year 1890 may have been
the most exciting ten years in the history of Greenwood for those
who called it "home." A comparison of the census records shows
that the population of Greenwood grew by an astonishing 275
percent in that decade. Calling itself the 'Tearl of the Piedmont,"
Greenwood was the fortunate focus of considerable business and
industrial activity. The textile industry, which began with the
1889 efforts of William Lowndes Durst to organize what later
would become the Greenwood Mills, was indicative of the cre-
ative changes that would take place in the community. At about
the same time Durst's brother, J.K. Durst, was organizing the
Bank of Greenwood. Other banks soon developed, providing a
sense of fiscal stability to the community and helping to establish
the town as a regional financial center. By 1900 fourteen mail
trains and twelve passenger trains provided "quick mails, quick
express, and quick trips" far beyond the Piedmont. There was a
telephone system in town and "a long distance telephone office."
The electric light plant was already in operation when the 1898
Annual Conference met in Greenwood, and an "extensive mod-
em sewer system" and "as fine a water system as there is in the
South" had been installed by the progressive town's people. The
Greenwood Methodist Church felt that it was a significant part of
that community growth and progress.

In 1900 Greenwood Methodist Church received as its pas-
tor PL. Kirton. Preston Lafayette Kirton was born in Horry
County, South Carolina, in 1867. He entered the South Carolina
Conference in 1886 and in 1889 married Lilla Lee O'Brien of
Walterboro, South Carolina. Kirton officiated at the wedding of
Emma Green, a member of the congregation, to B. Rhett
Tumipseed on Thursday, March 8, 1900. Just 18 years later the

Hariy R. Mays 87

Tumipseeds would return to Greenwood when he was appointed
pastor of then Main Street Qiurch. While Kirton was the pastor
in Greenwood a son, Preston L., Junior, died. When Kirton
received a new appointment after his second year at the
Greenwood Church, it was a move of just three blocks down
Cambridge Street to the Cokesbury District Parsonage as he
l>ecame the Presiding Elder of that District. At the same time
WA. Massebaugh became pastor of the Greenwood Church and
was the first pastor to serve for the then disciplinary limit of four
years.

For all of its progress, one dream remained unfulfilled for
the town of Greenwood. It was anxious to become the home of a
college that it could call its own. During the time that the 1898
Annual Conference met in Greenwood, the town's leaders had
heard the news that the Columbia Female College, owned by the
South Carolina Methodists, needed to relocate from downtown
Columbia if the college was to prosper. This sixty-year-old
Methodist effort to educate young ladies was situated on a small
parcel of land in the business district of Columbia, and there was
no adjacent land available at the site for needed expansion. The
leadership of Greenwood recruited the cooperation of the
Greenwood Methodist Church in a well-organized effort to con-
vince South Carolina Methodism to move its Female College to a
site in Greenwood.

A committee of fourteen citizens of Greenwood, many of
them not Methodists, was formed to develop plans to lure the
college to Greenwood. C.A.C. Waller was the chairman, and J.B.
Wharton was the secretary. Other committee members were R.A.
Childs, A. Rosenberg, J.K. Durst, J.B. Park, R.B. Epting, D.C.
DuPre, George C. Hodges, F.B. Grier, J.T. Simmons, R.P. Blake,
S.R. Evans and J.L. Andrews. These men had prepared a plan
that included the promise of a significant sum of money when, at
the 1901 Annual Conference, a resolution was adopted establish-
ing an Annual Conference Committee to receive sealed bids from
the communities that might be interested in providing a new site
for the Female College.

88 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

According to the Journal of the 1902 Annual Conference
session, the proposition which Greenwood presented contained
the promise of "$42,960 guaranteed absolutely/' This was by far
the most generous offer received; however, proponents of the
causes of Columbia, Laurens, Sumter, and Lexington joined
forces to raise the point that a new charter would be necessary if
the college were to be moved from Columbia. Although this was
a minor point to the Greenwood supporters, by a margin of 108
to 106, a motion to allow the college to be moved failed. Since this
was a procedural vote, an additional vote was taken on a resolu-
tion "fixing the location of the College in Columbia" which was
then adopted by a vote of 120 to 94. R.A. Childs, on behalf of
Greenwood, moved to make the vote unanimous. C.C.
Featherstone, on behalf of Laurens, seconded that motion, and it
carried.

The effort to bring the Methodists' Female College from
Columbia to Greenwood may have been thwarted, but the
Greenwood Committee decided to try elsewhere to find
Greenwood a college it could call its own. The Williamston
Female Academy had been offered by its owners to the Methodist
Annual Conference, and the gift had been accepted by the
Annual Conference in session in Greenwood in 1898. Afterward
it was discovered that the acceptance of this offer, without the
permission of the General Board of Education of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, was in violation of the Discipline of the
Church. The offer was later duly approved in 1901, and the
Williamston Female Academy became an official part of the high-
er education system of the South Carolina Methodists. The
Greenwood Committee turned to this Academy as a source for
the much desired college for the community.

The Williamston Female Academy had been organized by
Doctor Samuel Lander while he was serving as the Methodist
pastor at the small Piedmont town that gave its name to the
Academy. Cooperating persons shared some of their wealth and
became shareholders in the institution. It was these shareholders
who, as the Board of Trustees of the Williamston Female

Harry R. Mays 89

Academy, offered their property to the Methodist Annual
Conference and later to the city of Greenwood. C.A.C. Waller,
president of the Board of Trustees, offered the institution to the
Greenwood Committee contingent upon its being relocated in
Greenwood. An agreement was reached very quickly between
the Academy and the Greenwood Committee. On January 14,
1903, it was agreed that a new corporation would be organized
with C.A.C. Waller of Greenwood as President, Dr. Samuel
Lander of Williamston as a Director, and the following additional
Directors, all from Greenwood: J.B. Park, R.B. Epting, J.L.
Andrews, R.P. Blake, A. Rosenberg, J.T. Medlock, and R.M.
Hayes.

Among the promises made by the Greenwood
Committee was the gift of a plot of land "not to exceed fifteen
acres" and the erection of a "modem, up-to-date building costing
not less than twenty-five thousand dollars, of sufficient capacity
to accommodate no less than one hundred students." They also
agreed to "purchase the laboratory, library, college and house-
hold furniture and furnishings, cabinet of minerals and fossils,
musical instruments, shelving, cases, equipments, etc., of the pre-
sent institution from the owner or owners, at four thousand dol-
lars." The title would then be located, like the college, in
Greenwood, to provide for the education primarily of girls, "but
with the privilege, if desired, and the management so deter-
mines, for boys also." How happy the Greenwood Methodists
and their Greenwood friends were to know, through Methodist
Annual Conference action, "that this conference is sincerely
grateful to the City of Greenwood and the vicinity for the fine
property tendered to this body for the use of the Williamston
Female College, and hereby accepts the same on condition that
the debt be paid in the next two years."

Greenwood had its college! The next task was to prepare
for the opening of the college by the fall of the 1904-1905 academ-
ic year. Work at the site was quickly begun, and by early
September 1904 the construction was completed. The last major
chore was to tidy up the site in preparation for the arrival of stu-

90 Histoiy of Main Street United Methodist Church

dents. At a church conference held September 11, 1904, ''It was
suggested that the members of the church aid the authorities of
the Williamston Female College in cleaning up the buildings and
grounds preparatory to the opening of the college." A number of
members of Greenwood Methodist Church volunteered their ser-
vices or agreed ''to send help to the college on the following
Tuesday." The congregation also learned that even with its new
facilities in readiness, space might be needed for certain college
activities. Therefore, "the president of the college. Dr. Willson,
was invited to select such portions of the church as he deemed
best for use of the students." The Greenwood Methodist Church
was pleased to share in the establishment of their college.

During the summer of 1904 Dr. Samuel Lander had unex-
pectedly died. This led to a decision by the Board of Trustees to
rename the Williamston Female College as Lander College. It was
with understandable pride that Greenwood could report to the
Annual Conference that "Lander College has had a very success-
ful year. The enrollment for 1904-1905, the first year in
Greenwood, reached the gratifying number of 158 in literary
work, to which must be added 20 special students." Six students
had been graduated, and improvements on the handsome new
college building and grounds were being steadily made. 'The
popularity of Lander College is evidenced by the full dormitory
and recitation rooms. There is no canvass made for students
because of the lack for room for more than had applied." The
necessity of another dormitory was already obvious to the
College and the church.

The effort to obtain a college for Greenwood was dramat-
ic, but the life of Greenwood Methodist Church continued with
strength and vigor amid all of the community excitement. One of
the congregation's continuing problems was their almost new
building. From the first day that cold weather arrived the "heat-
ing apparatus" was unable to function properly. At the church
conference of February 27, 1899, it was obvious to the worship-
pers that something needed to be done to repair the heating sys-
tem permanently. There are continuing notations in the records

Hariy R. Mays 91

concerning problems and complaints relating to the inadequate
heating system. For example, on July 21, 1901, it was noted that
"Brother Davis reported that the bills to repair the furnace,
amounting to $25 to $30, had been presented and asked that
arrangements be made to pay it/' Six months later, on January 12,
1902, the pastor was requested ''to appoint a committee of seven
to look after needed improvements to the church and the parson-
age."

Eighteen months later the congregation was informed
that "some improvements have been made at the parsonage —
some new furniture has been bought and sewerage put in; the
cost was about $206." The matter of solving the church heating
problem, however, required more than some simple repairs. At
the church conference of August 21, 1904, 'The Board of Trustees
reported that it would require about $800 to put in a new heating
apparatus." The Trustees were authorized to act. The Church
Conference also instructed the Board of Trustees that "our archi-
tect is to be employed to draw plans for the heating arrange-
ments and draw plans for remodeling the church so that the heat-
ing arrangements would not conflict with additions to the
church." The congregation was already facing the fact that their
seven-year-old building was becoming crowded by the growth of
the congregation. The Sunday School, through the presence of the
Lander College students as well as the new members, had grown
beyond anyone's dreams when the building was erected.

With obvious shock, on September 4, 1904, "The Trustees
reported that they had the church examined by an architect and
that it would be impractical to enlarge the church." This led to
the congregational decision that the "matter of enlarging the
church be indefinitely postponed; but the Trustees are authorized
to go on with the heating apparatus and install the same at once."
The contract for the installation of a replacement furnace was
quickly let, and, for the first winter since the congregation had
entered their new building, worshippers were comfortable in
cold weather during the winter of 1904-1905.

At the church conference of May 14, 1905, "Brother S.H.

92 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

McGhee presented on behalf of the Board of Trustees a plan for
enlarging the seating capacity of the church." There was the usual
spirited discussion, and then "G.C. Hodges moved, Capt. RS.
Evans, seconded, 'Resolved - that the church conference approves
the plan of repairs recommended by the Board of Trustees; that
we refer the whole matter for speedy execution, with the right to
make additions and alterations as their judgement may dictate."
With "almost unanimous" support of the congregation, the
Trustees implemented the plans. The records do not spell out
what was actually involved; however the need for extensive
work on the 1897 building is a clear reminder that Greenwood
and the Greenwood Methodist Church were developing faster
than even far-sighted leaders could envision.

Chapter 10

Choosing a Name

Music was vital to the worship life of the congregation,
and in 1905 Mrs. J.T. Medlock was appointed as the chairman of a
con\mittee "to see the membership of the church" and solicit
funds to pay for a new piano that had been purchased. Her com-
mittee was successful, for the debt was paid in full within a few
weeks of the committee's appointment. The growth of the con-
gregation had created another musical problem. There were not
enough hymnals available for good congregational singing. After
discussion of the matter, "It was moved and carried that each
member be urged to secure a Hymn Book and that the Trustees
be requested to provide a sufficient supply for visitors and
strangers." This idea quickly proved impractical and was set
aside. A new congregational decision instructed that a sufficient
number of hymn lx)oks be purchased for the congregation and
visitors. At the church conference of October 21, 1906, the stew-
ards reported that one hundred hymn books for the use of the
congregation were on order. They also recommended "that a
committee of three be appointed to take charge of the choir.
Brother Hodges then moved that a committee of three be
appointed by the pastor to select a pianist and a Director of the
choir; and the entire reorganization of the Choir be left to this

94 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

committee and these two officers/' This suggestion was accepted,
and three weeks later the committee could state that 'Trofessor
Curry of the Music Committee reported that Mrs. Olin Auld had
been elected Pianist, and Miss Faas, Directress, and that the other
members of the choir would be appointed and notified this
week." Latter-day Methodists might not appreciate such struc-
tured control of the church's life, but this was typical of the disci-
plined life of the people called Methodists in past generations.

The general appearance of the church edifice was a con-
tinuing concern of the congregation. The church lot had been
paved shortly after the completion of the building, and then a
committee composed of Mrs. Auld, Mrs. Green, G.C. Hodges and
P.L. Stucky was appointed "to investigate whether ivy, or some
other vine, should be planted about the church." Upon favorable
recommendation by this committee, a group of members joined
together to complete the landscaping of the church grounds.
Electric lights were still a novelty in 1901 when, "on motion of
Brother F.S. Evans, the Board of Trustees were instructed to ascer-
tain the cost of lighting the church with electric lights." This pop-
ular move was quickly accomplished and the use of gas lighting
was abandoned. To the congregation this was one more modem
step taken by this forward moving group of Methodists.

One of the suggestions to every congregation of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was that a library be devel-
oped containing appropriate books to be loaned as a service both
to church members and to the community. This would provide
the proper literature to "stimulate the minds and hearts of the
people." During much of the 1890s at the Cokesbury District
Conferences the pastors and delegates from Greenwood
Methodist Church had reported that they had not begun to devel-
op the church library because of the building program in
progress. With the occupancy of the new building in 1897, the
congregation turned to this task with its usual vigor. At the 1900
District Conference "Brother Hodges reported that the library
had now been enlarged to 400 volumes." Considering the fact
that community libraries were even then exceedingly rare, such

Harry R. Mays 95

an accumulation of good books was greatly appreciated by many
in Greenwood who were not Methodists.

Local church finances were operated in a very different
manner at the turn of the twentieth century compared to prac-
tices in the 1990s. When the Church Trustees needed loans to
finance their work, they turned to various sources including
banks, wealthy members, and other persons of wealth in the
community. A special source was the General Board of Church
Extension in Nashville, Tennessee, at the headquarters of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South. This Board provided loan
funds especially for congregations with church building projects.
In the construction of the building in 1897, and again in the
building completed in 1918, some Church Extension loan funds
were utilized. From time to time the question would be raised at
a Church Conference, ''How much do we owe?" At one time a
special committee composed of J.S. Chipley, H.M. Graham, and
J.G. Jenkins "was appointed to ascertain just how much the
church owes." That time the committee reported that the church
had "floating loans" amounting to three thousand dollars, which
the congregation immediately set about to eliminate.

One of the common methods to raise special church funds
was to have a congregational meeting at which time the special
need would be explained to those present. Then the lay leader
would ask for volunteers who would give specific amounts of
money. As persons responded to the plea, the sums pledged
would become increasingly smaller. After everyone present had
made some promise, the Stewards would then be delegated to
visit those absent to receive their pledges. In this way money was
raised to pay various debts incurred in the operation of the
church. The most popular method of local church financing, how-
ever, was the assessment system already mentioned. Usually
someone like J.T. Medlock or later W.H. Nicholson would be
recorded as having read out the assessments to the membership
at the congregational meeting. In this way everyone in the con-
gregation knew a great deal about the financial affairs of the
church and the generosity or lack of generosity of individuals and

96 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

families. Those who had not paid their assessments were remind-
ed in a congregational meeting of their delinquency!

All of this very open and very demanding financial plan-
ning was a part of Methodism that had grown up with the
denomination as its membership moved into the twentieth centu-
ry. On Sunday, January 9, 1911, the stewards announced that,
instead of the public announcement of the annual individual
assessments, the membership would receive their notification by
mail. With that announcement the whole fiscal program of the
congregation began to move away from the time-honored meth-
ods that had been acceptable to Methodists for so many decades
in the past. The use of the individual offering envelope had been
accepted for Sunday-by-Sunday contributions early in the twenti-
eth century, and now more and more of the financial affairs of
individuals became increasingly the knowledge of smaller and
smaller numbers of the congregation's membership.

Older members of the congregation in 1991 still remem-
ber how, in the days of the Great Depression, the Stewards often
made house-to-house calls among the membership in an effort to
raise funds for the church when the congregational response fell
short of the needs of the church's activities.

One of the matters that seems to have concerned the pas-
tors far more than the congregation was that, as the Greenwood
Methodist Church moved into the twentieth century, it "had
never been named." The name "Greenwood Methodist Church"
did not seem to satisfy the pastors. This had been mentioned in
the 1890s but nothing ever came of the matter. In 1901 P. L. Kirton
"called attention to the fact that the church had never been
named." A committee was to be appointed to suggest a name for
the congregation, but no action ever developed from this effort.
Finally, on Sunday, February 11, 1906, W. A. Kelly, the pastor,
"called attention to the fact that the church had no name." After a
general discussion at the day's church conference, a committee
was appointed to make suggestions. Dr. James O. Willson,
President of Lander College, George C. Hodges, James Davis,
Mrs. R.B. Epting and Mrs. F.M. Sheridan were asked to compile a

Harry R. Mays 97

list of possible names for the church. On March 4, 1906, 'T)r.
Willson reported that the committee suggested the following
names from which the church could make a selection: First
Methodist Church, Main Street Methodist Church, Stephen Olin
Methodist Church, Grace Methodist Church, and Epworth
Methodist Church/' The committee suggested that a selection be
made the next Sunday by ballot, dropping the lowest after each
ballot until a name was selected. This plan was approved.

Some explanations are necessary concerning the suggest-
ed names. The first building occupied by Greenwood Methodist
Church had been located on the street originally known as
"Broadway." That street was later renamed "Main" Street and
after that "Church" Street. Finally the name "Cambridge" Street
was selected. In the meantime the name "Main Street" had been
applied to the downtown street that encompassed the railroad
station and the business area that grew up around this installa-
tion. A small street originally named "Logan" Street that ran
between the Methodist and Presbyterian Church properties was
renamed as a part of Main Street.

The suggestion of the name "Stephen Olin" Church rec-
ognized a man who was especially active in the early work of the
Tabernacle School from 1820 to January 1824. Olin had then
entered the traveling ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church
and served a distinguished career as pastor, educator, and church
leader. For some years he was president of Wesleyan College in
Connecticut. That the name "Stephen Olin" was included in the
list a half century after his death and more than seventy years
after he had moved away from South Carolina indicates the
appreciation still held for the man's influence in the Greenwood
area.

The suggestion of the name "Epworth" harked back to
the small English village where the family of John Wesley lived
during his childhood and youth. Methodists have always had a
warm spot in their hearts for this precious site in the life of the
denomination's spiritual father.

On Sunday, March 11, 1906, the congregation of the

98 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

Greenwood Methodist Church, by standing votes, balloted on the
five suggested names. The final ballot resulted in the selection of
the name "Main Street Methodist Church/' By resolution that
name was then made unanimous, and so, after forty-eight years,
the congregation had officially selected a name.

In the spring of 1907 Kelly brought to the attention of the
congregation the possibility of supporting a "Foreign Pastor in
Cuba or somewhere else." This suggestion captured the imagina-
tion of the men of the congregation who had watched the grow-
ing international awareness of the women of the church through
the Women's Foreign Missionary Society. A committee of the men
of the church made a study and suggested that "the male mem-
bers of the church assume the support of a Foreign Pastor in
Cuba, the selection of this pastor to be left to Bishop Candler."
They suggested that a committee of seven men be appointed "to
devise ways and means to raise funds for this purpose." The
committee was appointed and quickly raised the necessary $750,
and a delighted Bishop Asa Candler appointed the Reverend
Lancaster, an American pastor serving in Cuba, to be the
"Foreign Pastor of Main Street Church." This joyful relationship
was to last for several years, and at least once, in September 1908,
"our Cuban Pastor" visited the church.

As late as the 1890s the pastors could report that ninety
percent of the Greenwood Methodists would be present to
receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion. A decade later the
general attitude toward the Sacrament had begun to change. In
the autumn of 1909, for example, a committee was appointed "to
look into the cost of an individual communion set." The tradi-
tional use of the common cup during the Sacrament of Holy
Communion was becoming less acceptable to Southern
Methodists. By the following January a recommendation was
made that the church purchase the individual communion set,
but some were not quite ready for this dramatic change. A month
later, however, on Sunday, February 20, 1910, the opposition to
the idea had been overcome, and the church voted to purchase an
individual communion set. Eight months later "it was decided to

Harry R.Mays 99

hold Communion Services each Quarter instead of monthly/' By
this act the church began a definite move away from an increas-
ing number of traditions precious to past generations of church
members.

An action of the Church Conference of August 23, 1908,
was indicative of another change in outlook in Southern
Methodism. The local churches were becoming more highly orga-
nized, and it was on that date that a group of men was elected
"to work on the Laymen's Movement." The men selected were
G.C. Hodges, Lay Leader, W.H. Nicholson, P.L. Sturkey, H.S.
Morehead, J.B. Wharton, F.S. Evans, G.W. Hart and F.F. Wright.
This movement was organized to promote "a closer alignment of
the men of the Church with the missionary advance of the day."
This interest in the mission work of the Church had a dual focus
on the foreign and home mission fields.

Chapter 11

Another New Building

As Greenwood became increasingly urbanized, the con-
gregation realized that the problems of urbanization were begin-
ning to appear in the growing community. The developing vil-
lages associated with the textile industry created a need that the
church leadership recognized as crucial. The Southern Christian
Advocate reported that at a district meeting of the Woman's Home
Missionary Society held at Main Street Church, May 13-15, 1910,
"the magnitude and importance of the work of home missions"
was stressed. One particularly important paper was read by Mrs.
C. A. Deadwyler on the subject 'The Mill in My Town." After this
paper was heard, "the Greenwood Auxiliary began to plan for a
kindergarten at the Grendel Mill in their town. This is a great
need that is felt in every cotton mill town in South Carolina." In
modern terminology this was more properly a day care program
rather than an actual kindergarten. The program begun by the
Main Street Woman's Home Missionary Society lasted into the
early 1930s.

At this district meeting W. C. Kelly, a pastor from
Newberry, had spoken on "Our Deaconess Work" and had
"made it very plain that the deaconess and city missionary
[workers] are an invaluable aid to the pastor in the mill town,
city, and rural charges." After Kelly's presentation "a memorial to

100

Harry R. Mays 101

the Laymen's Movement to provide funds for the maintenance of
deaconesses in [the] Cokesbury District was presented by Mrs. J.
W. Kilgo/' and the conference quickly passed it. This action helps
us understand some of the background for an exciting develop-
ment at the Church Conference on October 16, 1910. "Mr.
Nicholson, leader of the Laymen's Committee, reported that the
Committee recommended the employment of a deaconess to
assist the pastor and the Committee on Home Mission Work with
special reference to the Factory work." The pastor, J.W. Kilgo,
then explained the work of the deaconess to the congregation.
Everyone was enthusiastic in their support of the proposal.
Several "mill villages" had been built around the outskirts of
Greenwood to house the "factory operatives" of the city's grow-
ing textile industry These people were often in need of various
forms of assistance which the Woman's Home Missionary Society
sought to provide. The proposal was that the money to support
the deaconess project be turned over to the women and that this
work be under their supervision.

Organized in 1905, the deaconess work of Southern
Methodism was composed of a small corps of trained, dedicated,
and highly motivated women who served in communities, with-
out pay, assisting in extending the helping arm of the Church in
every way possible. The men pledged themselves to raise money
to begin the project at the Laymen's meeting the next Sunday.
Soon the congregation's request was formally forwarded to the
Woman's Board of Home Missions in Nashville, Tennessee. It
was not until a year later, however, that the Board of Home
Missions could provide a deaconess to work in Greenwood.

The deaconess who arrived in Greenwood to work
among the needy was Miss Lucy Epps, a native of nearby
Laurens, South Carolina. It was announced that "the church
would be expected to raise about $40 per month to cover her
expenses." On her first Sunday in Greenwood Miss Epps
addressed the congregation at the evening service. This was
another break with tradition as a woman stood at the pulpit to
speak to the church! The Woman's Home Missionary Society had

102 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

assumed the responsibility for providing the $40 per month
which covered Miss Epps' room and board at the home of a
church member and provided the money Miss Epps needed for
the simplest necessities- Like all of the deaconesses of that era.
Miss Epps wore a uniform that consisted of an ankle-length black
dress and a bonnet made of the same cloth. For several years
Miss Epps served in Greenwood and then was replaced by a Miss
Hudson. It was not until the start of World War I in 1917 that the
work of the deaconess was concluded in Greenwood.

As Greenwood grew, both as a railroad center and a tex-
tile manufacturing community, increasing demands were made
upon the churches to respond to human needs. As early as 1893
came the recognition that, with Greenwood's growth as a railroad
hub, there was a steady increase in the vagrant population that
drifted through town with the passage of railroad trains.
Residents complained that these hobos were to be found wander-
ing all over town in search of food and other assistance. The
Greenwood Methodists assigned to the Woman's Home
Missionary Society the task of helping these and all other needy
{persons. Some of the women of the church could frequently be
seen visiting in the mill villages to discover needs; the ladies also
visited in those other sections of town where people had moved
from the farms nearby in search of steady work at one of the
town's industries. This activity meant that the Woman's Home
Missionary Society had to become well organized to offer assis-
tance with food, clothing, wood, and coal and even some medical
supplies. This work continued unabated even with the arrival of
the deaconess who actually enabled the Home Missionary Society
to discover more and more needy families.

The sight of the "Methodist helping woman," as Miss
Epps was known among the needy, was quickly accepted in the
homes of those living in the mill villages and in other low cost
rental areas of Greenwood. Help was offered not only with physi-
cal needs but also with the spiritual needs and with some of what
would be known today as counseling. These were the times of ten
and twelve-hour work days, and the labor of small children as

Harry R. Mays 103

young as eight years of age was not unusual in the mills and fac-
tories. One can only marvel now at the breadth of the challenges
the deaconess and the Home Missionary Society faced.

The work of the Home Missionary Society received the
approval of the Greenwood business and industrial community,
and Miss Epps received hearty support both personally and
financially from these community leaders. Those who lived in
downtown Greenwood recognized the human needs that sur-
rounded them, but few seemed spiritually equipped to move into
those homes to bring assistance with dignity and compassion.
That the members of the Woman's Home Missionary Society
were so effective was a fact that many in the community spoke of
with sincere appreciation. Surely some of the credit for the good
human relations that Greenwood bragged about existing must
have come from the work of the deaconess program and the
activities of the Home Missionary Society.

Christian education, especially through the Sunday
School, took on increasing importance in the life of Greenwood
Methodists as they entered the twentieth century. The building
occupied in 1897 contained what was in its day a most generous
space for the Sunday School. As the concepts of Sunday School
teaching began to change dramatically, however, especially in the
education of children and youth, the ideal situation called for
individual rooms for classes divided by varying age groups.
Since it was impossible to provide the needed separate rooms in
the facility available, it was decided to achieve some separation
by the use of a complex system of curtains. This did nothing to
control the noise, according to those who still recall those cur-
tained Sunday School cubicles; however, it did enable the teacher
to work with a minimum of interruption from distracting move-
ments outside the class area. This plan certainly must have been
successful, for James A. Kilgo announced at the First Quarterly
Conference for 1913 that "our Sunday School attained such a
degree of excellence the past year that the Sunday School Board
of the Conference ranked it with the five others worthy of special
mention. The School is well organized, doing good work, and we

104 Histon/ of Main Street United Methodist Church

confidently expect greater results/' The clue to such success was
the excellent corps of teachers. The teachers, mostly women
according to Kilgo, prepared themselves extensively through
training opportunities in Columbia by the Sunday School Board
of the Conference, and the records show that the teachers also
took advantage of the increasing programs available during the
summer at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. There the Southern
Methodists were developing a center for training and spiritual
growth.

Indicative of the growing pains of the church's Sunday
School program was the decision of the men's Wesley Class to
erect a tent "back of the church so that this large and interesting
class may be accommodated." At the Third Quarterly
Conference of 1913 the announcement was made that the tent
would be dedicated the next Sunday. As the pastor, L.P. McGee,
observed in February 1914, 'The Church School is doing good
under the circumstances." He pointed out the fine work being
done in the educational area but declared that with a new church
building and "modem equipment" the work could be done more
effectively.

In his History of South Carolina United Methodism Archie
Vernon Huff, Jr., points out how easily church life can become
politicized. This is most frequently recognized at the larger geo-
graphical levels of church organizations. During the second
decade of the twentieth century power struggles and acrimonious
disputes developed between the up-country and the low-country
of the state in Annual Conference affairs. So bitter was the contro-
versy that in 1915 the Methodists of South Carolina formed the
Upper South Carolina Conference and the South Carolina
Conference. The dividing line ran generally from the southern
boundary of Aiken County eastward just south of Columbia, then
north of Camden and east of the Lancaster County line where it
separates that county from Chesterfield County. In the newly
organized Upper South Carolina Conference George C. Hodges
was elected the Conference Lay Leader.

Soon after Lander College began operation, the church

Hany R. Mays 105

had decided to operate a second Sunday School on the campus.
This necessitated a dual set of top leaders, as is indicated by the
announcement in 1915, for example, that W.H. Nicholson was
Sunday School Superintendent and C.C. Featherstone his
Assistant at the Main Street Church location while Dr. John O.
Willson was Sunday School Superintendent and the Reverend
R.O. Lawton his Assistant at the Lander College location. This
dual Sunday School arrangement was necessary until a new
building was erected and occupied in 1918. Such chaotic condi-
tions were a challenge to the leadership of Main Street Church;
however, their creativity and dedication always seemed to find
solutions that might have deterred other congregations. The lead-
ership appears to have been open always to the best ideas avail-
able. For example, a Workers Council for the Sunday School was
functioning in 1917, thus affording coordination among all of
those from all age levels and interests in the educational pro-
gram. The Sunday School was "organized and graded according
to the highest standards of Southern Methodism" despite the dif-
ficulties of a split site for the church's Sunday School and the less
than ideal housing in the church building.

It had been increasingly evident within a very few
months after its occupancy in 1897 that the church building just
completed was too small. Frustration with themselves as a con-
gregation arose when no possible solution was discovered to
enlarge or even practically alter the almost new building. Those
who worshiped there at the corner of Main and Cambridge
Streets knew that they must plan for a new and larger building
far sooner than the congregation had anticipated that joyous day
in 1897 when the building was occupied. At the Third Quarterly
Conference, August 5, 1914, it was noted that "the Building
Committee appointed by the pastor for our new church was read
and approved by the Quarterly Conference." Members of the
Committee were S.H. McGee, Chairman, G.W. Hart, Secretary-
Treasurer, Dr. J.C. Harper, J.T Medlock, C.C. Featherstone, G.C.
Hodges, Jr., A.C. Steadman, W.H. Nicholson, M.S. Chipley, H.A.
Anderson and C.C. Wharton. Main Street Church could no

106 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

longer delay the inevitable new building program.

Over the next several months the Building Committee
interviewed architects and finally selected H.H. Harrell of
Bennettsville, South Carolina, to design the new church building.
(A frequently cited local legend is that Harrell's Tudor Gothic
design was based upon buildings he had studied in the English
countryside. The legend is false; Harrell's wife points out that her
husband never traveled outside the United States.) After the sum-
mer of 1916 the general plans had been seen and approved by the
congregation, and at a called Quarterly Conference on October
19, 1916, the following was unanimously adopted: 'That the
Trustees of Main Street Methodist Church, South, at Greenwood,
S.C., or a majority of them, be and are hereby authorized and
empowered to borrow the sum of Five Thousand ($5,000) dollars,
and to execute a mortgage on the parsonage lot to secure pay-
ment of the same."

Now planning began in earnest, and by the next March
the pastor could report to the Second Quarterly Conference, "The
new church building is soon to be commenced." At the same time
a committee consisting of Dr. John O. Willson, L.P. McGee,
George C. Hodges and J.T. Medlock was appointed to prepare the
articles to go into the cornerstone of the new church. Soon after
this the time came to demolish the now obsolete building then
just twenty years old. Congregational activities were moved to
the Magnolia School where both Sunday School and Worship
Services were conducted for the next eighteen months. The gener-
al contractor for the construction was George L. Rounds, whose
local company had an excellent reputation for workmanship.

Church records for this period are scant; however one
story from the construction period was confirmed in 1988. The
plans developed by Harrell called for the church interior to have
an altar-centered arrangement in keeping with the Gothic style.
Instead of a central pulpit there would be both a pulpit and a
lectern. The choir would be divided and facing an aisle leading to
a centered altar standing against the back wall of the sanctuary.
The woodwork surrounding the choir has always hinted at this

Hany R. Mays

107

Third building of Main Street United Methodist Church.
(Artist: Virginia Wiggins)

possibility. The story goes that in early 1918 the congregation
became aware that the pulpit would not be centered and this led
to considerable acrimonious controversy. Apparently the solution
to the controversy came after the congregation was invited to
come one day, inspect the finish work that had already begun to
take shape in the sanctuary, and then decide which way the final
work would be developed. After a "noisy meeting," as one who
was present described the session, the decision was made to com-
plete the choir area with a pulpit at the center as it has appeared
since the building has been in use. In 1988, while the organ con-
sole was being relocated and some minor changes made in the
choir's seating arrangement, C.J. Lupo, Jr., the pastor at that time,
was able to examine the long hidden evidence that confirmed
that the plans for the sanctuary area were altered in the midst of
construction. This confirmation helped many understand the
arrangement of the beautiful woodwork that surrounds the choir.

108 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

Construction during World War I was not easily accom-
plished. The contractor could not obtain material at any steady or
dependable rate. As a consequence, the pace of construction
appeared to move very slowly for those anxious to leave behind
Magnolia School and 'liave our own church again." Finally at the
Fourth Quarterly Conference, Monday, November 11, 1918, the
new pastor, B. Rhett Tumipseed, could declare, "We are planning
to enter our new church next Sunday." The detail work was not
all complete, the landscaping had not begun, and some other
minor work was incomplete. However, the 725 members must
have agreed with their leaders that this decision to move into the
new building was wonderful and could not have been more time-

The Index-Journal reported, 'The Church Building is one
of the handsomest in the State, and it was pointed out that the
cost is in excess of $70,000 and had required considerably more
than a year to construct." The building that day "was crowded to
overflowing," and the newspaper account added, "The new
building is noted for its great Sunday School facilities, something
which the former facility entirely lacked and the Sunday School
officers are delighted over the change." According to the newspa-
per the following was the order of worship used that day,
Sunday, November 16, 1918:

Etoxology
Opening Chorus

Hymn No. 78, "Holy, Holy, Hoi/'
The Apostles Creed
Prayer
Chorus

Responsive Reading, Psalm 84
Gloria Patri
New Testament Lesson
Announcements

Offertory: "The Lord Is My Shepherd"

Mrs. McLaughlin

Harry R. Mays 109

Hymn No. 208, '1 Love Thy Kingdom, Lord"

Sermon by Rev. B. Rhett Tumipseed

Prayer

Hymn No. 180, "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name"

Benediction

According to the newspaper there were two soloists: Miss Agnes
Alexander and Mrs. Louise McLaughlin.

There were two significant reasons for thanksgiving that
Sunday. The congregation was most grateful that World War I
had ended and that they were using their new building for the
first time. Surely God's mercy and love was felt in special ways
that day. It is no wonder that the pastor could declare, "We
believe that we are on the very eve of a great Religious
Awakening."

Not everything that happens at church is serious and
somber. As any child is aware, amusing incidents during a wor-
ship service can become uncontrollably hilarious. Soon after the
new sanctuary was opened for use, one who was a child at the
time recalls an unforgettable comic moment. An especially over-
weight man arrived just as the worship service was to begin. He
moved up one of the side aisles seeking an empty space where
his portly body could be seated. He discovered a place on a pew
that ends against one of the huge pillars. As he attempted to
enter through the narrow space between the back of the next pew
and the pillar, he found himself stuck. He could not extricate
himself. Adding to his consternation was the realization that
many in the congregation were watching the spectacle. Finally
two ushers saw his plight and came to his rescue. One usher
entered the pew from the center aisle to push the man while the
other usher pulled at the man from the side aisle. With their com-
bined effort the fat man was released. Many a child giggled and
whispered about that scene. Seventy years later the retelling of
the incident brings peals of laughter from anyone who remem-
bers that special moment.

Chapter 12

Post War Woes

Since the new building was not completed, the congrega-
tion for several months had to deal with the presence of carpen-
ters and painters working to finish the building project. Certain
materials, not available in the wartime months, now became
available. The climax came when the Organ Committee, com-
posed of O.M. Tally, Chairman, W.H. Nicholson, C.C. Wharton
and George Hart, reported that the pipe organ had been shipped.
This good news was reported in the Southern Christian Advocate of
January 23, 1919. The instrument had two manuals, incorporated
pneumatic action, and "would cost about $5,000." The front or
show pipes were the first to arrive to be installed. Built by the
C.E. Morey Company of Ithaca, New York, the organ was
installed before the summer and had been paid for by July 10,
1919.

With a continually growing membership, the congrega-
tion found itself in need of careful organization in order to pro-
vide better pastoral oversight. The pastor, B. Rhett Turnipseed,
reported to the First Quarterly Conference of 1919 that there had
been "a division of the membership according to territory, each
division in charge of an appointed leader." This plan was report-
ed to be working well. The Sunday School "was handicapped
and disorganized owing to illness among teachers and pupils."

110

Harry R.Mays 111

This is a hint of the lingering result of the influenza outbreaks
that ravaged Greenwood and the whole world at that time.
Nevertheless, Tumipseed could earnestly assure everyone that
the congregation '1\as 'gone over the top' in our effort to reduce
the debt on the new building. The pastor has never witnessed a
greater manifestation of the Holy Spirit's presence."

The church was continuing to support various mission
needs in farflung locations around the world. A new church
under construction in Brazil received a gift of $150; Armenian
Relief was given $600, recognizing the horrors encountered by
this small ethnic group in the Near East who were under terrible
persecution from their neighbors, the Turks. The plight of French
children orphaned by the recently ended Great War was remem-
bered with gifts totaling $251.83. These mission gifts were special
offerings of just the first quarter of the Conference Year of 1919.

As an outgrowth of 1918 General Conference action, a
Centenary Fund had been established to seek money to strength-
en Southern Methodism's universities and colleges and to under-
gird the mission program both national and foreign. The money
was to be contributed over several years. Each congregation was
expected to seek generous gifts and subscriptions. The total
promised and contributed by the members of Main Street Church
was an amazing $47,517. This sum was in addition to the pay-
ment to reduce the church's building debt and its normal operat-
ing budget.

By the fall of 1919 the church leadership looked back
upon an exciting and fruitful twelve months. The two Sunday
Schools were organized "according to modern methods."
Enrollment for the Sunday School continued to rise with the con-
gregational membership's increase. "Some of our young people
attended the Standard Training School held at Lander College"
during the summer "and received Certificates of Credit. Some of
our teachers have been in attendance upon the Junaluska
School," Tunupseed reported.

As the year closed Dr. John O. Willson, President of
Lander College, proposed the following resolution to the Fourth

112 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

Quarterly Conference that was unanimously adopted: 'The
Quarterly Conference of Main Street Methodist Church, South, is
so grateful to our gracious Father for His mercies to our congre-
gation that it hereby records our humble, sincere Thanksgiving to
Him who has so kindly dealt with us during the year 1919. He
has taken few from our midst. He has met us in our assemblies
and poured His Spirit upon us. He has been full of compassion
and Idndness in all ways all of the year."

Main Street Church was host to Annual Conference for a
second time when Bishop U.V.W. Darlington presided over the
session that began on Tuesday, November 5, 1919, in Greenwood.
The Index-Journal, in reporting on the Conference, declared
"Methodism has no meeting house that excels the one in
Greenwood in magnificence." Welcome to the Conference mem-
bers was given by C.C. Featherstone on behalf of the congrega-
tion, while Dr. John O. Willson, Lander College President, spoke
for that institution. Among the items presented for consideration
to the Annual Conference was a request by C.A.C. Waller and B.
Rhett Tumipseed, both members of the Lander College Board of
Trustees, asking that the churches aid the college in a planned
expansion program. There was a pressing need for an additional
dormitory as well as an administration building. The Chamber of
Commerce of Greenwood had already raised $20,000 of the need-
ed $60,000. During the Conference there was one nostalgic
moment when W.A. Massebaugh, pastor of Main Street Church
from 1902 to 1905, delivered the historical address. Compared to
the excitement generated in Greenwood by the Annual
Conference session of two decades earlier, one receives the clear
impression that the city and the church both felt that a level of
sophistication had been reached, and such meetings were no
more than routine happenings for the city and the church.

At the First Quarterly Conference of 1920 Turnipseed
reported that the membership had reached 831 persons, and that
same number was enrolled in the Sunday School. Special mission
gifts indicated a continued widespread interest on the part of the
congregation. Gifts were made to needs such as Armenian Relief

Harry R.Mays 113

and the growing needs of French orphans resulting from the
Great War. The Textile Industrial Institute (which later would
become Spartanburg Methodist College) received funds to assist
in its program designed to enable youth from various "mill vil-
lages" to receive training that would "open to them new horizons
of opportunity." The Door of Hope, a home for unwed mothers
located in Columbia, South Carolina, also received a congrega-
tional gift.

With its new facilities the congregation began to explore
ways to use the building more efficiently in its weekly program-
ing. "We have organized a training class for our officers and
teachers of the Sunday School to meet weekly on Wednesday
evening after the Prayer Meeting Service," the pastor reported to
the Second Quarterly Conference. Later he added that "the
church paid the way for a number of delegates to the State
Epworth League Conference in Columbia," as the church encour-
aged its youth to participate in such training programs beyond
the local church. During December of 1920 Main Street Church
hosted a special time for teacher training that brought significant
out-of-town leaders to Greenwood, and this training was made
available to all Methodist congregations in the nearby communi-
ties. The future appeared especially bright for Main Street
Church.

A special expression of this newfound excitement was
indicated in an item from the Southern Christian Advocate with a
dateline of Greenwood, November 18, 1920. "Main Street
Methodist Church has bought a handsome new Chalmers
Touring Car for the use of the pastor. The car will be a part of the
equipment of the parsonage. Rev. B. Rhett Tumipseed will be the
one to christen the car and get the first year's use of it, and then it
will be ready for the pastor-in-charge who succeeds him."

The year 1921 proved to be the first of several years when
Greenwood's economy, then tied closely to cotton farming and
cotton fabrication, encountered challenging difficulties. At the
Church Conference of February 12, 1922, "Brother Marvin
Chipley stated that church finances were in bad shape and they

114 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

The waiting pews and the open door
And joy in the dear Church Home once more.
We are starting again on our service true,
Andof course, dear friend, we are wanting you.

Invitation to Revival Services and
Homecoming Day in 1919.

were without funds to meet current expenses. Bro. Joe Wharton,
Treasurer of the Board of Stewards, also reported the same." Such
a message was strange and new to the membership of the church,
for the economic trends for the past quarter century had all been
positive in and around Greenwood.

This would prove to be the beginning of almost two
decades of intense fiscal maneuvering to keep the church finan-
cially solvent. At a Church Conference Sunday, November 19,
1922, it was reported to the congregation that a note for $1,000
with the Board of Church Extension of the Methodist Episcopal

Harry R.Mays 115

Church, South, was past due. "C.C. Featherstone and W.H.
Nicholson made short talks immediately after which $1,032.50
was subscribed to take care of the note." It is almost impossible
from the information available to follow the many efforts on the
part of the church's leadership in their sincere and often desper-
ate efforts to satisfy the church's creditors.

At a called Quarterly Conference on February 14, 1923,
the Trustees were "authorized to negotiate a $20,000 loan with
the Board of Church Extension to consolidate church indebted-
ness." Two months later, at a Church Conference on Sunday,
April 8, 1923, it was reported that "the budget called for about
$13,000 while only about $8,000 had been pledged." Financial
matters became so bad in Greenwood that on July 5, 1923, 1.B.
Taylor loaned the church $1,500 to ward off creditors; over the
next ten years the church could afford to pay only the interest
due on this particular loan. In August 1923 an additional $5,000
loan was received from the Board of Church Extension; the
Trustees who negotiated this loan were H.G. Hartzog, S.H.
McGhee, W.J. Moore, H.S. Morehead, G.C. Hodges, J.F. Davis,
J.G. Jenkins, T.L. Taylor and A.P. Stockman. This particular note
was satisfied February 18, 1930.

Despite such desperate financial times in Greenwood, the
Centenary Fund gifts had already amounted to $17,461.35 by
October 1923. At a Church Conference on Sunday, October 21,
1923, '7udge Featherstone made an earnest appeal to the mem-
bers to pay up their assessments in full so that we could go to
Conference, as heretofore, with a clean sheet."

Lest it appear that the financial problems of Main Street
Church were due to internal problems among congregational
members, consider this from The Character of Quality: The Story of
Greenwood Mills: "The post World War I economy was so chaotic
that by 1920 the textile industry in particular was faced with a
crisis." Out of that experience James C. Self, Sr., declared, "I
believe that this was the worst time in my experience. I some-
times thought we would have to close." With that evaluation
from Greenwood's industrial leader, it is understandable why the

116 Histoiy of Main Street United Methodist Church

church was facing fiscal difficulty.

As the pastor, F.E. Dibble, departed for the 1924 session of
Annual Conference, he boldly asserted that the immediate future
promised better days. The Sunday School at Lander College
numbered 205, while the Sunday School at the church had 960
scholars. The 190 members of the Woman's Missionary Society
had raised $1^42.50 for many mission projects. The congrega-
tional membership was also increasing despite the financial woes
of the time. In one three-month period that year 109 new mem-
bers had been received. The pastor proudly reported that the
church was alive and active. It was with obvious relief that
Dibble could add that pledges and gifts had been received total-
ing $5,000 to reduce the church's debts to $20,000, "where it can
be worked off in degrees without any strain on the church."

The latter half of the 1920s found Main Street Church
somewhat less preoccupied with financial crises, although mat-
ters of cash flow did plague the church from time to time.
Quarterly Conference and Church Conference reports deal for the
most part with routine church matters including financial reports.
It is obvious that the last half of the 1920s offered a respite from
constant financial problems. Life, however, never proved to be
without unexpected and sometimes startling problems for Main
Street Church. For example, in 1925 Dibble remarked at a Church
Conference, 'The church should be proud of the work being done
in her Sunday School. Our accommodations are unsatisfactory
and inadequate, but the spirit of the officers and teachers is fine,
and each department, so far as possible, is striving to meet the
standards of the church." This remark was made just seven years
after the new building had been occupied! With the increase in
the membership, the Sunday School enrollment had grown sig-
nificantly, and classroom space for some age groups was very
crowded. Also, the Sunday School area had been designed using
the Akron plan that was considered "state of the art" in pre-
World War I church education circles. By the mid-1 920s new theo-
ries of class arrangements for children and young people were
being taught by denominational experts who urged churches to

Harry R.Mays 117

consider the ''most modem" space utilization. There is no record
of the congregation's response to this evaluation of their new
building. Dibble also reported at this time on a plan for the three
summer months for union services on Sunday and Wednesday
evenings that involved the memberships of the First Baptist
Church, the First Presbyterian Church, and Main Street Church.
"This joint effort has proven very popular" and continued in the
summers of 1925 and 1926.

The President of the Woman's Missionary Society, Mrs.
J. P. Wharton, reported to the Fourth Quarterly Conference for
1925 that the Junior Missionary Society, a project of the women,
was "the only Junior Society in the Conference on the Roll of
Honor." She added that the Woman's Missionary Society had 404
members organized through six circles including a Business
Women's Circle. The Junior Missionary Society involved many of
the children of the church in a program designed to help acquaint
the youngsters with the mission programs of Southern
Methodism both in the United States and in many foreign coun-
tries.

The church's budget for the 1925 calendar year helps to
explain the growth of the congregation's organization at this
point in time:

1925 BUDGET OF MAIN STREET CHURCH

FOR CAUSES OUTSIDE THE CHURCH

Presiding Elder's Salary

$ 393

District Work

Annual Conference Work

U85

General Church Work

785

On Centenary Fund Pledges

373

On Christian Education Pledges

1,271

For Superannuate Endowments

800

For Epworth Orphanage

1,017

6,060

118 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

PASTOR'S SALARY

3,060

LOCAL EXPENSES OF THE CHURCH

Sexton

416

Choir and Music

700

Stenography and Secretarial Work

300

Payment on Church Debts

2,750

Interest on Church Debts

1,027

Coal

200

Insurance

194

Lights and Water

200

Printing

250

Postage

Organ Upkeep

100

Repairs and Furnishings for Church

and Parsonage

600

Extra for Overdraft

148

Small Incidentals and Miscellaneous

TOTAL FOR LOCAL CHURCH EXPENSE

$6,143

TOTAL ANTICIPATED EXPENDITURES FOR

MAIN STREET CHURCH FOR 1925 $16,803

Dibble reported to the First Quarterly Conference of 1926
that the membership had reached 1,116, the Sunday School
enrollment was 1,221, and the average attendance at Sunday
School was about 650. The Sunday School continued to be a
special source of pride for Main Street Church at that time. The
Worker's Council for the Sunday School teachers met frequently,
and those who staffed the various classes were encouraged to
attend local instructional sessions. Many made week-long trips to
Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, during the summer months to
receive specialized instruction from some of Southern
Methodism's Christian education experts.

The Lander Sunday School was an unusual effort in reli-
gious education. For almost as long as Lander College had exist-

Harry K. Mays 119

ed, the Sunday School there involved most of the residential stu-
dents with faculty members as leaders. At one Quarterly
Conference in 1926 it was reported, 'The Lander Sunday School
uses neither the uniform nor the strictly graded material of
Methodism. Text books are used." Those who recall attending
these Sunday School classes while students at Lander College
claim that these were some of the "teaching highlights" of their
academic experience. At times even the college president shared
in the teaching, and this especially impressed the students, who
sensed the concern of the college leaders for the students.

At the Fourth Quarterly Conference, October 18, 1926, the
pastor mentioned that "nearly a thousand were present for
Sunday School as we began a new year." Children and young
people had been promoted and classes reorganized as usual, but
the attendance number may well be the all-time record for
Sunday School on any given day in the life of Main Street
Church!

Ehiring the early summer of 1927 the city of Greenwood
conducted "a campaign in the interest of the Lander endow-
ment." This resulted "in raising $8,000, much of this being given
by the members of the church," reported the new pastor, W.B.
Garrett. At that Quarterly Conference a committee composed of
J.S. Andrews, Charles D. Blaylock, Joe P. Wharton, and George
Hodges was directed to examine the records of the church's
membership. They concluded that at least 114 names should be
removed for various reasons, leaving a corrected membership
roll of 1,092 persons.

Garrett reported that 76 of the Sunday School teachers
and workers received credits for work in the teacher training
opportunities of 1927. He also was able to report a net gain of 103
persons in the membership during 1927. Moreover, the church
had assumed the support of a missionary, the Reverend Vavlav
Vancura, a member of the South Georgia Annual Conference and
a native of Czechoslovakia. "Brother Vancura has returned to his
native land and is serving as a pastor [in Prague] and is a
Presiding Elder." In the year of 1927 Garrett was delighted to

120 Histoiy of Main Street United Methodist Church

report that the church had been able to reduce its debt by $6^50
and "the church budget has been met with ease."

During the years that Lander College was affiliated with
South Carolina Methodism several Methodist ministers from the
college's faculty and administration were, with their families,
related to Main Street Church. For example, in the 1927-1928 aca-
demic year nine ministers from Lander were members of the
Main Street Quarterly Conference: F.L. Beaty, R.H. Bennett, J.C.
Cunningham, J. A. Holland, R.O. Lawton, J.J. McConnell, C.F.
Nesbitt, J.P. Patton, and L.M. Rivers. The presence of these clergy,
as well as many other faculty members from Lander College,
added much to the congregational life.

In the early summer of 1928 "a new class composed of
young men of the congregation" had been organized and met in
the parsonage, the pastor reported. This led him to add, 'The
Sunday School is crowded and under such circumstances it is not
able to do the type of work that would otherwise be possible."
Despite this problem he could observe that "the superintendent
and other officers and teachers are faithful to duty and the work
is being carried on in a fine way." Payments on pledges of $4,000
to the Superannuate Endowment Fund to assist retired ministers
were completed in 1928 with the last installment of $1,050.50.
Year after year, despite local economic problems. Main Street
Church maintained a tradition of paying in full its assessments
and apportionments received from Annual Conference.

Garrett reported that the commencement sermon for
Bailey Military Institute was preached by him at the church in
May of 1928. This prep school was a fixture for decades in
Greenwood. Located at the site of the present Self Memorial
Hospital, Bailey Military Institute served many young men as a
boarding school that provided a high school education for its stu-
dents in a military environment.

At the Fourth Quarterly Conference of 1929 Garrett
reported, "The women of the church are leading out in a move to
build additional Sunday School equipment which is sorely needed.
Several of the men of the church have expressed a willingness to

Harry R. Mays 121

help them in this undertaking, all of which is encouraging/' At
this time a Building Committee was elected to plan for a new
Sunday School building. Given "full power to act/' the commit-
tee was expected to begin at once to develop plans for the much
needed facility. The Committee was composed of W.H.
Nicholson, I.C. Harrison, A.E. Taylor, C.W. Hollingsworth and
I.T. Stone. At that time Mrs. T.H. Watson, president of the
Woman's Missionary Society, reported that the women of the
church had "collected $693.02 on the Sunday School Building in
addition to raising $1^97.74 for mission causes."

Chapter 13

The Great Depression

Probably very few people in Greenwood realized how
drastically events on Wall Street in far off New York City on
Tuesday, October 29, 1929, could affect life worldwide. As the
"Great Depression" worsened through the ensuing winter and
spring, unemployment, bank failures, and business and industri-
al disasters created critical situations that quickly began to cause
drastic changes in life in Greenwood and at Main Street
Methodist Church. When E.R. Mason arrived as the new pastor
just a few days after the stock market crash, confidence in the
onward and upward climb of the national economy was obvious.
In his report to the First Quarterly Conference of 1930 his state-
ment that the Sunday School "is handicapped on account of the
lack of an adequate building" is typical of the still viable confi-
dence in what life had been up to this moment. Continuing in
that vein. Mason declared, "We trust that in the not too distant
future this great need will be met." He had not reckoned with the
devastation to be wrought by the depression that was fast devel-
oping. Not only would it be a decade before this building need
could be met, but another pastor would also have an unfulfilled
dream of the completion of the much needed educational space.
Moreover, Ed Mason would {personally feel the effect of the eco-
nomic upheaval in the congregation as his salary dropped from

122

Harry R. Mays \23

$4,000 to $3,000 in the three years of his pastorate.

The total funds reported as raised by Main Street Church
to the 1930 Annual Conference was $14,494. The next year the
report to Annual Conference was $13,678, and at the 1932 Annual
Conference the total funds raised had dropped to a low of
$11,450. By the following year, 1933, a slight increase in income
enabled the church to report $11308 raised for all purposes. It
appears that the the economic impact of the "Great Depression"
was at its worst in Greenwood during the years of 1932 and 1933.
The following chart gives an insight into the effect of the
depressed economic conditions for the decade of the 1930s as
reflected in the reports of Main Street Church to Annual
Conference:

REPORTS TO ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Year

Pastor's Salary

Total Funds

Debt

1930

$4,000

$14,494

$12,000

1931

4,000

13,678

12,000

1932

3,600

11,450

12,000

1933

3,000

11308

12,000

1934

3,000

12390

10,000

1935

3,000

12,931

8,000

1936

3,000

12327

7,000

1937

3,000

12,045

6300

1938

3,300

13,645

6,000

1939

3,300

22,494

-0-

1940

3,300

12,447

23/)00

From this data it is obvious that in a decade of tumultuous eco-
nomic suffering the sacrificial support of the congregation of
Main Street Church is amazing even a half-century later.

The previous year, 1930, while life seemed calm and sta-
ble, the church had extended an invitation to the Annual
Conference to meet in Greenwood the following year. The invita-
tion was accepted and as a result the congregation of Main Street
Church began the 1931 Annual Conference year knowing that it

124 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

had a major undertaking before it. The congregation began at
once the task of organizing to care for hundreds of visitors. This
involved the usual challenge of finding homes where the pastors
and lay delegates could be "hosted." Homes were needed where
each visitor could be provided a bed on which to sleep and three
meals during the week-long Conference Session. That sufficient
homes for such entertainment were made available in the face of
the community's economic problems speaks of the faithful sup-
port of the congregation. Ed Mason observed, ''We come to the
closing days of the Conference Year strong in the fact that our
people and our church will meet all obligations in full. As host of
the Annual Conference, we, the Church, trust that not only the
presence of the Conference will be a blessing to us, but that we
shall be able to render helpfulness to the Conference." At the con-
clusion of the Conference its appreciation was gathered into a res-
olution expressing thanks to those in Greenwood who provided
hospitality and to the committees that had "worked so efficiently
to make our stay in their midst so enjoyable."

At the close of the 1932 Annual Conference Mason moved
from Main Street Church to become the Presiding Elder of the
Greenville District. The new pastor, Raymond L. Holroyd, came
at the very depth of the depression. He realized that under the
circumstances, little in the way of new programing could be
implemented, and he also sensed that more than anything else
the congregation needed a pastor who would move among them
as a friend and fellow-sufferer. After he had been in Greenwood
just three months, Holroyd repx)rted that he had visited in almost
every home represented in the 1,300 membership, and he
declared, "Since assuming the duties of this charge we have been
handicapped by bad weather, the flu, and the devil. However, as
we come to the First Quarterly Conference we are glad to report
that the weather looks better, the flu epidemic is about passed,
and we have the devil under control." One of Holroyd's local
friends, reminiscing on the man's pastorate, remarked decades
later, "Raymond had to fight more money battles than anyone
now can believe. The people were as generous as they could be.

Harry R. Mays 125

but there seemed never to be enough money to meet every need.
But bless him, he helped us survive and actually grow in many
ways. He was the kind of leader we needed in those rough days.
He had faith when the rest of us could only see black hopeless-
ness."

Money problems were a continuing plague for the church
during the "depression days." Holroyd confessed to the
Quarterly Conference on May 12, 1933, "With the exception of
the finances we are able to report progress." At that same
Quarterly Conference Andrew E. Taylor, Sunday School
Superintendent, mentioned that a "dutch supper prepared by the
ladies of the Missionary Society at twenty cents per plate, was
served to the meeting of the Educational Council." This clearly
indicates how inexpensive life appears to a reader decades later,
but even the payment of two dimes for a meal was difficult for
some to produce. Taylor reported that the Sunday School was
operating on "a cash basis." No literature or supplies were
ordered or authorized to be purchased unless the treasurer had
the money on hand to pay the bill. This strict fiscal discipline had
been adopted to avoid any chance of indebtedness by the Sunday
School or the whole church, for that matter. It was necessary at
this time to refinance the church's building debt; permission to
do so was granted by the Quarterly Conference on March 23,
1934. The reputation of the congregation made this $10,000 fiscal
readjustment possible, but the truth was that both the church and
the lender had no other choice. There simply was no way the
church could pay more than $2,000 on the principal and also
make a token interest payment at this time. At the January 24,
1934, meeting the Board of Stewards was relieved to hear the
announcement that Mrs. Mittie F. Collins had purchased one
mortgage note for $1,000 and had then cancelled the obligation.

It is amazing that, during the decade of the "Great
Depression," the church was able to reduce its debt and to con-
tinue to pay in full its conference assessments year after year.
Despite the hopelessness that the depression generated, one pas-
tor declared, "In the face of many temporal discouragements and

126 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

adversities, the real heart of our church is standing TRUE!"

At the 1934 meeting of the Annual Conference it was
decided that the sessions should henceforth be ''self entertain-
ing." By that it was meant that a committee of the Annual
Conference would find a location where individuals would be
housed in hotels or a convenient college campus if one was near-
by. This experiment led to Greenwood being asked to host the
1935 session of Annual Conference so that the dormitories at
Lander College could be utilized for housing and the college din-
ing room used to provide meals for those attending Annual
Conference. This new plan made it much easier for the church to
host Annual Conference, but there were still multitudes of details
for various committees to handle expeditiously. At the close of
the Annual Conference session appreciation was expressed to the
pastor and to the congregation who had together produced "a
cordial welcome and bestowed upon us such fine hospitality."

Chapter 14

Hope Ahead

By 1936 signs were increasing that one day the "Great
Depression" would be past history. Although money was certain-
ly not flowing freely in Greenwood, more and more people were
finding employment. This enabled the church to make a payment
to its lending agency, an achievement that Raymond Holroyd, the
pastor, announced with great pride. As the 1936 Annual
Conference year came to a close, the congregation knew that
under the rules of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, it
could expect a new pastor. Lem E. Wiggins and his family moved
into the church's parsonage, and his quick assessment was that it
was time to begin actions that the depressed economy had made
impossible even to contemplate. The debt of $7,000 seemed to
worry everyone in the congregation, but the pastor realized that
several other matters were also in need of attention.

In 1919 the pipe organ had been installed to provide
music for the congregation at worship, but very soon doubts had
arisen about the quality of the instrument. Although there are
occasional hints of this discontent, the first official recognition of
a problem with the organ became a matter of record during a
meeting of the Board of Stewards on December 12, 1937. At that
time the stewards asked themselves, "Could we begin to accu-
mulate an organ fund?" The nearly two decades of economic

127

128 Histoiy of Main Street United Methodist Church

problems in the Greenwood area had precluded such a question
being seriously raised in that period of time. At the next meeting
of the Board of Stewards, January 4, 1938, a committee was
appointed "to look into the advisability of purchasing a new
organ and setting up a fund for that purpose." The committee
members named were: A. A. Taylor, J.G. Gambrell, C.W.
Hollingsworth, I.T. Stone, A.S. Wilkerson and W.K. Charles, Ex
Officio, as well as the pastor. Within a month the committee had
developed sufficient information to present to the congregation
on February 11, 1938, a plan that included a method of financing
the purchase.

The congregational response was immediate and gener-
ous, and on April 29, 1938, sufficient funds were on hand so that
the Board of Stewards could authorize the committee to place an
order with the Moeller Organ Company of Hagerstown,
Maryland. In a few weeks the Board of Stewards asked the com-
mittee to add a set of chimes to the planned installation. It is a
commentary on the economic times in the organ building indus-
try that just fifteen weeks after the order had been placed the
instrument had been installed. On Sunday evening, August 14,
1938, Fred Howard Parker of the Columbia College faculty gave a
dedicatory recital on the instrument. For this recital an honorari-
um of $25 was given to Professor Parker. The Moeller instrument
is still in use more than fifty years later, and aside from the nor-
mal maintenance work has been trouble free. Indeed, it is expect-
ed that this instrument will be in use into the indefinite future. At
the close of 1938 the congregation heard the pastor report that it
had already paid $2,268.06 on the cost of their new pipe organ.
The gloom of the ''Great Depression" was beginning to lift.

At a meeting of the Board of Stewards on January 6, 1939,
a delegation from the Fellowship Class was on hand to present to
the Board a problem faced by the Sunday School Class. Their
spokesmen were the class president, Robert W. Smith, and the
teacher, J.Douglas Featherstone. These two proved to be effective
in their presentation of the problems the class faced as they tried
to utilize their meeting space as a growing class. Before the Board

Harry R. Mays 129

adjourned that evening, it had been decided to appoint a "com-
mittee to look into the matter of building or arranging more ade-
quate quarters and equipment for the whole Sunday School." Two
weeks later at a called meeting the Board of Stewards granted this
committee the authority "to consult an architect as to plans for an
addition."

At the second Quarterly Conference of 1939 Lem Wiggins
reported, "We are seriously considering the erection of an educa-
tional building which is very much needed. A Committee is now
at work raising a fund of $11 /KX) to liquidate the present indebted-
ness on our church and parsonage property, with the intention of
beginning immediately thereafter the erection of a new building.
The new project depends upon the success met with securing
funds sufficient to pay off the debt." The fund-raising effort was
successful, for in just three months, at the next Quarterly
Conference, it was announced that pledges had been received that
would pay off the debt, and a building committee already func-
tioning under the authority of the Board of Stewards needed the
approval of the Quarterly Conference. The Building Committee
elected that day, August 19, 1939, was composed of C.C. Wharton,
A.E. Taylor, J.D. Featherstone, J.S. Andrews, J.B. Gambrell, C.W.
Hollingsworth, W.K. Charles, and the pastor, L.E. Wiggins.

While it may appear that Main Street Church's primary
concern was finances and building, this is not borne out in the
records. For example, at the Second Quarterly Conference of 1939
the following "Resolution Regarding the Choir" was presented
from a Committee representing the Church's Board of Stewards:

In appreciation of the fine Christian service being
rendered our church through the choir, we, a
Committee of the Board of Stewards, wish to offer
to the Quarterly Conference of the Church the fol-
lowing resolution:

First, That we extend to each member of the choir
our sincere thanks for the beautiful Easter music

130 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

rendered at the morning service last Sunday, and
for the Cantata last Sunday night.

Second, we commend the boys and girls who are
taking part and helping in the choir.

Third, we wish to thank you and a God-bless you
to the organist and director, Mrs. Joe Wharton,
and to each member of the choir — all of whom are
serving without remuneration.
Fourth, That a copy of this resolution be printed
in the church bulletin.

This resolution was unanimously adopted by a rising vote.

The Sunday School continued to be a matter of justified
congregational pride. Enrollment and attendance were gratifying,
the pastor reported. The young people's work was encouraging,
too, although the evening program of the Epworth League
'Varies in attendance and interest." Concern for the missional
needs beyond Greenwood likewise attracted considerable sup-
port. One tiny indication of things to come was a gift for work
''among the Marines stationed at Parris Island, South Carolina."
Needs at home were not overlooked either.

An ongoing program of the Christian Social Relations
area of the Woman's Missionary Society involved members who
"continue to instruct a Bible Class of negro women." There was
constant surveillance of the community by the women to deter-
mine if some local need could be met by church members. A typi-
cal example involved assistance to a family whose thirteen-
month-old daughter had died. 'Trovisions were carried to the
family, burial clothes were provided for the baby, and sympathy
shown by attendance at the funeral. Subsequent visits have been
made to the family." Assistance was also given in aiding "a negro
missionary auxiliary in organization." Such concern for commu-
nity needs simply extended a congregational sense of compassion
dating back to the very first years of the Church's life.

Harry R. Mays 131

On May 10, 1939, at a meeting in Kansas City, Missouri,
representatives of three branches of Methodism in the United
States of America met to unite "these bodies long divided." In
1828 "a group of earnest and godly persons, largely moved by an
insistence on lay representation, separated and became the
Methodist Protestant Church/' Seventeen years later in 1844
"there occurred another division, the cause being construed by
some as the question of slavery; by others as a constitutional
issue over the powers of the Episcopacy/' Out of this division
came two denominations: The Methodist Episcopal Church and
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The Methodist
Episcopal Church generally served Methodists living north of the
Mason-Dixon Line and a few locales in the South, especially in
the mountains of Tennessee, West Virginia, and Kentucky. The
Methodist Episcopal Church, South, generally served the area
below the Mason-Dixon Line. When the three denominations
joined in what Methodists named "Unification," the result was
The Methodist Church. Locally the first effect felt was the accep-
tance of the new name that removed the words "Episcopal" and
"South" from the denominational name. Common hymnals, pro-
duced in 1912 and 1935 had helped significantly in bringing "the
people called Methodists" together in peace and cooperative
strength.

There were other name changes as the result of
Unification. The Board of Stewards became the Official Board.
The Woman's Missionary Society became the Woman's Society of
Christian Service. The Presiding Elder became the District
Superintendent. Such name changes seem easily acceptable as
they are read, but nearly two generations later newspaper obitu-
aries can often be read that use these long obsolete terms to indi-
cate lay participation in places of local leadership.

During the summer of 1939 the programs for children
and young people suffered a severe setback. On July 7, 1939, A.E.
Taylor and J.B. Gambrell were instructed by the Board of
Stewards "to consult Dr. Brodie of the health department in
regard to handling the Polio situation — the Board thinking it

132 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

advisable to discontinue children's classes in Sunday School until
the danger from Polio has passed." Health authorities responded
with a decision that the threat from infantile paralysis was so
great that all non-adult programs should halt. All Greenwood
area churches cooperated, even though this affected adult
involvement since parents had to be with their children at home
during Sunday School and worship times. The Sunday School
teachers at Main Street Church instigated a program of visitation
in the homes of all the children in their classes. Literature was
delivered, interest maintained, and contacts kept open. By
September, when the threat of the disease had waned, there was
"an explosion of interest in Sunday School activities," the pastor
reported.

At the Fourth Quarterly Conference of 1939 Lem Wiggiris
was delighted to point out that all pledges on the liquidation of
the church's building debt had been paid in full. This enabled the
church to remove the debts "on our church property, including
the balance due on the pipe organ installed last year. The total
amount raised was nearly $11,000." He continued, "The church
accomplished a most praiseworthy task of wiping out this debt,
and strange to say, it seems that it had the effect of making the
other finances easier to raise. The stewards report the easiest time
they have ever had in raising the budget. The church was formal-
ly dedicated the night of Sunday, October 1, 1939, by Bishop
Clare Purcell. Five former pastors of the church were present, and
the occasion was of great uplift and inspiration. We believe that
the church is more a unit than it has been for years, and we look
forward to great things in the future." It would appear that in the
hearts and minds of the congregation of Main Street Church the
fears generated by "The Great Depression" were fading away.
And for the first time since 1915 the church could report that it
was not under any debt whatsoever.

"A watchnight service on the last night of the year was
well attended and those who came expressed themselves as
greatly benefited," reported Lem Wiggins to the First Quarterly
Conference of 1940. He added, "The plans for the new education-

Harry R.Mays 133

al building are being prepared by the architect. We hope therefore
that by another session of Quarterly Conference we shall be able
to report that actual construction has begun/'

Since the organization of the first Epworth League in the
1890s there was frequent difficulty in obtaining adult leaders for
the church's work with what it called the young people. Wiggins,
for instance, told the Second Quarterly Conference of 1940, "Our
young people need very greatly a leader for their Epworth
League activities." To point toward one solution to the problem
of adult leadership for the youth, he gave the following informa-
tion to the Third Quarterly Conference of 1940: "For the past two
months we have employed as Director of Young People's Work
for the church. Miss Martha Frances Morgan, and the experiment
has been a great success. Two groups, young people and interme-
diates, have been organized and are very much alive. Two play
nights for young people have been held each week. We hope that
the Board of Stewards may see their way clear to continue this
work which we believe will mean much to the future of our
church." The pastor was certainly a pace-setter for the churches
in Greenwood and for South Carolina Methodism.

With work nearing completion on the new educational
building, it was recognized that preparations needed to be made
to equip the new area. After considerable debate the Board of
Stewards decided to ask that "the Woman's Auxiliary solicit the
church membership for funds to equip the new building to the
extent of $1,000." In less than two weeks the women had $900 in
cash on hand and expected the remainder in a few days. At the
first Quarterly Conference of 1941 the pastor reported that a
"new boiler had been installed and the entire heating system for
the church had been renovated at a cost of $23,000." He also
noted, "The women have repainted the dining room and kitchen
and had cabinets built in the kitchen." There was congregational
rejoicing in the announcement that 'last Sunday, January 26th
[1941] Bishop Watkins was with us and preached on the occasion
of the opening of the new educational building."

At the same time Wiggins confirmed that "Miss Frances

134 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

Hamilton of the Lander faculty has been hired as a part-time
worker with the young people." His recommendation to the
Board of Stewards a year earlier, suggesting the creation of a staff
position for a worker with the young people, had been imple-
mented. V\^thout fanfare Main Street Church was developing an
increasingly complex congregational life requiring a professional
and volunteer staff of increasing size. A Cub Scout pack had been
organized in conjunction with the Boy Scout Troop. The Girl
Scout Troop sponsored by the church was authorized to organize
a Brownie Troop as an addition to its program. Mrs. J.M. Elliott,
Woman's Society of Christian Service president, reported to the
Quarterly Conference that, in addition to raising money to assist
with congregational needs, the women had given $468 for mis-
sion needs beyond the local community, had expended $198 for
social service to help the needy, and had completed a long list of
service projects within the community that required no funds but
helped many persons.

At the end of the college year in May 1941 Miss Hamilton
had decided to leave Lander College and Greenwood, and Miss
Jacinta Carnes of Columbia, South Carolina, a graduate of
Columbia College, was hired to work with the young people for
the summer at a salary of $65 per month. A few weeks later, at
the Third Quarterly Conference, the pastor reported, "Jacinta has
begun her work and has already won our young people." He
added, "Next week we shall have our first experience with a
Youth Caravan. Plans have been carefully made and we are look-
ing forward to a week of rare privilege and benefit." A Youth
Caravan was composed of four college students and an adult
counselor who, as a team, visited in local churches during the
summer on invitation. The team presented programs designed to
improve the work of the local young people's group. Four years
later Betty Wise, who shared this experience as a young person at
Main Street Church, would serve as a Youth Caravan member
working in the Memphis Conference of The Methodist Church.
After Miss Games had worked with the young people through
the summer, it was decided to offer her the position of Young

Hany R. Mays 135

People's Worker with a salary of $100 per month for the next
year. The young people were delighted with this news.

As Lem Wiggins spoke to the Fourth Quarterly
Conference just a few days before the close of his fourth year as
the pastor of Main Street Qiurch, he observed, ''We are leaving
this church with a physical plant and equipment adequate to
meet the requirements of such a congregation and an organiza-
tion prepared to go on to greater achievements in the years
ahead." As he looked back, he recalled that a long-term debt had
been paid, the sanctuary had been dedicated, a new organ had
been installed, a long desired educational building was a reality,
and the heating system had been refurbished. The membership
stood at a solid 1,147 persons; the rolls had been carefully scruti-
nized to eliminate needless inflation of personless numbers and
people long since moved away from Greenwood. The congrega-
tion under Wiggins' leadership had become united, excited, and
spiritually alive and active. The "Great Depression" was now
only a memory.

Chapter 15

More War Years

As anticipated, at the Annual Conference session held
November 12-16, 1941, at Buncombe Street Church, Greenville,
South Carolina, Bishop Walter T. Watkins appointed L.E. Wiggins
to be the Superintendent of the Anderson District. At the same
time the bishop appointed Fritz Chester Beach to be the pastor of
Main Street Church. World events began to unfold with horrify-
ing haste in just a few weeks after Beach's arrival. Many members
of the church felt that if they had to have a new pastor it was
most fortuitous that Fritz Beach should come their way at this
time.

Beach had been hastily ordained to both deacon's and
elder's orders by Bishop John C. Kilgo in 1918 so that he could
enter the United States Army as a chaplain during World War I.
He served with the American Expeditionary Force in France and
Germany from September 1918 to July 1919. It was this experi-
ence that enabled Main Street Church's new pastor to be so effec-
tive so quickly.

The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Imperial
Navy was occurring while Beach was leading the congregational
worship during his second Sunday as the church's pastor! This
event immediately involved the United States in World War II.
Families became increasingly concerned about their sons and

136

Harry R. Mays 137

daughters and various relatives and friends who were called to
be members of the armed forces. The list of Main Street Church
members serving in the various branches of the military num-
bered at least 140 persons. Six of that number were killed in com-
bat operations.

Despite the demands and restrictions of a nation at war,
members of Main Street Church sought to face life as it came
day-by-day. The Sunday bulletin that announced the arrival of
the Beach family at the church's parsonage also contained a plea
for toys to be donated "to children who might otherwise have
none for Christmas." At the First Quarterly Conference, January
30, 1942, Beach reported, 'The parsonage has been renovated
throughout. When the work is finished it will be comfortable and
convenient. The necessary money is being supplied by the
Woman's Society of Christian Service. We are indebted to them."
Mrs. J.M. Elliott, Woman's Society president, added, "We are
papering and painting the interior of our parsonage, something
that is sorely needed to be done."

As in the days of World War I, during World War II there
were appeals for offerings to fund various war-related charities
and projects such as for "victims of the war in other countries"
and "work on behalf of our men in the camps in America." At
the same time, as the war economy placed increasing restrictions
on many purchases and repairs, more money was available to
reduce the level of the church's debt. When L.E. Wiggins left
Greenwood the church had a debt of $23,000; during EC. Beach's
pastorate the debt would be reduced by two-thirds.

One of the church-wide offerings of that period was for
Race Relations Day. At the Second Quarterly Conference for 1942,
Beach reported, "On Sunday, February 8, Race Relations Day was
observed. A substantial offering for Negro education was made.
It is highly gratifying that, among Christians at least, race preju-
dice is being overcome." Related to this evaluation was the often
reported work of the women of the church through their organi-
zation to help their non-white neighbors with assistance ranging
from leading Bible Studies to funding various Negro activities

138 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

that reached out to the most disadvantaged of that race. From the
time of the organization of Brewer Hospital to serve the non-
white community, the white women of Greenwood had provided
strong leadership and generous financial support for the medical
center for the Negro citizens of the community. The Methodist
women would report from time to time at Quarterly Conference
of their work which contributed to improvements at Brewer
Hospital. This work included refurbishing bed tables, sewing
masks for the operating room personnel, making sheets and sur-
gical suits for the surgery area, and visiting patients there and at
the hospital for the white citizens.

The spiritual life of the congregation took on added depth
at this time. As the pastor commented, "It is not surprising that
the war has brought added seriousness to life." Special services
began to appear in the church calendar during Holy Week and
during Advent. At the same time, the war began to have an effect
upon membership and attendance numbers. As Beach observed
at the end of his first year as the pastor, "Because Greenwood is
not a defense area, we have had an unusually large number of
removals this year." With about twelve percent of the congrega-
tion in the Armed Forces, the absence of these persons and often
of their families as well, meant painful reductions in attendance.
There was a small military contingent stationed at the newly con-
structed Greenwood Air Base. Through the months of its life the
Air Base remained a challenge to Greenwood's churches that
sought to reach out in fellowship to these "boys away from
home." Weekend open houses with homemade refreshments and
other social programs centered in the churches proved to be pop-
ular with many of the airmen.

Jacinta Carnes, who had been working with the young
people for more than a year, was forced to resign for health rea-
sons. At once a search was begun for a replacement for this popu-
lar and effective young woman. After some months Miss Inez
Torian, a native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, was employed
"to work with the young people as Educational Secretary with a
salary of $100 per month."

Harry R. Mays 139

In 1943 the Upper South Carolina Annual Conference,
faced with gasoline rationing and other wartime travel restric-
tions, as well as food rationing, turned once again to Greenwood
and its excellent railroad connections and Lander College with its
dormitories and dining hall, as the site for the Conference ses-
sion. Commenting on this meeting, the Index-Journal editorial-
ized the day before the Conference convened, "Lander College
will be headquarters for the delegates. The Lander college stu-
dent body moved out today and the members of the Upper South
Carolina Conference will move in tomorrow. This holiday, a sub-
stitute for a brief vacation at Thanksgiving, represents a conces-
sion to wartime conditions that made it difficult to provide enter-
tainment for the conference in homes, as customary." It was
added in droll fashion, "The girls expect to find their rooms as
immaculate as they left them. No cigar butts, if you please, and
trash cans are in the hall."

An editorial the next day formally welcomed the
Methodists to town and pointed out that they had come to
Greenwood in 1898, 1919, 1931 and 1935. Some months before,
the Main Street women had hosted both the Annual Conference
and Greenwood District meetings of the Woman's Society of
Christian Service. This led the editor to wonder if Greenwood
should not become the annual meeting place of all groups of
Methodists of Upper South Carolina. The next year Dr. J.Marvin
Rast, president of Lander College, would make that proposal to
the Annual Conference. However, it would be twenty-nine years
before such a plan was adopted. By then Lander College would
no longer be Methodist-related, and Spartanburg and Wofford
College would be the site chosen to implement the proposal
made in 1944.

A few moments after 1 AM on Sunday morning, April 16,
1944, many in Greenwood awakened to what they thought might
be an enemy air attack. During a strong thunderstorm a tornado,
moving generally west to east, began a path of destruction near
Connie Maxwell Orphanage that extended directly over the
Greenwood Hospital and its Nurses' Home. The tornado then

140 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

moved toward Ninety Six. In a matter of seconds every building
in the tornado's direct path had its roof pulled away and many
homes and small businesses were totally destroyed. Patients at
the hospital, especially on the top floor, were injured by debris;
one patient was killed by falling bricks while his son, seated
beside the hospital bed, was not scratched. The operating room
and all wards and rooms on the hospital's top floor were useless.

Within moments the community began to rally to aid the
survivors scattered about in the wreckage. For example. Main
Street Church member Julian White commanded the Home
Guard, a temporary replacement for the federalized National
Guard. White's unit began a forty-eight hour tour of duty that
saw them assist the police, work as rescue crews, and provide
much needed manpower. The day after the storm had passed
James C. Self announced that the Self Foundation would pay for
the erection of a 100-bed hospital constructed of steel and con-
crete "as soon as war conditions will permit such construction."

A week later news of recovery efforts had been pushed
off the newspaper's front page, but scores of families with homes
demolished and over a hundred injured individuals remained. At
least eight deaths were counted as a result of the storm. Faced
with such widespread need, the women of Main Street Church
reported through their president, Mrs. J.L. Sheridan, in typical
understatement to the Quarterly Conference that "relief had been
given tornado sufferers" in the form of "both pantry and house-
hold" goods. Responding to Mrs. Sheridan's report, the pastor
noted, "They always make us proud of our ladies!"

The years of World War II caused the pastor to reflect in
most of his reports to Quarterly Conference the somber feelings of
the congregation. "The burden of the war is felt by all. Many have
experienced keen grief because of it and others will. . . .The war
has caused many of us to seek after God with a new zeal and to
depend upon Him with a more childlike faith. . . .We face the
future with coi\fidence remembering that He who marks the spar-
row's fall will never put out of His sight one of His children. . .
With many of our young men in combat service on the various

Harry R. Mays 141

fronts, we are thrust back upon God who alone is our help. By
His grace we will not falter but will work, and wait, until in His
own good time a righteous and lasting peace will come."

In 1944 The Methodist Church retired the venerable term
'The Epworth League" when referring to the church's work with
those called "children" by many and "young people" by others.
This name change recognized that children in their teenage years
had come to resent being referred to as "children." A new term.
The Methodist Youth Fellowship, designated young people from
age thirteen to the time of graduation from high school. Those of
college age, in the work force, or married, who were in the ages
generally from eighteen to twenty-five years, were to be called
"young adults." Within a decade all churches nationwide would
face significant changes in attitude both by and toward youth.

With travel limitations and construction restrictions,
many of the traditional activities for the churches and the Annual
Conference had to be restrained or even canceled. Youth
Assembly, for example, normally conducted at Lander College by
the Annual Conference, was "eliminated for the duration of the
the war." This was a period when at the local level congregations
were asked to raise funds for projects that could be completed
"after the war." Main Street Church raised more than $2,000 dur-
ing 1944 for such projects as a memorial chapel at Lake
Junaluska, North Carolina, to remember Methodists killed in the
war, a church building for patients at the South Carolina State
Mental Hospital in Columbia, and a building replacement pro-
gram projected for Epworth Orphanage in Columbia "as soon as
the war is completed." Certainly the most significant funding
campaign was the one to raise money for the Crusade for Christ.
The goal of The Methodist Church was to raise $25,000,000
nationwide; the assigned goal for Main Street Church was $4300.
Locally that goal was raised to $5,000. The Crusade for Christ
had been adopted at the 1944 General Conference and was to
raise funds to be used for rehabilitation of war-torn areas of the
world and to undergird an extensive foreign mission program
"after the war." The program proved unusually popular. Main

142 Histon/ of Main Street United Methodist Church

Street Church met its local goal of $5,000 and from Methodism as
a whole over $27,000,000 was contributed.

For the second consecutive year, in 1944, Main Street
Church and Lander College were asked to co-host the meeting of
the Upper South Carolina Annual Conference. This time the local
newspaper failed to give the Conference session front page cover-
age. The announcement of the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt
for a fourth term as President of the United States the day before
the Annual Conference session consumed most of the newspa-
per's front page. News from the European and Pacific war zones
consumed the other front page space every day while the
Conference was in session. Nevertheless, the news coverage of
the Conference included a report that the City of Greenwood
joined with Dr. J. Marvin Rast, Lander College president, in the
suggestion that Greenwood be selected as the permanent meeting
place of the Conference. Those attending Annual Conference
were again using the facilities of Lander College for housing and
meals. A high point of the Conference session, at least from a
local viewpoint, was when 94-year-old James F. Davis, a member
of Main Street Church since the 1860s, addressed the Annual
Conference. The Index-Journal reported that he ''spoke of the long
ago in the life of the local church. He was heard with rapt atten-
tion and deep appreciation and was thanked by Bishop Clare
Purcell for his presence and his message."

For much of the next year the life of Main Street Church
revolved around the growing awareness that the war was mov-
ing toward a victory for America and its allies. Much of the con-
gregational concentration was centered upon four specific areas
of attention. Inez Torian was encouraged to develop programs for
the young people to substitute for the Annual Conference pro-
grams cancelled because of the wartime restrictions. Funds to
complete the pledge to the Crusade for Christ were quickly
raised. Plans for a general refurbishing of the church property
began to surface in conversations looking toward life "after the
war." The deliberate reduction of the church's debt from $23,000
to $8,850 during Beach's pastorate indicates Greenwood's eco-

Hany R. Mays 143

nomic situation was changing rapidly. The congregation was well
aware that life after the war would be far different from what had
been experienced in the 1930s!

With the celebration of V-E Day on May 8, 1945, and then
V-J Day on September 2, 1945, Main Street Church and its mem-
bers could offer their prayers of thanks "for peace at last." Now
the frustrated dreams of four long war years began to unfold. For
the church a portent of things to come was the organization of
the Mason Class, taught by Mrs. E. R. Mason, the wife of the
Greenwood District Superintendent. The Mason Class was a cou-
ples class; young married couples were no longer satisfied with
separate classes at Sunday School for husbands and wives. What
some defended as "what had always been" was no longer accept-
able in broad areas of local church life and American life as well.

When Fritz Beach introduced his pastoral successor to the
Board of Stewards of Main Street Church, everyone was excited
that a man of such experience and distinction was to be the new
pastor. William Louie Mullikin was a recognized scholar and
leader who had served other large congregations in the Upper
South Carolina Conference. He was coming to Main Street
Church from the position of Executive Secretary of the Annual
Conference's Board of Education. Apparently no one, including
Mullikin's own family, was aware that his pastorate would be for
but two tumultuous years and that his services would be sadly
remembered as a time when the congregation was called upon to
be patient, compassionate, understanding and kind to its pastor
and his family. Mullikin soon developed evidences of severe
mental illness. The consequence was that this may have been the
time of the strongest test of the congregation's faith and the qual-
ity of its lay leadership.

As Fritz Beach's pastorate closed, discussion had begun
vnth the hope that Bishop Edwin Holt Hughes could be persuad-
ed to come to Greenwood and "preach for a protracted meeting."
At the time Bishop Hughes was living in Washington, D.C., and
the new pastor was asked to follow up on the plan and invite the
bishop if a time could be arranged for a preaching visit. Mullikin

144 Histoiy of Main Street United Methodist Church

obtained a prompt and positive reply. Bishop Hughes would be
in Greenwood the following April 7-12, 1946.

In the meantime some much needed repairs, postponed
during the wartime restrictions, needed to be attended to by the
congregation. Even the educational building, just five years old,
was proving inadequate. The Board appointed a committee com-
posed of W.C. Holroyd, J.G. Gambrell and A.P. Stockman to
develop some way to "enlarge the area of the Beginners
Department." A true "baby boom" had developed among the
congregation's young families.

The preaching of Bishop Hughes proved to be as attrac-
tive and effective as anticipated. He became an overnight sensa-
tion as the congregation and their friends filled the sanctuary to
hear the sermons. Everyone was pleased and spiritually stimulat-
ed by the visit of this good man.

As the summer of 1946 began, the Fellowship Class
offered to install exhaust fans around the church building in an
effort to cool the sanctuary and other parts of the church. This
offer was gladly accepted but proved to be less than satisfactory.
Although air-conditioning was the solution, it was considered
both impractical and cost prohibitive at that time. The debt of
$8,850 remained, and it was hoped that could be significantly
reduced before the repairs on the church building were complet-
ed. However, this goal was postponed since $1,000 was owed on
the pledge to the Methodist Center project at 1420 Lady Street in
Columbia.

At the Second Quarterly Conference, March 12, 1946, the
District Superintendent, E.R. Mason, asked for the cooperation
and leadership of Main Street Church in supporting a resolution
designed to set in motion actions that would unite the two
Methodist Armual Conferences in South Carolina that had sepa-
rated in 1915. The reasons for that separation had been negated
by the many changes in circumstances over the past three
decades. The resolution was adopted, and a committee of three
laymen of the congregation was appointed to "confer with lay-
men of other Districts relative to one Conference in South

Harry R. Mays 145

Carolina/' Those appointed were W.K. Charles, W.C. Holroyd
and J. P. Wharton.

After that events moved swiftly. A meeting of the District
Lay Leaders of the Upper South Carolina Conference and other
interested laymen was held at Main Street Church on
Wednesday, May 29, 1946, with Dr. James E. Ward, Conference
Lay Leader, of Clemson, presiding. This meeting enthusiastically
supported the idea of reunion, and soon a joint session with Lay
Leaders of the South Carolina Conference was held in Columbia.
This joint session also approved the idea of reunion, and plans
were made to present the idea to the two Annual Conference ses-
sions soon to meet. With the approval of the two Annual
Conferences, permission was then sought at the Jurisdictional
Conference for this reunion to take place. With that approval
received, the Annual Conference session of 1947 was planned as
the reuniting session. As W.K. Charles reports this significant
state-wide move, ''After thirty-two years of separation, sparked
by a resolution that had its incipiency in this church, the two
Methodist Conferences in South Carolina were again united."

Other events were taking place in the congregational life.
One significant worship service planned by Louie Mullikin was a
homecoming service for the veterans of World War II. On
Etecember 22, 1946, Fritz Beach returned to deliver the sermon.
Especially remembered were those from the congregation who
had been killed in the recent war: Irvin V. Griffin, Jr., Clyde F.
Henderson, Olin S. Munnerlyn, Jr., Cleveland M.Ouzts, John S.
Payne and Henry M. Taylor.

The Pastor, W.L. Mullikin, was not present for this ser-
vice. At the Board meeting of November 14, 1946, it had been
decided to grant the pastor a "60 to 90-day leave of absence." At
the same time the evening and mid-week services were can-
celled. During Mullikin's absence the District Sup>erintendent, Ed
R. Mason, arranged for Dr. J. Marvin Rast, President of Lander
College, and F.C. Owen, Administrative Assistant to the Lander
College president, to provide emergency pastoral care and to
conduct the Sunday morning worship services. At the February

146 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

1947 meeting of the Board, "Dr. Mullikin expressed his apprecia-
tion for all of the kindness and help during his illness and he is
hoping in the near future to be able to resume all regular church
services."

Methodism in South Carolina in 1947 was prepared for
the merger of the two conferences. However a difficult decision
faced the Methodists of the state, and this involved both the City
of Greenwood and Main Street Church. For some years it had
been apparent that the 170,000 Methodists in South Carolina were
not prepared to support financially Columbia, Lander and
Wofford Colleges. A merger plan for the colleges was proposed
where all three colleges would be consolidated on a centralized
campus. Greenwood Methodists proposed that they "investigate
the proposed merger to find out what should be done to keep
Lander College in Greenwood." The membership of Main Street
Church later donated money "for postage, etc., for the committee
working in the interest of Lander College." At the same time a
decision was made to defer paying off the church debt while "the
Lander drive is in progress." The community was seeking funds
to underwrite a plan for the City of Greenwood to accept title to
Lander College and thereby sever the college's ties with
Methodism. This transfer was accomplished and a forty-four-
year-long unique relationship between Lander College and Main
Street Church was formally ended.

Once the Lander College decision was made final, the
Board of Stewards turned to some repairs that W.K. Charles,
Chairman of the Board of Trustees, indicated were emergency in
nature and demanded immediate action. As a consequence, repair
work began to eliminate problems in the foundation work and
floor in the sanctuary and "in other important places in the
church building." It was decided "to consult with the ladies on
the matter of carpet for the auditorium or sanding the floor."
After spirited debate on the ladies' recommendations as to the
carpet color and the precise placement of the carpet, the board
"finally agreed on dark red carpet to cover the front, rear and side
aisles." At the time a loan was authorized to finance the work.

Hany R. Mays 147

As the conference year drew to a close, the congregation
knew that it could expect a new pastor since Louie Mullikin had
requested "lighter work/' The membership of the congregation
had grown by 64 during Mullikin's pastorate in spite of the pas-
tor's personal problems. A sense of readiness to move forward
with great vigor filled the community of faith that was Main
Street Church.

Chapter 16

Decades of Change

Since Main Street Church had assumed such a crucial
leadership role in the uniting of the two Annual Conferences of
Methodism in South Carolina, it seemed fitting that its new pas-
tor would be a representative of the reunion. The word had
reached Greenwood even before Annual Conference that the new
pastor would be John M. Shingler, who would come from a pas-
torate at Bethel Church, Charleston, one year before the actual
merger became effective. The Shinglers arrived as newlyweds;
they had been married on Monday, October 27, 1947, just two
days before the Upper South Carolina Annual Conference met in
Spartanburg.

Shingler, a native of Holly Hill, South Carolina, was a
graduate of Emory University and the Candler School of
Theology at Emory. His first wife had died some years earlier,
and his bride was the former Elizabeth Withington of Charleston.

The congregational life of Main Street Church had suf-
fered greatly during the many months when Louie Mullikin's ill-
ness had forced him to ignore the church's life and activities. The
challenge before Shingler was to satisfy the spiritual hunger of
the congregation for pastoral care and leadership. A clue to the
rapid turnaround in the life of the congregation was its quick
acceptance of the goal of $10,500 in the "Million Dollar

148

Harry R. Mays 149

Campaign" just set in motion at the recent Annual Conference to
aid Wofford and Columbia Colleges. Less than a year later the
congregation agreed to assume the financial support of Bishop
Cyrus Dawsey, a South Carolina native who for decades had
been serving as a Methodist missionary in Brazil.

At the Second Quarterly Conference of 1948 Shingler
reported that Bishop Costen J. Harrell had preached at Main
Street Church on Palm Sunday to an overflow congregation,
another sign of the rejuvenated spirit of the congregation. At this
Quarterly Conference the pastor pointed out in his report that
within a very few years consideration must be given to a re-eval-
uation of the church's buildings. He pointed out that a better
located and much larger fellowship hall was a necessity for a
congregation the size of Main Street Church. A new parsonage
would be constructed and occupied during the succeeding
months of 1948, so that on Sunday, December 19, 1948, an open
house was celebrated with many in the congregation coming to
view their pastor's new home on Blyth Avenue. It was during
Shingler's pastorate that the property of Dr. R.C. Moore, adjoin-
ing the church property on Main Street, was purchased at a cost
of $20,000. This was the first step in accumulating the property
necessary to provide the land upon which a future fellowship
hall could be erected.

At the First Quarterly Conference, January 5, 1949, the
report of the Woman's Society of Christian Service shared some
of the ongoing activities of this group. They had paid their
pledge to the Conference Woman's Society of $1,500 and had con-
tributed $300 as a special gift to provide scholarship support to a
high school student in India who was preparing to become a
school teacher. The women reported that in the past twelve
months they had made 1,560 visits to shut-ins and to those hospi-
talized, as well as to investigate potential needs in the communi-
ty. Each month the Society provided a layette to the Welfare
Department for a newborn baby. Providing occasional entertain-
ment to the Lander students was routine, as were various provi-
sions for supplies at Brewer Hospital.

150 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

This period was a trying time for Main Street Church as it
watched Lander College leave the control of South Carolina
Methodism. For nearly fifty years Main Street Church had felt an
unusual responsibility toward the college. After all, its members
had provided a significant part of the leadership who succeeded
in convincing Dr. Lander to relocate his college in Greenwood,
and Main Street Church had been a continued source of generous
financial support for the college. But the Annual Conference had
seen the impossibility of continued efforts to support Lander as
well as Wofford and Columbia Colleges. Littie did anyone realize
at that time that ultimately Lander College, through its status as a
part of the higher educational program of South Carolina, would
become a far stronger college with a more adequate financial base
and a student body that would number in the thousands. At the
moment, however. Main Street Church could only grieve over its
loss of a close affiliation with Lander College, a loss that could
not be regained.

By 1950 all indebtedness on the church's property had
been eliminated, and this enabled the congregation to renovate
completely the church's building and bring it up to the standards
desired by the people. At the Board of Stewards meeting of
September 6, 1950, Clarence G. Arnold suggested that "it might
be well to elect some women to the Board of Stewards for the
next year, and moved to recommend this to the Nominating
Committee." This motion carried by voice vote, but no women
were nominated. It would be several years before women became
accepted for membership among the elected leadership of the
highest circles at Main Street Church.

The church staff was in a continual state of change as a
result of a number of factors. In September 1949 Carolyn
McCullough became Director of Youth Work; eighteen months
later she had moved to another position in another city and no
replacement was in sight. The first fulltime Church Secretary,
Mrs. Irby Rodgers, was welcomed to the staff, but in another year
she had accepted another position. Doris Partlow was then
employed as the Church Secretary, and Mickey Stephens had

Harry R.Mays 151

come to Greenwood as Director of Christian Education.

By late June 1950 the nation was involved in warfare in
Korea. Main Street Church members were involved in the
'ICorean Police Action," but no record exists of the church mem-
bers who were in military service at that time. The only recorded
mention of the Korean War is found in the reports of the
Woman's Society of Christian Service. Several references were
made to boxes of warm clothing for all ages, but particularly for
women and babies, that had been sent to South Korea.

During the summer of 1952 the Vacation Church School
reported what may be the record enrollment of 201 for this popu-
lar children's activity. In this decade women from the Woman's
Society of Christian Service often taught special classes relating
to foreign mission projects of the church. With such a large atten-
dance those responsible for the Vacation Church School appreci-
ated this assistance.

At the Annual Conference session for 1951 John Shingler
was appointed as the Greenwood District Superintendent, a
move that changed his address by only a few blocks in the city.
The new pastor for Main Street Church was James Foster Lupo
who, like Shingler, was coming to Main Street Church from
Bethel Church, Charleston.

Like his recent predecessors, Lupo saw at once the need
for more usable space for the congregation in its building com-
plex. In July 1952, at a called Quarterly Conference, the church
was authorized to borrow "not more than $52^)" The money
was to be used to pay an indebtedness on the Moore property,
and the remainder was to be used for "expansion of the Sunday
School space." This expansion was designed to move certain
walls in order to utilize better the existing space. By mid-1953 a
large lot on Cambridge Street had been obtained from Dr. and
Mrs. J.C. Scurry for use by the church for parking. At the same
time a contract was let for a $35,000 addition to the Sunday
School area.

During 1954 residents of Greenwood began to realize that
community life was changing and was far more complicated than

152 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

some cared to believe. Life within the congregation of Main Street
Church was reflecting reactions to changes that were pushing dif-
ficult and often unpopular choices upon the congregation's lead-
ership. In the late spring the need for a more complex church staff
was met with the employment of Miriam Alewine as the church's
Financial Secretary. Although some cherished the idea that only a
pastor was required to keep the church office functioning, facts
were proving otherwise.

The presence of railroad trains moving through the city
was creating numerous automobile traffic problems. These
annoying delays in movement began to cause a significant shift
in the public's thinking about railroads in Greenwood. This atti-
tude reflected a complete reversal of public opinion from that of
the past century.

Another quickly rising problem centered upon the rela-
tionships between the Black and White races in Greenwood, in
South Carolina, and in the nation as a whole. The leadership of
Main Street Church was cautious as it dealt with what could have
been a very explosive problem. For example, at the
Administrative Board meeting of September 7, 1954, a resolution
was offered that would have placed the congregation squarely on
the side of the maintenance of racial segregation and would have
opposed all consideration of any effort to move toward the
desegregation of any agency of Methodism. The Official Board
listened to the resolution and heard a statement by William H.
Nicholson, Jr., stating that he thought the resolution was out of
order. A motion was made that the resolution be adopted, but
there was no second. As a result, the resolution was accepted
only as information. It was this level of maturity that would help
the congregation to pass with some grace through the difficult
days when "the race question" was on the minds of everyone.

During the late summer and fall of 1954 an effort was
begun to organize a new Methodist congregation somewhere in
Greenwood. Two sites were under consideration. One site was on
the Abbeville Highway on land that Mr. and Mrs. W.K. Charles,
Sr., offered to contribute; the other site was in a developing area

Hany R. Mays

153

off the Durst Avenue Extension on land that Mr. and Mrs. Abner
Stockman agreed to make available. The Stockman site seemed to
be the most promising at the time, and on Sunday, November 24,

1954, interested persons met at the home of Mrs. A.P. Sample on
Durst Avenue Extension. Out of this meeting came a decision to
develop a new Methodist congregation. On Tuesday, February 1,

1955, the new congregation was formally organized and selected
the name of Lupo Methodist Church.

While much of the congregational leadership's attention
was focused on the organization of Lupo Church, the women of
Main Street Church were concentrating on their role as hostess
for the Annual Meeting of the Conference Woman's Society of
Christian Service. Such large group meetings had become almost

Junior Board of Stewards during the pastorate of J. Foster Lupo:
Walter Marshall Jack Wells, Buddy Bledsoe, Fred Melton, Foster
Culbreath, Casper Wiggins, Carl Bailey, Oscar Hipp, Bruce
Higgenbotham, /. Foster Lupo, Alfred Timmerman, Wither Dickert,
Albert Gambrell, Joe Jackson, Carroll Whatley, Hubert McCary, Jack
Lazenby, Ken Flinchum, Francis Nicholson, Oscar Vincent,
Jennings Campbell, John Thompson, Ray Whatley, Clyde Wise.

154 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

routine for the membership of Main Street Church. No longer did
these meetings of representatives from across the state and
beyond elicit any interest on the part of the newspapers, either.
Greenwood and its citizenry saw itself as a nice small city.

On Worldwide Communion Sunday, October 13, 1955, a
fourteen tray sterling silver communion service set was dedicated
and first used. A gift from Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Featherstone,
the communion set is a memorial to the Featherstones' parents,
Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Smith and Judge and Mrs. C.C.
Featherstone. With the receipt of this gift, the church offered its
now extra communion service set to Lupo Church, where it
remains in use.

Early in 1956 Dr. Lupo was one of a select group of
Methodist pastors from the United States who went to Cuba both
to observe the work of the missionaries and to be short-term
evangelists. When he returned, Lupo reported to the congrega-
tion some of the needs that he had discovered. One congregation
he mentioned was located in a small town and had no building in
which to gather for worship. One of the youth of Main Street
Church, David Stuart, responded with a gift of a dollar toward
the cost of a building for that congregation. Using David's action
as an example. Dr. Lupo challenged the congregation, and in a
few days the necessary $800 to erect the church building had
been contributed. The money was promptly sent to the bishop of
The Methodist Church in Cuba, who soon replied that he and the
Cuban congregation were delighted and overwhelmed by the
generosity of the Greenwood congregation. Another letter soon
followed reporting that the building had been constructed and
was in use by the grateful Cuban Methodists.

One of the interesting innovations of the mid-fifties in the
church's life was what the Woman's Society of Christian Service
named 'The Senior Roundtable." Designed for the older youth of
the congregation. The Senior Roundtable met monthly for supper
and Bible study. The program was funded by the women and
proved to be so attractive that many adults begged to be allowed
to come and share in the programs.

Hany R.Mays 155

At the Second Quarterly Conference of 1956 it was decid-
ed to accept a goal of $9,000 to be part of a fund to help Columbia
College erect a fine arts building and increase the salaries paid
the faculty. At the same time, it was decided to raise money to
assist Lupo Church in reducing its indebtedness. The following
February the Board of Stewards received a letter from Lupo
Church expressing thanks to the Main Street Church congrega-
tion for the $5/)00 that had been contributed through this special
effort. Columbia College also acknowledged with appreciation
the gift of $9,000 that was the goal set for the support of that
special need at the College.

Main Street Church had continued to support the work
of Bishop Cyrus Dawsey as a missionary in Brazil, but in 1957
word was received that the Bishop was retiring and would no
longer need financial support. It was then decided that Mr. and
Mrs. Robert S. Davis, missionaries to Brazil, would receive the
congregation's support, and a visit from the Davis family was
soon scheduled.

The first century of the congregation's life was about to
close, and in anticipation of that milestone plans were begun for
a celebration of the event. There was a desire to freshen up the
church property and air condition the Sunday School rooms. At
the Fourth Quarterly Conference, October 9, 1958, the pastor
reported that the building improvement project had been com-
pleted. All parts of the church building had been painted, many
minor repairs had been completed, and air conditioning had
been provided where needed. The cost had been "just over
$26,000" and all was in readiness for the celebration of "a century
of congregational life."

At that Quarterly Conference Dr. Lupo had announced
that he would not be returning after Annual Conference. His suc-
cessor, was to be John Walter Johnson. The Johnsons arrived just
in time to be caught up in the excitement of the final preparations
for the congregation's centennial celebration.

Sunday, December 21, 1958, was designated as the time to
celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the founding of the

156 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

Main Street Church congregation. Bishop Nolan B. Harmon was
the preacher for the day. After lunch W.K. Charles, Sr., spoke on
the church's century of service, and the presentation was so well
received that it was later made available in printed form to the
congregation. After Charles' address a reception was provided by
the Woman's Society of Christian Service recognizing especially
the special guests of the day as well as some of the oldest mem-
bers of the congregation. It was announced that the Amuversary
Fund, designed to pay for the refurbishing done in anticipation of
the celebration, had received $29,531.78, and thus all expenses
had been cared for "in typical Main Street fashion."

Life in Greenwood was increasingly fast-paced, as the
resignation of the Director of Christian Education, Myra Davis
Phillips, reminded the congregation. The Chamber of Commerce
was often speaking of "a new day in the life of Greenwood," and
her departure was a graphic illustration of that "new day." The
company for which Mrs. Davis' husband worked was transfer-
ring him to another city. Greenwood was no longer a single
industry city. After World War II the Greenwood Chamber of
Commerce, working with the South Carolina State Development
Board, and with the enthusiastic cooperation of James C. Self, had
begun to seek the location of new industries within Greenwood
County. Among the first new industries bringing new families to
Greenwood were Monsanto Company, McGraw-Edison, Moore
Business Forms, Park Davis and Company, and Neptune Meter
Company. Main Street Church quickly learned to greet the new-
comers and to welcome them into the congregational life. To
embrace new residents as church members meant the recogni-
tion, also, of the talents and leadership skills of these persons.
The appearance of many new names among the church records
attests to the strong contributions coming from the former
strangers who quickly became "one of us."

At the May 1961 meeting of the Official Board Walter
Johnson announced that the installation of a "prayer phone" was
complete and working. This was a bit of technology just then
available in Greenwood that enabled the caller to receive a short

Harry R. Mays 157

recorded message of encouragement and spiritual guidance. The
service immediately proved to be popular throughout the com-
munity, and it was in use at all hours of the day and night. From
the perspective of a few decades such an innovation seems com-
monplace, but at the time of the installation the prayer phone
was viewed as a preview of changes that might quickly come.

At the Annual Conference of 1961 Samuel Rufus Glenn
was appointed to be the pastor of Main Street Church. During
Glenn's pastorate the concept of congregational involvement in
the world mission of Methodism remained high. Mr. and Mrs.
Robert Davis, missionaries to Brazil, were receiving annual sup-
port through a $5,700 mission special gift. The continued support
of Lupo Church resulted in a gift of $1,200 to assist in a debt
reduction program. An Annual Conference drive to undergird
the work of Columbia and Wofford Colleges resulted in another
special gift of $3/)00 in 1961.

The congregation decided in 1961 that, in addition to its
normal budget, a concerted effort would be made to pay all
indebtedness on the Church's property. The Quarterly
Conference of October 1, 1963, reported for the record that the
church debt of $21,587.26 had been paid in full. At the same
Quarterly Conference W.K. Charles, Sr., shared with the
Greenwood District Superintendent, W. Harry Chandler, the fact
that there was "a strong sentiment in the church for the organiza-
tion of a competitive church." This suggestion was followed in
later months with plans that would lead to the organization of
Saint Mark Methodist Church.

Two actions by the church's Official Board in the sum-
mer of 1963 indicated some of the issues affecting the lifestyle of
"the people called Methodists" that were active in the communi-
ty life in Greenwood. News that a Minit Food Store located near
the church was seeking a permit to sell beer for consumption on
the premises led to a quick decision to challenge the granting of
that permit. The church's challenge was effective at the time, but
within a few years this would no longer be a matter of congrega-
tional concern. Such was the changing attitude typical of the fast

158 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

paced transition of Greenwood's mores and public policies.

The other issue proved more difficult to handle. The
Official Board minutes of 1963 note that the ushers had requested
on several occasions a "policy for the church to follow in case
representatives from the colored race appear at a Sunday

Administrative Board during the pastorate of J. Walter Johnson:
Walter Marshall, Sr., W.K. Charles, Jr., Fred Melton, E.S. Sandel, Jr.,
Cecil Browning, Dr. Paul Massengill, Jack Wells, Clarence Arnold,
John B. Harris, Gray Moore, Sr., Joe W. Darby, Walter Johnson,
Ralph Jones, M.L. Murph, Jr., Whitfield Perry, Mabel Jones (Mrs.
Ralph W.), J. Daniel Hammett, Joe E. Adams, Sr., J.C. Lomas, Mrs.
W.A. Collins, W.D. Tinsley, Sr., Henry Booker, George McCarthy,
W.H. Nicholson, Jr., Carrie Wallace (Mrs. B.C.), Ralph Norman,
Rutledge Hammond, Dr. R.C. Bolen, Julian W. White, Fritz Chester
Beach, John Shannon, Herman Harling, Earle Griffin, Jr., Albert C.
Gambrell, Sr., Odell Duvall, Howard Mabry, Dr. Carl Bailey, Bruce
Higgenbotham, J.L. Hollingsworth, Marshall Leaman, Dr. H.B.
Odom, Frank Hollingsworth, Woodrow Wilson, Glen Hatfield, Foster
Culbreath.

Harry R. Mays 159

Worship Service/' Finally, at the Board meeting of July 11, 1963, it
was decided by a 32 to 10 vote that "in the event a person or per-
sons from the colored race appear at Main Street Methodist
Church to worship, our ushers be instructed to seat them in the
right front balcony/' Those who recall this moment indicate that
it was not generally considered that a satisfactory answer had
been given to what was a growing community and national
problem. Certainly one action at that time pointed up the chang-
ing attitudes toward non-whites. Greenwood's Trinity Church, a
small congregation that was a part of the all-Black Central
Jurisdiction of The Methodist Church, was attempting to erect a
new building. To help in this cause Main Street Church made a
gift of $1,500 to the Building Fund.

By 1964 the growing cost of living world-wide had forced
the Board of Missions of The Methodist Church to increase the
support of missionaries to $7,500 annually. Locally the church
faced the gentle inflationary rise that would drive costs in ever
upward moves for decades to come. At the same time, many
families in the Greenwood community continued to need varied
kinds of assistance. The Woman's Society of Christian Service,
working with the Salvation Army, continued to reach out in
efforts to help where it was possible.

Many a member of Main Street Church over the years has
looked up at the emptiness of the church's bell tower and longed
to see a peal of bells installed. The Official Board 'looked into the
purchase of a peal of bells for the bell tower" during the summer
of 1964. However, at the Board meeting of October 2, 1964, a
small bell was accepted as a free substitute. A gift from Douglas
Featherstone, the bell "had been rung at Harper's Ferry on the
Savannah River." The acceptance of this bell effectively ended the
move to install a peal of bells. Featherstone later replaced this
bell with a farm bell. Currently a third bell from a steam locomo-
tive given by the Ernest McWatty family rings from the tower.

The parking of automobiles of the Methodist and
Presbyterian congregations on Sunday mornings along
Cambridge, Grace and North Main Streets had become an

160 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

increasingly irritating traffic problem. The churches suggested
that the police department dispatch someone to assure the
smooth flow of traffic, but both congregations knew that the only
effective solution would be enlarged parking lots for both church-
es. At the time, however, no nearby land was available for such
much needed expansion.

Responding to the suggestion that a "competitive congre-
gation" be organized somewhere in the Greenwood area, the
Greenwood District Superintendent, W. Harry Chandler, on
October 8, 1964, asked the congregation's leaders to support a
plan to establish a new congregation "in the Abbeville Highway
area." By March of the following year the newly formed congre-
gation was meeting at the American Legion building on Calhoun
Avenue. At the September 1964 meeting of the Administrative
Board it was announced that the new church would be located on
a 4 1/3 acre site on the 72 Bypass and that the tentative name
selected was Trinity Church. To follow through on its commit-
ment of support for the new congregation. Main Street Church
promised to contribute $5,000 each year for the next two years
and to pay the interest on the church's debt in the third year.

At the Annual Conference of 1965 Rufus Glenn was
appointed to be the Superintendent of the Greenville District, and
John Madison Younginer, Sr., came to Main Street Church as its
pastor. One of the signs of the times over the past few years had
been the increasingly poor attendance at the Sunday evening ser-
vices. Only a decade earlier Dr. Lupo could report a nearly full
church on Sunday evenings. To the surprise of no one, however,
at the Administrative Board meeting of October 14, 1965, it was
decided that "due to the small attendance at the evening service,
this service has been discontinued." It was generally conceded
that this was but another evidence of the changing lifestyle of the
community, the nation, and the membership of Main Street
Church.

Soon after Younginer's arrival the church began to exam-
ine seriously the recommendation that he and at least five former
pastors had made concerning the urgent need to devise some

Harry R.Mays 161

way to provide a better fellowship hall, to meet some other needs
in the Sunday School, and to furnish office space. The location of
the fellowship hall in a basement was seen as a fire hazard, and
the kitchen was sadly inadequate for the congregational needs.
Situated in a basement under the pulpit and choir area of the
sanctuary, the fellowship hall was generally recognized as "total-
ly inadequate for a congregation of nearly 1^00 members." At its
meeting on October 13, 1966, the Board agreed that the church
must begin to plan for the expansion of its educational facilities
and the increase of available space for the parking of the congre-
gation's automobiles. Marguerite Stillwell, who had recently
been employed as the church's Director of Christian Education,
was asked to begin to accumulate data for the guidance of the
church as it examined its future building needs.

Since its construction in 1918 the room designed as a
chapel had officially been nameless although used from time to
time by various adult Sunday School classes. At the April 13,
1967, meeting, the Administrative Board agreed that the name of
the room should be "The Cokesbury Chapel." This recognized
the two earliest American Methodist leaders, Francis Asbury and
Thomas Coke. In addition to pulpit furniture from the second
building of the congregation, the communion table was hand-
made from lumber obtained from the Cokesbury School Building
at nearby Cokesbury.

At the beginning of the fall semester at Lander College in
1966 several of the churches of the community, including Main
Street Church, were operating a "coffee house" for the returning
students. Coffee Houses were very popular at that time as places
where older youth and young adults could gather for conversa-
tion, music appreciation, dancing, dramatic readings of prose
and poems, and the enjoyment of non-alcoholic beverages. Often
cooperative coffee processors would provide coffee at a discount
to assist Coffee Houses to operate. This is an example of the way
in which the churches of Greenwood often worked cooperatively
in seeking to help students of Lander College.

Main Street Church had been assured that Jerry Cook

162 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

would be appointed as the Associate Minister at the Annual
Conference of 1965, and therefore a parsonage would be needed.
As a temporary solution to Cook's need for housing a mobile
home was obtained for his use. When, at the 1967 Annual
Conference, Franklin B. Buie was appointed to succeed Jerry
Cook, the Trustees led the congregation in deciding to purchase,
at a cost of $19,000, a house in the Westgate Subdivision as a sec-
ond parsonage.

Subtle changes were beginning to be noticed in local atti-
tudes in matters of race relations. One example was the Board's
unanimous adoption of a recommendation of the church's
Committee on Christian Social Concerns, chaired by Mrs. R.O.
"Buddie" Lawton, that read, "That in the field of race relations
we maintain lines of communications between the races through
dialogue, mutual cooperation, and recognition of the dignity and
worth of all men; and further, that a policy of equality of
opportunity be practiced through church, school, business, and

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Members of the Lola Smith Sunday School Class: Mrs. W.F. Gault,
Ms. Jessie Ray, Miss Sue Arrington, Mrs. Lola Smith, Miss Leone
Towles, Mrs. W.A. Teasley, Mrs. E.M. Loyless.

Hariy R. Mays

163

Members of the Featherstone Sunday School Class: John Ledbetter,
John Shannon, Julian White, Clarence Arnold, Irby Rodgers, George
Zuspann, Gayle Poe, Lucius Hammett, Dillard Tribble, N.R.
Whitener, Carl Hare, Lewis Gossett, M.L. Murph, Buck Lawson,
A.L. Atkinson, Neal Welborn, A.B. Bagwell, Paul Garvin, John
Shingler, Bruce Higgenbotham, Gene Still, Bill Sandel, George
Counts, Ray Whatley, Neil Petty, Ned Birchmore, Frank Holroyd,
Hayden Igleheart, Fred Melton, John Robinson, Bill Turnley, Hubert
Starling, Bill Godsey, Walter Marshall, Mary Younginer, T.O.
Copeland, Bryan White, Ruth Seal, Brooks Stuart, Tom Blair, Fritz
Beach, Theron Underwood, Houston Odom, Bill Coffia, J.D. Stuart,
Abner P. Stockman, Ned Nicholson, Hardin Camp, Frank White.

government/' Soon afterwards the Board agreed that ''the jani-
tors are privileged a place in the sanctuary during worship each
Sunday and that they be available to the head usher if needed."

During 1966 rumors began to circulate in Greenwood
that a group of leaders from the business and medical communi-
ty were anxious to develop an excellent nursing home for elderly
persons in need of longterm care. After approaching other
denominational groups and receiving no encouragement, the

164 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

group asked the Greenwood District Superintendent, W. Harry
Chandler, if the Methodists would be interested in their proposal.
Chandler received the prompt support of Bishop Paul Hardin, Jr.,
and the Board of Hospitals and Homes of the Annual Conference.
Negotiations began that culminated in the approval on June 8,
1967, by the Annual Conference of a plan to develop the
Greenwood Methodist Home. At the same time a statewide
financial campaign was authorized through the churches to seek
$500,000 for the Greenwood Home and $1,500,000 for the
Orangeburg Methodist Home to expand facilities there. In
August 1967 a nine-person Building Committee for the
Greenwood project was authorized by the Board of Hospitals and
Homes, and four were members of Main Street Church: Abner P.
Stockman, Brooks S. Stuart, Bruce R. Sigmon, and Dr. W.A.
Klauber.

At the Official Board meeting of September 7, 1967, John
Younginer commented that the local campaign effort on behalf of
the Homes had already received pledges of $12,000 for the
Greenwood Methodist Home. With a goal of $35,000, Main Street
Church members pledged more than $37,000 for the Home. At
the 1968 Annual Conference session Ted R. Morton, Jr., was
appointed Director of the still undeveloped Home. During that
year the Building Committee completed plans in anticipation of
construction of the Nursing Center of the Greenwood Home. The
first Board of Trustees for the Home was elected at the 1969
Annual Conference and three members were from Main Street
Church: Dr. William A. Klauber, Bruce R. Sigmon and Brooks S.
Stuart. In the ensuing twenty years five other Main Street Church
members have served on the Home's Board of Trustees.

Construction on the Nursing Center at the Greenwood
Methodist Home began during August 1969 and on May 2, 1971,
the building was opened and dedicated free of debt. The
$2300,000 building provided beds for 102 residents in private
rooms. Main Street Church members were especially active and
generous as the Home was being developed. The Douglas
Featherstones contributed $50,000 as "seed money." This was

Harry R. Mays

165

Lupo United Methodist Church sponsored by Main Street Church.

Saint Mark United Methodist Church sponsored by Main Street
Church.

166 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

done so that at the 1%7 Annual Conference session it would be
dear that the support of the Greenwood community in the project
was genuine. Much of the total cost of the Home came from
many friends in Greenwood as well as from foundations, local
businesses and industries, and others outside the community
solicited by Greenwood residents. The main lobby of the Nursing
Center was decorated and furnished by the Women's Society of
Christian Service and the Wesleyan Service Guild of Main Street
Church. Since the first residents arrived on Thursday, May 19,
1971, the Greenwood Methodist Home and Main Street Church
have enjoyed an especially close relationship. Many church mem-
bers have served in a variety of volunteer capacities. Women's
circles share activities with the Nursing Center residents. The
church staff and the choirs of the church cooperate in varied
activities at the Home, and Sunday School classes give frequent
special attention to the residents of the nursing facility.

Chapter 17

Stm Building

For some time a Long Range Planning and Development
Committee had been at work studying various possibilities for
building and program expansion. Finally, at a Board meeting on
March 14, 1968, Walter Roark made a motion: 'The Long Range
Planning and Development Committee be named a Building
Committee at Quarterly Conference, and that this new
Committee be authorized to proceed to engage the services of an
architect and engineer to develop the first phase of our needed
building program." The Board's response was an enthusiastic
unanimous vote of approval. It was also decided, again unani-
mously, that consideration would be given to underground park-
ing if more land did not become available.

As soon as the Quarterly Conference gave its approval of
the proposed building project, Allison Lee, AIA, accepted the
invitation to be the architect. It was obvious that no plan was
going to be developed that would be practical until more proper-
ty contiguous to the present church property along Main Street
became available. In the meantime, a parcel of land from the Lee
family estate, located across Cambridge Street from the church,
was offered for sale to the church. This property, with a footage
of 152.84 feet along the street, was purchased at a cost of $30,000.
Quickly more parking was made available; this greatly reduced

167

1 68 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

the parking problems for both the Methodist and Presbyterian
congregations. The entire lot was paved and incorporated into an
already existing parking area on Cambridge Street.

Before any construction could begin, the Teasley Scout
Hut had to be removed, and when the demolition occurred an
adult Sunday School Qass found itself displaced. The class still
retains a remembrance of its first meeting place in its name, 'The
Hut Class." As the Scout Hut was being torn down, some of its
doors, which had been purchased secondhand when the hut was
built, were removed and donated for use in the restoration of the
Cokesbury College building.

John Miller, a member of the congregation and a student
at the Duke Divinity School, requested endorsement by the con-
gregation as a minister of The Methodist Church. At a Special
Quarterly Conference on March 14, 1968, he received unanimous
endorsement for Admission on Trial to the South Carolina
Annual Conference.

At the Board meeting of April 6, 1970, evidence of the
continuing work of the Long Range Planning and Development
Committee appeared. The Committee proposed that a kinder-
garten program be developed. Preliminary study had convinced
the Committee of the need for such a program since the public
school system provided none. After discussion a study of the pos-
sibility of providing a weekday kindergarten program through
the church was authorized. A committee was named and given
the responsibility of implementing this study.

At the same Board meeting Mrs. R.O. Lawton reported on
two matters she felt would be of interest to the church. First, she
told of "a group of women organized as an interracial committee
to discuss frankly existing local problems in race relations." She
made it very clear that "the women are not satisfied with the
slowness of change on the part of too many of the community's
church, political, and educational leadership." This report was
"received as information."

Mrs. Lawton's second report dealt with a need on the
part of the church to recognize the problems being faced by

Harry R. Mays 169

increasing numbers of veterans of the then five-year-old Vietnam
War. She described some of the considerable emotional difficul-
ties being encountered by veterans of this particular war. It was
Mrs. Lawton's plea that eight Vietnam veterans in Greenwood
"are trying to adapt themselves to living in society again/' and
that "some of the men of our church invite them to meals or take
them fishing." No record of the response she received exists, but
those who knew Buddie Lawton understood how sincere and
how persistent she was in expecting great things of her church
and its members.

The war in Vietnam became more personal to Main Street
Church when it was announced that Bert Blomquist, a young
man from the congregation serving in Vietnam, had communicat-
ed his desire to enter the seminary upon his return from the war.
He had decided to prepare himself for the ordained ministry of
The Methodist Qiurch. Later the Board endorsed his enrollment
at the Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina. Soon
after he entered the Duke Divinity School the Blomquist family
moved from Greenwood, Bert Blomquist's church membership
was transferred, and he became the responsibility of another
church.

Two merger events were taking place outside of
Greenwood at this time that would have an impact upon Main
Street Church. In 1968, just twenty-nine years after the formation
of The Methodist Church by a three-church merger. The
Evangelical and United Brethren Church and The Methodist
Church merged to form The United Methodist Church. The
major impact of this merger in Greenwood was the re-naming of
a few parts of the local church's organizational structure: the
Quarterly Conference was now the Charge Conference, the
Official Board became known as the Administrative Board, a new
organization known as the Council on Ministries was to assume
the task of developing ways in which the congregation would do
its work as a part of United Methodism. The Methodist Youth
Fellowship was renamed The United Methodist Youth
Fellowship. The Woman's Society of Christian Service was in

170 Histon/ of Main Street United Methodist Church

1968 given the name The Women's Society of Christian Service,
and in 1972 this name was changed to United Methodist Women.
Such name changes were an aggravation but thought to be neces-
sary to achieve unity among the disparate parts of the new
denomination.

The second merger event involved potentially much
more that could affect Main Street Church at some future date.
On June 5, 1972, after five years of negotiating, the all- White
South Carolina Annual Conference (1785), of which Main Street
Church was a part, and the all-Black South Carolina Conference
(1866) became the South Carolina Annual Conference. The two
dates indicated the years in which the Annual Conferences had
been organized. This merger ended the official separation by race
of the United Methodists in South Carolina. It could also mean
that a local church might have a pastor of either race, and it
meant that individuals of either race might seek membership in
any local congregation.

In the spring of 1970 Dr. Younginer announced his plans
to retire at the time of the next Annual Conference; he and his
wife Mary would make their home in Greenwood. The new min-
ister, James A. Merchant, Jr., came to a congregation ready and
anxious to become involved in a complex building program and
the development of a kindergarten program to serve the commu-
nity.

The need for additional land was essential before any
construction could take place. At a Board meeting a few months
before Merchant's arrival Dr. Casper Wiggins had declared the
sentiments of the congregation, "We are boxed in at the present
site due to the lack of foresight on the part of our forebears in
obtaining property in the area when it was available. I hope the
present and future generations will be more sensitive, perceptive,
and willing to spend some money."

Gray Moore resigned from the Chairmanship of the
Building Committee to be free to bid on any projected work, and
Walter Roark was appointed the new Chairman. The Committee
was then reconstituted as follows: Miriam Alewine, Clarence

Harry R. Mays 171

Arnold, A.L. Atkinson, George Ballentine, John B. Harris, Lila
Massengale, Henrietta Morton, Francis Nicholson, Richard
Phelps, Fred Powell, Walter Roark, Jr., Kenneth Young, and
Kenneth Flinchum, ex-officio as Chairman of the Committee on
Education.

In 1971 land adjacent to the Church's property on North
Main Street became available to purchase. At a Church
Conference on May 27, 1971, it was agreed that the Ernestor
property be purchased. The final negotiated cost of the property
was $48,000 with a gift of $25,000 toward that cost coming from
the Self Foundation. The Building Committee could at last begin
its work with the knowledge that sufficient land was available
for the construction anticipated.

While the Church was moving toward the beginning of
its planned building project, the life of the congregation contin-
ued to flourish. In January 1971 Lina Mae Leigh came to serve as
Director of Christian Education. After an examination of the
church's present building, the Board of Trustees informed the
congregation that at least $35,000 was needed to repair the sanc-
tuary roof, to replace much of the guttering, and to paint all of
the exterior woodwork of the existing structure.

The Kindergarten Study Committee had discovered that
it would be the fall of 1971 at the earliest before a program could
be put into operation. Some of the pre-operation requirements
included the necessary certification documents, the development
of a policy statement, a detailed cost study, development of
teacher requirements, and the recruitment of qualified teachers.
In the meantime a careful survey needed to be conducted to
determine the interest of parents in such a program. The kinder-
garten finally received Board authorization on July 26, 1972, to
begin as a self-supporting adjunct to the church's Christian
Education activities. The first phase was to involve the establish-
ment of classes for three-and-four-year-old children with the five-
year-old program to follow once the first two classes were orga-
nized and operating. Named "The Cheerful Cherub
Kindergarten," the program came to life in September 1972.

172 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

The Building Committee moved swiftly once the Emestor
property had been purchased. At a Church Conference on
September 9, 1973, the congregation voted 255 to 0 that the pro-
posed building program should be implemented. On Etecember
18, 1973, bids were received; the high bid was $724,988.55 and the
low bid, by the G. E. Moore Company, was $673,157.16. The con-
tract was signed on January 9, 1974, and site work began immedi-
ately. The building was completed and occupied on July 13, 1975.
The final cost was $635,957.16. A proposed elevator had been
eliminated and some necessary storm drainage added to arrive at
the final cost.

While church meetings are notoriously dull and similar,
there can be exceptions. The meeting of the Administrative Board
on May 28, 1973, was certainly memorable for all present that
evening. Board Chairman Clinton Ouzts called the meeting to
order. After the invocation by the pastor, the acting secretary,
Kenneth Young, began to read the minutes of the last meeting.
Young was interrupted by the arrival of Edward Snead with the
news that he had just heard on his car radio that a tornado had
been sighted a few miles south of Greenwood and seemed to be
heading for the city. This announcement led to a quick decision to
move the meeting to the fellowship hall still situated in the base-
ment under the choir area of the sanctuary. Once the meeting had
been called to order in the new location, it was noted that some of
the members had decided to go to their homes. The reading of
the minutes was completed. It was announced that the ''ground
breaking service" for the new building would be October 14,
1973, at a Homecoming Day celebration. Other items of business
demanding attention were quickly addressed. Then the minutes
stated, 'There being no further business, and with a feeling that
our community had been spared potential destruction from the
tornado passing over our area, the meeting was adjourned." It
was later learned that the tornado had gone through a part of the
Ninety Six community causing extensive damage.

Although the long-held rule of Methodist pastorates of no
more than four year's duration had been removed from the Book

Harry R. Mays 173

of Discipline in the 1939 creation of The Methodist Church, Main
Street Church generally continued to adhere to this concept. So it
was that at Annual Conference, 1975, James Merchant was
appointed pastor of First Church, Lancaster, and Harry R. Mays
was appointed by Bishop Edward Tullis to the pastorate of Main
Street Church. N. Keith Polk, Jr. was appointed to be the
Associate Minister. Less than six weeks after their arrival, on July
30, 1975, tragedy struck the church's organization. Clarence
Arnold, Chairman of the Administrative Board, died unexpected-
ly as a result of a heart attack. With his death Qinton Ouzts, the
Board Vice-Chairman, became the new chairman. Gifts in memo-
ry of Arnold received by the church were used to purchase fur-
nishings for the soon-to-be-completed building. Later the
library/conference room was dedicated to the memory of
Clarence Gilbert Arnold.

By midsummer work had been finished on the new
building, and on August 24, 1975, the Service of Consecration
was conducted. With the additional space available, the various
groups within the church began to develop plans to utilize the
opportunities offered by the facility.

At the August 24, 1975, meeting of the Administrative
Board Dr. James Cheezem proposed that the Cerebral Palsy Pre-
school Program be allowed to use a portion of the vacated office
space for a program for some six to eight small children. The
Board gave its enthusiastic and unanimous consent for this pro-
gram to be housed at Main Street Church.

The congregation realized that until the large debt was
eliminated, the church had to be careful to keep its financial mat-
ters under close control. The continued generosity of the mem-
bership, however, enabled the church to carry out its overall pro-
gram unabated. Early in September 1975 a Church Conference
authorized the debt limit to be increased to $525,000 in order to
adjust for what were called "actual fund expectations."

Later in September the Board, acting upon the recom-
mendation of Richard Phelps, Chairman of the Commission on
Christian Social Concerns, authorized the church's involvement

174 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

in the re-settlement of a Vietnamese refugee family. The family
assigned to Main Street Church consisted of Huong Van Hoang,
the husband and father, Luy, his wife, and children Binh, Minh,
Tam, Nam, and Dao. A temporary home was rented, furniture
obtained, and household goods were solicited or purchased. The
family quickly began to adjust to life in a strange land with a
strange culture. A special highlight of the experiences with the
Hoang family came in January 1978 when the brother of Hoang
was welcomed as an additional refugee sponsored by the church.
The brother had been one of the 'l3oat people" who fled from
Vietnam after the United States Army was withdrawn from
Vietnam. Met at the Greenville-Spartanburg airport by the Hoang
family and several interested members of the church, Phuong
Van Hoang was shocked but excited to be met by his brother as
he stepped off the plane. Although Hoang had suggested that the
church sponsor his brother, no word could be sent to the the
brother through the refugee resettlement channels. Phuong Van
Hoang had known from the time he left the refugee camp in
Malaysia that he was to go to Greenwood, South Carolina, where
a Methodist Church would be his sponsor. The presence of family
members to welcome him was an unexpected delight. The
Hoangs continued to live in Greenwood until May 1979, when
they moved to Houston, Texas, where several Vietnamese friends
had settled.

A discovery early on the morning of Sunday, December
29, 1975, shocked everyone who was aware of the close watch
being kept on the congregation's financial affairs. The boiler used
to heat the sanctuary and older Sunday School area had become
unusable and could not be repaired. After hasty preparations in
the new Fellowship Hall, Morning Worship was conducted there
that day and for the next two Sundays. A replacement boiler was
located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Greenwood Motor Lines
dispatched a truck to bring the new boiler to Greenwood. As the
congregation's financial leaders observed, this incident meant
that the church began its new fiscal year with a budget that was
already more than $7,500 out of balance.

Hany R. Mays 175

Early in 1976 the Finance Committee recommended to
the Administrative Board that a new financial campaign should
be scheduled. This campaign would seek pledges for the second
installment of the debt reduction program. For this campaign it
was decided that professional assistance was advisable, and the
fund raising service of the National Board of Missions of the
United Methodist Church was obtained. Dr. and Mrs. Alton
Miller were assigned to come to Greenwood for several weeks to
provide guidance. Under their leadership the campaign exceeded
its goal by several thousand dollars to be given over a two year
and seven month period, beginning April 1, 1976.

During the summer of 1976 the Council on Ministries
became concerned that some in the congregation were losing
touch with their spiritual base. After discussion and study the
Council developed the idea of a newsletter to be mailed frequent-
ly to the congregation. In October the first monthly issue of what
soon was named The Tie went out to every household. Among
the items in that first issue was the announcement that Ruth
Odom, Musette Wilkerson, Buddie Lawton, Robbie Harris, and
Mary James Davis had been honored for five years of volunteer
work at the Greenwood Methodist Home. By popular demand
the volunteer editors decided after three months to produce The
Tie weekly.

In October 1976 the congregation was saddened to learn
that Lina Mae Leigh, then Director of Christian Education, had
resigned. She was moving to Columbia to be with her elderly
mother who needed dedicated attention. With Mrs. Leigh's
departure the Staff /Parish Committee turned to a Board-directed
study of the replacement plan to follow.

The Council on Ministries had made a survey during the
winter of 1976-1977 asking the congregation to list their commu-
r\ity concerns. One of the community needs noted was that in the
mobile home parks scattered around Greenwood there were
many children in need of adult oversight during much of the day.
Many respondents noted that this need was especially true dur-
ing the summer months. Working with the approval of the

1 76 Histoiy of Main Street United Methodist Church

Administrative Board, and using personnel made available
through the Summer Investment Program of the Annual
Conference, a program was developed to use the talents of a col-
lege student. With the cooperation of two mobile home park
owners, a six-week pilot program operated during the summer of
1977. A worker was assigned and hundreds of children respond-
ed to the programs she offered. Although the program was evalu-
ated as completely successful, no follow-up was possible because
the mobile home park owners chose not to cooperate after that
first year.

Another of the concerns of the congregation was that
many of the members were absent from worship on any given
Sunday. At the suggestion of the Membership and Evangelism
Commission the Administrative Board approved a second
Sunday Worship Service to be scheduled at 9 AM. This service
increased the overall attendance by 15 percent by the end of the
first year, and it was decided to continue the experiment on a
year-to-year basis.

In January 1978 the Commission on Christian Social
Concerns became involved in a cooperative program with the St.
Nicholas Speech and Hearing Center to provide movies with
printed sub^titles for those with hearing impairment. The movies
were shown in the church fellowship hall on a schedule that was
convenient for those in Greenwood and nearby communities. It
was not unusual to have families with hearing impaired persons
to come from Anderson, Edgefield, Abbeville, and Laurens
Counties. Volunteers from the congregation, especially the Drake
Sunday School Class, were on hand to operate the movie equip-
ment and to provide cold drinks and popcorn for those who
responded to the program. The Speech and Hearing Center pro-
vided the specially prepared current movies. All of this was at no
cost to the viewers.

Throughout the lifetime of the congregation, individuals
have been sensitive to the needs of the congregation. On Sunday,
December 18, 1977, two gifts of ceremonial flags were acknowl-
edged. A flag of the United States of America was given in honor

Harry K. Mays \77

of Fred H. Alewine, Jr., by his children and grandchildren. A flag
of the United Methodist Church was given in honor of William
N. Bobo by the A.C. Byrd and I.B. Rodgers families. The congre-
gation's response in accepting these gifts stated, "We accept these
gifts to be guarded reverently as cherished additions to the place
of worship of this congregation." Such also was the case when on
Sunday, March 26, 1978, a marble baptismal font was received
and dedicated. The font was the gift of Evelyn Simpson Irwin
(Mrs. Harry P., Jr.) in memory of her parents, Jennie T. and Taylor
R. Simpson. In acknowledging the gift of the font it was noted,
'This gift will be appreciated by the membership of Main Street
Church as long as the congregation is in existence."

Other memorial gifts have been equally appreciated.
Paraments for the communion table and pulpit were given "in
loving memory of Frank Haden Edwards by his wife and sons
and Mr. and Mrs. W.C. Edwards." A cross for the communion
table was given "in loving memory of Joe Adams by Mrs. Joe
Adams and their sons." An Advent wreath and brass candelabra
were given "in loving memory of Lovick Winfield and Effie
Seago Rivers by their daughter, Louise." Qara and Irby Rodgers
gave the pulpit Bible in honor of their daughters. Sue Arrington
and Laura Arrington Chovan presented the eternal light in mem-
ory of their sisters, Frances Arrington Whitlock and Maude
Arrington Green. At the family's request memorials received in
memory of Edith Cogburn Ficklin were used to purchase the first
two octaves of handbells. A decade later a set of children's hand-
bells was given in memory of John Thomas Ficklin by his chil-
dren. The silver baptismal pitcher was given in memory of Mrs.
John Talbert by her sisters. The Tinsley Garden is a living memor-
ial given by Margaret Tinsley in remembrance of her husband,
William D. Tinsley. Such continued generosity has been a hall-
mark of the congregation of Main Street Church.

The entire congregation was aware of the high cost of the
debt service necessary to pay for the new building. Despite these
financial demands, John Sherrill, Chairman of the Finance
Committee, reported to the Administrative Board at its May 1978

178 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

meeting that ''the church's financial status is the best that it has
been in the last five years." In the Board minutes of that year is a
quote from an unnamed member: "If we study the Director of
Christian Education situation long enough, we can save that
salary money year after year as the pastors and the Council on
Ministries do the work of the DCE." It appears that the emer-
gency solution was acceptable to all concerned for several years.
Such are the demands of necessity, the congregational leadership
decided.

A hundred years earlier there had been in Southern
Methodism a strong campaign to erect suitable parsonages for
every charge to which a pastor was appointed. Responding to
that campaign, there was in Greenwood a group of women orga-
nized as "The Parsonage Aid Society." The Society ceased to func-
tion soon after 1900, but in the 1970s in South Carolina United
Methodism a new wave of concern developed across the confer-
ence to establish 'Tarsonage Standards." The Blyth Street parson-
age had been evaluated by the Parsonage Committee and the
Staff /Parish Committee, and the combined recommendation was
that it was time to consider either a drastic remodeling program
or a replacement of that house as a parsonage. At the moment the
recommendation could only be received as information, for the
budget of the church would not permit such action, however nec-
essary it might seem to some.

As Christmas 1977 approached, plans were developed to
conduct a Moravian Love Feast as a part of the Advent obser-
vance. The Love Feast centers upon a simple meal of a bun and
strong coffee prepared with large amounts of milk and sugar and
served to worshipers in the pews during a worship liturgy using
traditional Moravian music and a candlelighting service. It was
so well received that it was observed again the following year.

Early in 1977 Main Street Church was reminded that
events outside the control of the congregation could drastically
affect church life. The supply of natural gas available for use in
the southeastern United States had been severely diminished
because of several weeks of unusually cold weather. As a result.

Harry R. Mays 179

the Greenwood Commission on Public Works sent out a plea for
every measure possible to be undertaken to reduce the use of nat-
ural gas for a few weeks. The pastors of Greenwood's First
Baptist Church, First Presbyterian Church, and Main Street
Church worked out a plan to utilize the facilities of the First
Baptist Church, which was heated by fuel oil. In this way the
Methodist and Presbyterian buildings, heated by natural gas,
would not be used until the emergency had passed. The Sunday
morning activities of each church were restricted, and all use of
the Baptist building on Sunday mornings was placed on a very
tight schedule. The three congregations joined in the conserva-
tion program with enthusiastic support. As a result, more than
two million cubic feet of natural gas was saved weekly. The
Public Works Commission used this example as a way to drama-
tize to the whole community the desperate situation faced by its
customers. Everyone was delighted, however, when by mid-
March the Commission declared that the emergency had passed
allowing the three churches to return to familiar schedules in
their own buildings.

Under the leadership of Judge Francis Nicholson, in May
1978, the Commission on Membership and Evangelism agreed to
have Main Street Church participate in the "New World
Mission." Selected congregations across the nation were chal-
lenged to accept a worship leader from outside the United States
who would come for a short preaching mission. The missioner
assigned locally was Ivan Chetwynd, a British Methodist pastor.
He had served for a time as a missionary in Kenya and was "on
loan" from the British Methodist Church to a Methodist congre-
gation on Bornholm Island in Denmark. Chetwynd's attractive
personality and sincere style made his visit unusually well
received and supported.

Like other Methodist clergy. District Superintendents
move at the discretion of the Bishop. At the 1978 Annual
Conference James Gadsden came to Greenwood as the District
Superintendent. Gadsden was an example of the process where-
by the deliberate separation of the races was slowly beginning to

1 80 Histoiy of Main Street United Methodist Church

disappear from American life. As the first Black Greenwood
District Superintendent, Gadsden quickly proved his abilities
both as a pastoral leader and as an administrator. The quiet work
of several members of Main Street Church living in the Cherokee
Hills sub-division where the District Parsonage was located made
the transition of the families in the District Parsonage as unevent-
ful as any other move in and out of that house. After the welcom-
ing service and reception at Main Street Church involving many
members from the congregation the Gadsdens settled into life as
the family of the Greenwood District Superintendent.

Generally a Sunday Morning Worship Service is pre-
dictable , but at the early service on Christmas Eve 1978 the unex-
pected burst upon the congregation. As the service progressed,
the ushers in the narthex were confronted by two couples; the
men were dressed in what appeared to be bathrobes with cloth
wound around their heads in the fashion of Arabs. The women
wore normal attire. The four declined to be seated, asking that
they be allowed to "observe the service." As the time for
announcements in the service arrived, the two men suddenly
began to walk down the center aisle. The taller man led the way.
He was followed by the second man who carried a pillow on
which lay an open book, presumably a Bible. Interrupting Keith
Polk, the spokesman proclaimed that he had a word from God for
this congregation and for Greenwood. He began a recitation that
contained a few Biblical phrases and a good deal of gibberish.
After a moment an usher moved down the aisle, interrupted the
speaker, and led the two interlopers back to the narthex. The four
then quickly walked from the building. The police were notified
of the visit to Main Street Church, and other Greenwood churches
were alerted to the possibility of a repeat performance. The
speaker was recognized by some of the worshipers as a "local
boy" who had a reputation for using illicit drugs; it was suspect-
ed that this might explain the visitation. Nevertheless, many
wondered how it might have been if the visitors had been true
prophets from God.

At a called session of the Charge Conference on February

Harry R.Mays 181

22, 1979, the District Superintendent, Dr. Gadsden, asked the
church to endorse Barrett Thomas Alewine as a candidate for the
ordained ministry of the United Methodist Church. There was
unanimous support for this request. In this action Alewine
became the eighth person to enter the ordained ministry of
Methodism from Main Street Church in what was then its 121st
year of life. The others were Andrew Jackson Cauthen, Jr., John
Robert Turner Major, Morris Keener Meadors, Melvin Kelly
Medlock, William Wallace Fridy, Charles Ray Purdue, and John
Teague Miller.

Chapter 18

Toward Tomorrow

After another traditional four-year pastorate, Main Street
Church awaited a new pastor. Needham Williamson was
appointed at the 1979 Annual Conference by Bishop Edward
Tullis. With his arrival it was decided that the Williamsons would
reside temporarily at the Westgate parsonage since there was no
Associate Minister appointed at that time. A decision then had to
be made concerning the Blyth Avenue parsonage. Should that
house be renovated or sold? After a thorough examination of the
available options the Charge Conference on November 14, 1979,
approved the sale of the Blyth Avenue house. A few weeks later,
at a called Charge Conference, a new parsonage, located at 205
Kenilworth Drive in the Canterbury subdivision, was authorized
for the Senior Minister. It was announced that, with the funds
received from the sale of the Blyth Avenue house and extra gifts
of $38,000, the new parsonage was debt-free.

While debating parsonage matters, the congregation also
dealt with other concerns. A community-wide preaching mission
named ''Key 79" was scheduled for September 16-20, 1979, by
the Greenwood Ministerial Association. Services were held at
Greenwood's First Baptist Church, the First Presbyterian Church,
and Morris Chapel Baptist Church, as well as at the Ninety Six
High School auditorium. Four guest preachers were invited: Dr.

182

Harry R.Mays 183

Charles Allen, a United Methodist minister from Houston, Texas,
Dr. Joseph Bethea, a United Methodist District Superintendent
from Rockingham, North Carolina, Dr. John Redhead, a
Presbyterian minister from Greensboro, North Carolina, and Dr.
Alistair Walker, a Baptist minister from Spartanburg, South
Carolina. Each of these preached at the four sites in rotation. On
the fifth night everyone gathered at the Greenwood Civic Center
where Dr. Robert Schuller, Reformed Church of America minister
from California, was the preacher. The cooperation of so many
varied congregations created an exciting moment of harmony
and goodwill.

Since Needham Williamson had no Associate Minister to
assist him, he received permission to seek the part-time assis-
tance of R. Bryce Herbert and John M. Shingler, both retired
Methodist clergymen affiliated with Main Street Church. These
two were to work especially in visitation among the church fam-
ilies. This plan was utilized for several months until May 1980
when Shingler asked to be relieved and Herbert became a part-
time staff member as Minister for Visitation. When Lee Patrick
McDonald joined the staff after the 1980 Annual Conference, she
became Minister for Programs. In her second year of the Master
of Divinity program at Candler School of Theology, Emory
University, in Atlanta, she was married to Neal A. McDonald, Jr.,
pastor of the Zion-Sandy Springs Charge in Anderson County,
South Carolina. Her schedule was a hectic blending of consider-
able travel, seminary study, her work at Main Street Church, and
family time to share with her husband.

The year 1979 was good for Main Street Church as was
the following year. Despite the purchase of a new parsonage for
the Senior Minister and the overall close budgeting made neces-
sary by the continuing cost of reducing the Building Fund debt,
the year was closed out with all apportionments and bills paid. A
$6,500 loan from a Sunday School Class made this possible

In the spring of 1980 Dr. Steve Ackerman went to a
remote section of Haiti for a two-week dental mission tour. Upon
his return Dr. Ackerman reported that he had treated more than

1 84 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

seven hundred patients in two weeks of arduous daily work.

For some years concern had been voiced that the stained
glass windows in the sanctuary might be damaged, either acci-
dentally or in an act of vandalism. Because of the Tiffany glass
used in the windows, church leaders had learned that the win-
dows should be considered irreplaceable. To protect the glass a
clear material was placed in frameworks outside the windows.
This installation was completed in September 1981 and was soon
debt-free. A by-product of this work was a significant saving in
the cost of heating and cooling that area of the building.

When Lee McDonald resigned from the staff in mid-sum-
mer 1982 the church again began to search for a staff person who
could assume responsibility for the church programing. Mary
Teasley Unrue, granddaughter of Mrs. W.A. Teasley of the con-
gregation, was transferred from the Trenton-McKendree Charge
to be Associate Minister for Programing on the Church Staff
effective October 1, 1982.

In an effort to acquaint more members with the wide
spectrum of missional involvement of United Methodism, many
of the smaller apportionment items were made available to the
Sunday School Classes as possible projects. This led to a widen-
ing interest in the projects of United Methodist Volunteers in
Mission. In the summer of 1984 a team of fourteen workers from
the congregation volunteered to go to Bennettsville and McColl,
South Carolina, to help with rebuilding efforts after a tornado
damaged many homes in that area. Greg Shelley headed the team
that consisted of Joe Chandler, Lynn Dukes, David Dumont, Bill
Garrison, Adrienne Hutton, Rudy Powell, Richard Pinckney,
Jesse Rice, Mike Unrue, Bill Wilkerson, Shannon Wilkerson,
Glenn Williams, and Lawrence Williamson.

The pastors were facing a growing need for assistance in
counseling persons who sought the church's help in personal
matters. In January 1984 a special counseling service was estab-
lished with Sam Marcengill, a member of the congregation and a
Staff Counselor at the Beckman Mental Health Center in
Greenwood, as counselor. He was available at the church two

Harry R. Mays 185

evenings a week. Although a small fee was charged, based upon
the individual's income, no one was refused assistance because of
an inability to pay. The response was immediate and apprecia-
tive; soon Marcengill was averaging thirty-five to forty sessions
each month.

One of the more emotional moments in a congregation's
life comes when it must face the fact that a long-organized
Sunday School Class can no longer function because of the death
or illness of many class members. Such a fate was recognized
when, in April 1985, the Lola Smith Sunday School Class decided
to disband. Organized as a young ladies class during the somber
days of World War I, the class was originally known as the
Featherstone Ladies Class in honor of its teacher, the late Judge
C.C. Featherstone. When Judge Featherstone died, Lola Smith
became the teacher and soon the class was renamed to honor this
fine lady who taught the class for several decades. The room
occupied by the class was adjacent to the east transept of the
sanctuary and is now used as a bride's room and as a family
room preceding funerals.

At the 1979 Annual Conference session a Pensions
Crusade was approved that began in 1980 and closed with the
Annual Conference session of 1985. Main Street Church was chal-
lenged to accept a goal of $39,000. This amount was made a part
of the budget rather than being the basis of an effort to raise
funds by solicitation within the congregation. At the end of the
crusade Main Street Church had raised a total of $41,141 includ-
ing some special gifts. The Crusade money was used to reduce
the unfunded liability of the Annual Conference for its clergy
retirement program.

At the 1985 Annual Conference Bishop Roy C. Clark
appointed C.J. Lupo, Jr., as the pastor for Main Street Church
with Mary Teasley Unrue continuing as Associate Minister. Since
Lupo had served as the Greenwood District Superintendent from
1974 to 1978, he and his wife Vera were welcomed as old friends.

An indication of some of the changes taking place within
United Methodism was the first maternity leave ever granted to a

1 86 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

First parsonage owned by Greenwood Methodist Church; it was built
in 1871.

Senior Minister's parsonage since 1980.

Hany R. Mays 187

Main Street pastor; on October 2, 1985, Mary Teasley Unrue gave
birth to a daughter, Sara Wade. The congregation rejoiced with
the parents in this special moment, another "first" for the
Church.

Remembering how the congregation had responded in
the past, the Council on Ministries asked that a Moravian Love
Feast again be made a part of the church's Advent celebration.
Vera Lupo, who had headed the committee when the first
Moravian Love Feast was celebrated in 1977, consented to help
organize this special worship service. The congregation filled the
sanctuary and continues to appreciate what is now an annual
observance.

William Bobo, who had been the church organist for
more than thirty years, retired from that post on the last Sunday
in January 1986. At his retirement ceremony a plaque recognizing
his contribution to the church read in part:

Praise we the great of heart and mind.
Musicians sweetly gifted.
Whose music like a mighty wind
The souls of men uplifted.

As a symbol of Bobo's retirement, the shoes he had worn while
playing the organ were placed on permanent display in the
church archives.

For most of the life of Main Street Church, when funds
were needed for maintenance and repairs of the church property,
the congregation faced a special extra fundraising effort. The pas-
tor suggested that a Foundation be established that could pro-
duce funds to help in such a time of need. After some months of
preliminary work, the Main Street United Methodist Church
Foundation was organized in January 1986. This was an
eleemosynary foundation, chartered by the Secretary of State of
South Carolina, and was organized "for the purpose of receiving
gifts and legacies, the earned income of which is to be used for
the maintenance and improvement of the physical properties of

188 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

the church." The Foundation began with $36,000 in assets,
$25,000 being a gift from the estate of Christine and Douglas
Featherstone, and two anonymous gifts of $6,000 and $5,000.
Quite soon a legacy of $4,186.95 from the estate of Sadie Sheridan
was received to be added to the Foundation's assets. After a peri-
od when church members were invited to make gifts to the
Foundation as Charter Members, on January 1, 1987, the
Foundation had assets of $72,407.

After a decade of fiscal struggles, in January 1985 the final
payments were made on the debt incurred when the latest build-
ing program of the church had taken place. As John Sherrill had
characterized the situation when he was Chairman of the Finance
Committee, "Until that debt is paid off we are destined to have
nervous Novembers and desperate Decembers as we attempt to
raise sufficient funds to cover the debt payments, our congrega-
tional operations, and the Annual Conference apportionments."
The debt was now history, and on Sunday, June 1, 1986, a large
Homecoming Day congregation witnessed a traditional "mort-
gage burning." Now the congregation felt that it could turn to
developing programs that had been wished for but had been
financially impossible over the past decade. To the amazement of
many, at the end of 1986 a surplus of $20,000 remained after
every financial obligation of the congregation had been met. That
balance was divided between a variety of worldwide special mis-
sion projects and some local projects.

At Annual Conference 1986, Mary Teasley Unrue received
an appointment as Associate Minister at Aldersgate Church,
Greenville, and Paul Frey was appointed as Main Street Church's
new Associate Minister. He was to divide his time between
studying at the School of Theology at Erskine College in Due
West, South Carolina, and his work at Main Street Church. Until
he completed seminary Frey was to give the youth of the church
his special attention.

As a way to encourage the congregation's knowledge of
each other, during the summer of 1986 coffee, juice, and finger
foods were made available in the fellowship hall each Sunday

Harry R.Mays 189

before Sunday School. This period proved to be so popular that
by September the pre-Sunday School coffee time had been
enlarged to a complete breakfast. Bob Harmon, the church's
Director of Maintenance and an experienced chef, became
responsible for the meal's preparation. The congregational
response created a much appreciated time for fellowship among
the members.

During the summer of 1986 the air conditioning system
for the sanctuary became an increasing maintenance problem.
The system was designed to use huge quantities of water that
was dumped into the city's storm drainage system after one time
of use. Following a detailed analysis, the Trustees recommended
that the system be replaced by one that did not require water. At
the same time the Trustees were authorized to contract with the
M.P. Moller Company of Hagerstown, Maryland, to rebuild the
organ console and add several new organ stops that would place
342 new pipes in the instrument. When the console was ready to
be put in place, the choir loft had been rearranged in a configura-
tion with the organist seated directly behind the preacher's seat
enabling one person both to play the organ and to direct the choir
if that was necessary.

Greenwood citizens had become increasingly aware that
the city had many of the so-called "street people," homeless indi-
viduals often without any way to obtain adequate food to eat.
Several of the Greenwood churches united their efforts in the
summer of 1987 to provide at least a noon meal on weekdays for
each unfortunate resident of the city. The Episcopal Church of the
Resurrection volunteered to house the Soup Kitchen. Serving per-
sonnel were drawn from volunteers representing many congre-
gations including Main Street Church. Funds for the Soup
Kitchen come from many sources including gifts from individu-
als, Sunday School Classes, and the participating churches.

At the end of December 1987 the Board of Trustees of the
Main Street Church Foundation reported that the Foundation
had ninety-eight charter members. Assets totaled $109,139.07.
The Board of Trustees was not ready to allocate any funds at that

190 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

time, preferring instead that the funds be allowed to earn more
before any allocations began.

Another Homecoming Day was observed in 1988 with Dr.
Wallace Fridy, a son of the church now retired from the United
Methodist ministry, as the guest preacher. A highlight of the cele-
bration was a reunion of "The Travelers." While Lina Mae Leigh
was the Director of Christian Education, she had organized a
group of high school girls who sang the music of that day to the
accompaniment of guitars. The members were now young career
women, and some were married and mothers. The congregation
enjoyed the presence of "The Travelers" almost as much as the
members themselves. They were Martha Tinsley Beaudrot,
Priscilla Gallegly Hackney, Nan Roark Harding, Kathy Cheezem
Henderson, Christie Young Maund, Lisa Schulze Smith and Cile
Kinard Williamson. The women of the congregation have con-
tinued their tradition of involvement with mission projects in
Greenwood and in far off places. Lois Elkin, for example, in 1988,
went to Jacquimeyes, Dominican Republic, as the representative
of Main Street Church to help conduct a Vacation Bible School in
conjunction with a Volunteers in Mission project that was con-
structing a church building for the Methodists in that small town.
She worked through an interpreter to lead a daily program that
involved more than a hundred children. She found it necessary to
have a double session of the Bible School in order to accommo-
date all of the interested children.

Since 1878, when the Woman's Foreign Missionary
Society was organized in South Carolina, twenty-three women
have served as president of the Annual Conference women's
organization. Three of those state-wide leaders have come from
Main Street Church. Helen Bourne was twice elected to serve. In
1928 Mrs. Alonzo Keller served for one year. At the 1988 Annual
Meeting of the United Methodist Women, Harriet Mays became
the third Main Street member to be elected the Conference presi-
dent.

This information highlights a frequently overlooked fact
in the life of Main Street Church. Congregational members have

Harry R. Mays 191

often had significant roles in Annual Conference matters. At the
1935 session of the Annual Conference W. C. Holroyd began a
five year term of service as the Conference Treasurer and was
responsible for the receiving and disbursing of all Annual
Conference funds. George C. Hodges was three times a delegate
to General Conference, C.C. Featherstone and W.K. Charles were
each elected twice as delegates to General Conference, and
Harriet A. Mays was elected once a delegate to General
Conference. J. P. Wharton was three times a delegate to
Jurisdictional Conference; W.H. Nicholson, Jr., was twice a dele-
gate to Jurisdictional Conference, while W.K. Charles and E. Don
Herd were each elected once as delegates to Jurisdictional
Conference. Ann Drake and Harriet A. Mays were elected alter-
nate delegates to Jurisdictional Conference. One pastor, C.J.
Lupo, Jr., was elected a delegate to General Conference. All
through the twentieth century members and pastors of Main
Street Church have served with distinction as members of
Boards, Commissions, and Committees of the larger parts of
organized Methodism.

EHiring Advent 1988 'The Hanging of the Greens," a dra-
matic evening program involving the church's choirs and a large
cast of workers, was introduced to the congregation by Paul and
Ruth Ann Frey. At the conclusion of the evening's program, the
decorations of the season had been put in place throughout the
sanctuary. This program, combined with the observance of the
Moravian Love Feast the following Sunday, made the Advent
Season especially meaningful. The congregation now looks for-
ward to this combination of programs to focus attention upon the
meaning of Advent.

For some years the Church Trustees had known of the
need for the now seventy-year-old building's exterior to be
cleaned and the mortar joints re-pointed. Because of the expense
involved, this was a project that had been continually delayed. In
1989 the Trustees of the Foundation advised the Church Trustees
that funds could be provided for this most necessary work. In
June 1989 the church's exterior was cleaned, repaired and given a

192 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

sparkling, fresh appearance.

Just after midnight, Friday, September 22, 1989, Hurricane
Hugo came ashore between Charleston and Myrtle Beach causing
damage in South Carolina estimated at several billion dollars.
The Annual Conference Disaster Assistance Team began to devel-
op programs to enable local churches to respond in many ways.
A few days after the storm hit, for example, Fred and Miriam
Alewine, Bill and Jeanette Godsey, and Mike and Zella Williams,
went to Charleston to work with the American Red Cross in a
door-to-door survey of the city's affected areas. George
Ballentine, Sr., and James W. Wade went to St. George to do the
same work for the Red Cross. They checked for damage, pre-
pared written descriptions of what they saw, and made estimates
of the repair costs. Responding to the news of one hurricane-
stricken community, Joe Chandler carried a truckload of much
needed ice and other emergency supplies to Summerville. Within
the first week after the storm, the church had already sent $4,645
to assist in purchasing relief supplies. After the first week, the
church's response was blended into the Greenwood community
response. This response involved collecting food and clothing,
building supplies, and other emergency materials to be sent to
various collection points in the area of the storm damage. A year
later Volunteers in Mission teams were still being recruited, and
youth, working through the Salkehatchie Summer Service pro-
gram, were helping repair and rebuild homes damaged by the
hurricane.

During February 1990 Main Street Church eased into the
computer age with the receipt of an anonymous gift of an
IBM /PC that enabled the church office to handle all financial
records, membership records, and church correspondence.

The Greenwood Methodist Home had been growing in
the last few years. In the spring of 1990 more than 150 persons
had become residents of the Home's retirement community
known as Heritage Hills. Since a large number of these new resi-
dents were choosing Main Street Church as their church home in
Greenwood, the Council on Ministries developed a program

Harry R. Mays 193

where the church furnished drivers from the congregation to
operate the Home's bus and provide transportation to Sunday
School and Morning Worship at Main Street Church and other
churches in the community.

When the sanctuary was completed in 1918, the plans
included a glass screen to separate the narthex from the build-
ing's nave. For some reason this screen was not installed. When
Harry and Evelyn Irwin met with Dr. Lupo to discuss an appro-
priate memorial for Dr. Irwin's parents, the pastor suggested this
screen to them. The Irwins chose this memorial, and with the
placement of stained glass a dramatic divider was created
between the seated congregation and those entering the narthex.
This beautiful gift is a memorial to Harry Penrose Irwin and Ruth
B. Irwin.

In the early spring of 1990, the C.J. Lupos surprised and
shocked the congregation with the announcement that he would
retire at the time of Annual Conference. When Bishop Joseph
Bethea appointed the new pastor for Main Street Church, Carlos
Owen Gardner, Jr., became the forty-seventh pastor of the congre-
gation. It is to this pastor that the congregation now looks for
leadership as the church and its members, in the traditional lan-
guage of John Wesley, seek to "go on toward perfection."

The Methodist appointment system for its pastors creates
a convenient way to measure events within the life span of a con-
gregation. When Methodism was transplanted to the American
colonies, that process of frequently matching preachers and con-
gregations became a vital and unique part of American
Methodism. The first General Superintendent, or Bishop, as
Francis Asbury preferred to be called, would annually decide in a
dictatorial fashion where the preachers would be assigned for
their pastoral duties in the coming year. This process resulted in
the placing of unusual importance on Annual Conference in the
eyes of local Methodist Churches and individual Methodist peo-
ple. At Annual Conference time excitement builds as congrega-
tions wonder who will be their new preacher. It is this succession
of a congregation's preachers that has provided the framework

194 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

for this history of Main Street Church.

Each new pastor brings a particular blend of gifts and
graces. These attributes merge with the aspirations of the congre-
gation, providing for a significant interplay. This human experi-
ence, combined with a recognition of the presence of God's Holy
Spirit, makes a group of people into a true part of the Body of
Christ. Surely this is basic and fundamental to all that this book
has reported about the life of Main Street Church since 1858.

Pastors come to serve congregations as fellow travelers
on the journey of faith which John Wesley named ''going on
toward perfection." This means that pastors, like all other
Christians, can have all of the feelings and needs and hopes and
fears known to congregational members. During Operation
Desert Storm Douglas Gardner was among the United States mil-
itary forces dispatched to Saudi Arabia. His father confessed in a
sermon how effective the people of Main Street Church were in
helping "persons who are hurting and suffering. You have been

'^ ^h ''

^"^tM^tk^hFyf '

li?^''

-ne:--

'i-S'

1^^

The future of Main Street Church. Children's Time at Sunday
Morning Worship.

Harry R. Mays 195

to me, to my wife Suzanne, and to our son God's people. You
have enabled us to wait with hope. What a wonderful thing it is
that you as a people of God do for us and for others in so many
wonderful ways." To the congregation this is a simple statement
of what it has sought to be since its organization.

By God's grace Main Street Church will continue to
thrive as people called Methodists respond to the Divine Call to
"Come, follow me." The history of Main Street Church does not
end at the close of this narrative. Carlos Gardner symbolizes a
task to be accomplished that should never come to completion.
As the Confirmation liturgy declares, 'The church is of God, and
will be preserved to the end of time." So be it. Amen and Amen.

Appendix I

GREENWOOD METHODIST CHURCH

area 1900

[NOTE: This membership roll was apparently compiled about 1898 and was in use until
1901. TTie dates and spellings shown are as they appear in the record. Those names
with no date beside them may have been (1) among the earliest members of the congre-
gation or (2) among those for whom no correct date was known. Do not assume that
condition (1) applies to a given name without a date.]

NAME

DATE RECEIVED

NAME

DATE RECEIVED

Agnew, Jno. E.
Agnew, Emma
Anderson, Wesley 0.
Anderson, Amanda E.
Anderson, W. L.
Anderson, Mrs. S. D.
Anderson, Oscar
Anderson, Mary
Auk), Oland
Aukj, Frederk^k
AukJ, Mrs. Emma
AuM, Mary L
AuM, Man^in
Andrews, Mrs. Emma
Andrews, Simms
Andrews, Lee
Austin, W. G.
Austin, Mrs. Nannie
Austin, Lillian (Aldrick)
Austin, James H.
Austin, Wm Wade
AukJ, Mrs. MatikJa
Addis, J. Pk:kens
Addis, Mary E.
Addis, Lucy 0. (Cromer)
Anderson, H. A.

Oct. 23, 1887
Oct. 23, 1887

Nov. 1898

Jan. 19, 1889

Sep. 19, 1894

Mar. 29, 1891

July 30, 1893

Dec. 24, 1891

May 1896

July 1884

Jan. 15, 1899

July 1899

Alexander, Mrs. D. B.

Brooks, J. P.
Brooks, Mrs. Alice
Brooks, D. Lemar
Brooks, Jas C.
Brooks, Nola
Brooks, Jennie
Boulware, Nannie H.
Beacham, Jeff D.
Beacham, Mrs. Adda 0.
Blackwell, J. H.
Blackwell, Mrs. M. L
Boyd, H. B.
Boyd, H. J.
Boyd, Lillie
Boyd, Gertrude
Black, Mrs. E. J.
Boswell, Mrs. M. A.
Boswell, Ellis
Boswell, Sallie
Boswell, Minnie
Bowers, Mrs. Ola
Black, Sarah
Blair, Mrs. Emma
Beacham, Mirtle

May 28, 1990

Mar. 6, 1892

Jan. 3, 1892

Feb. 26, 1893

Dec. 22, 1892

May 14, 1893

Feb. 4, 1897

Jan. 29, 1899

Jan. 29. 1899

Jan. 29, 1899

Jan. 6, 1900

Dec. 21, 1899

Dec. 21. 1899

Nov. 1900

Jan. 15, 1901

1901

197

198

History of Main Street United Methodist Church

Beacham, Nellie

Nov. 1901

Chipley, Thos. J.

Jan. 22, 1899

Byrd,T.B.

Nov. 1901

Chipley, Isabella A.

Jan. 22, 1899

Byrd.S.S.

Nov. 1901

Cooper, Mattie A.

Mar. 1899

Byrd, R. W.

Nov. 1901

Cooper, Mary T.

Mar. 1899

Byrd, Lily

Nov. 1901

Cooper, Prissey (White, J. F.) Mar. 1 899

Clay, John W.

Apr. 1899

Cobb, Mrs. Louisa A.

Child, Mrs. Maggie A.

Apr. 1899

Cobb, Eula

July 1884

Child, Minnie

Apr. 1899

Cobb.McN

Dec. 24, 1888

Child, E. Earle

Apr. 1899

Cobb, Eugene E.

Dec. 24, 1888

Child. Lizzie

Apr. 1899

Cason, M. Alice

Jan. 2, 1889

Child, Eva B.

Apr. 1899

Cason, Minnie E.

Mar. 2, 1890

Conner, E. C.

Mar. 1900

Coleman, Mrs. L C.

May 25, 1890

Conner, Mrs. E. C. (Kate M

.) Mar. 1900

Coleman, Armand

May 25, 1890

Conner, Alice

Mar. 1900

Coleman, Wm D.

Jan. 29, 1893

Conner, Carrie Lou

Mar. 1900

Chipley, J. S.

Jan. 1891

Conner, Mrs.

Nov. 12, 1900

Chipley, Jno.

Mar 29, 1891

Cooper, Mattie

June 1900

Chipley, Mrs. Maggie

Oct. 23, 1887

Conner, J. M.

Jan. 1,1901

Chipley, Mrs. Bessie C.

Mar. 19, 1893

Cureton, R. H.

Nov. 1901

Chipley, Bessie B (Harris)

Mar. 19, 1893

Cureton, Mrs. M. B.

Nov. 1901

Chipley, Marion

Sep. 4, 1893

Chipley, Thos.

Sep. 4, 1893

Davis, Jas. F.

Chipley, B. L.

June 1896

Davis, Mrs. Rosa S.

Mar. 9, 1894

Chipley, Mary Sue

June 1896

Darnell, H. M.

Mar. 9, 1894

Chipley, Robt Lee

June 1896

Darnell, Minnie (Mrs. Strunch)Mar. 9, 1894

Chipley, Marvin

June 1896

Darnell, Annie

Mar. 9, 1894

Cobb, Mrs. Sudie B.

Apr. 12, 1892

Ducket, Mrs. M. E.

Oct. 6, 1889

Coleman, Richard G.

Sep. 24, 1893

Dargan, Mrs. A. H.

Coleman, Mrs. Mamie

Feb. 24, 1896

Dorn, J. C.

Jan. 15. 1899

Clem, John H.

May 3, 1896

Davis, W. A.

Jan. 20. 1901

Clem, Mrs. L

May 3, 1896

Davis, Mrs. W. A.

Jan. 20, 1901

Clem, Rosa (Parkman)

June 1896

Dibble, Dr. E. M.

1900

Clem, Miss E. E.

June 1896

Coleman, L.M.

June 1896

Epting, Mrs. W. A.

1896

Coleman, Cora L

June 1896

Epting, Ethel

June 1896

Clyde, W. A.

Nov. 28, 1897

Evans, F. S.

Oct. 4, 1901

Clyde, Mrs. Ella M.

1882

Carter, C. P.

Nov. 1898

Forshe, Mrs. Eldora

Feb. 5, 1894

Carter, Mrs. Julia J.

Nov. 1898

Furgurson, J. W.

1901

Carter, Rosa

Nov. 1898

Furgurson, Mrs. M. J.

1901

Harry R. Mays

199

Harmon, Carrie Lou

Jan. 1896

Gaoe,A.A.

Harmon, Maggie

Jan. 1896

Gage, Mrs. Emma

Feb. 16, 1890

Harmon. Geo. T.

Jan. 1896

Greene, Mrs. Mary L

Hays. Mrs. Alma B.

Jan. 1896

Greene, Emma (Rev. B. R.

Hardy, J. E.

Nov. 1898

Turnipseed)

Oct. 23, 1887

Hart, Geo. A.

Nov. 1898

Greene. Wightman

Jan. 29. 1893

Harper, Miss Sallie B.

Nov. 1898

Greene, Walter K.

Jan. 29, 1893

Hinton, J. R.

July 18, 1899

Green, Mrs. Hellen

Nov. 12, 1892

Hammond, G. C.

Apr. 1900

Golding, J. R.

Hutchinson. Mrs. Annie

1901

Gambrell,W.G.

Jan. 22. 1895

Huiet, Miss Ida

Gambrell, Hellen C.

May. 1896

Huiett, Miss Sarah

Giles, Sue E.

Oct. 1898

Graham, N. M.

Aug. 6, 1899

Iter, Alonzo

June 1896

Graham, J. L.

Aug. 6. 1899

Her, Abbie

June 1896

Graham, Miss Providence

Aug. 6, 1899

Iter, W. B.

June 1896

Greene, Nellie

1900

Iter, Mrs. Susan

June 1897

Grant, R. A.

1901

Her. Heltena

June 1897

Grant, Mrs. R. A.

1901

Her, Isabella

June 1897

GrantldelleA.

1901

Gambrell, J. C.

Nov. 1901

Jester, D. W.

Feb. 29, 1896

Gambrell, Mrs. W. K.

Nov. 1901

Jester, Mrs. E. M.

Feb. 29, 1896

Goddord.J.E.

Dec. 16. 1901

Jester, M. A.

Feb. 1897

Jester, Sallie A.

Feb. 1897

Hodges, Geo. C.

Jester, Jesste Bill

Feb. 1897

Hodges, Julia

July 20, 1884

Jester, Leonidae

Feb. 1897

Hodges, Gabriella

Jan. 31, 1888

Johnson, J. J.

1899

Hodges, Mrs. Geo. C.

Nov. 13, 1892

Jenkins, N. 0.

Nov. 19, 1896

Hodges, Hal W.

Jan. 27, 1893

Jenkins, Mrs. M. T.

Nov. 19, 1896

Hodges, Geo. C. Jr.

Jan. 27, 1893

Johnson, R. B.

Hodges, Susie

June 20, 1897

Johnson, Mrs. Anna R.

Hartzog, H. Graham

Jan. 14, 1887

Jenkins, J. G.

Jan. 6, 1900

Hartzog, Anna T.

Jan. 14, 1887

Jenkins, Mrs. L S.

Jan. 6, 1900

Huiet, Geo. F.

Mar. 25, 1896

Jenkins, Mrs. M.E.

Jan. 6, 1896

Huiet, Mrs. Alice

Mar. 25, 1896

Jester, Nina

Nov. 1900

Huiet, Jno. H.

Nov. 1898

Home, Geo.

Feb. 22. 1896

Keller, J. Frank

Aug. 30. 1891

Home, Mrs. S. L.

Feb. 22, 1896

Keller, Mrs. Dora

Aug. 30, 1891

Harmon, Mrs. M. L

Jan. 1896

Keller, Jas. F., Jr.

June 1896

Harmon, Lavinia

Jan. 1896

Kennerley, W. J. R.

June 5, 1892

200

History of Main Street United Methodist Church

Kennerley, Julia C.

July 30, 1893

Morris, Susie

Sept. 17, 1890

Klim, Mrs. Lida A.

May 1884

Morris, Paul

Feb. 26, 1893

Kelly, Mrs. Susan

Nov. 1898

Morris, Rosa C.

June 1896

Kirton, L L

Jan. 1900

Miller. Rev. J. T.

Dec. 11. 1892

Kirton.W.O'B.

Jan. 1900

Miller, Mrs. Emma

Dec. 11. 1892

Miller, Eustace

Dec. 11, 1892

Langley, J. B.

Feb. 22, 1896

Miller, Lottie

Dec. 11, 1892

Langley, Mrs. J. 8.

Feb. 22, 1896

Miller, Norman

Dec. 11, 1892

Lott, Sam1 R.

Jan. 1,1896

Medlock, Sallie J.

May 28. 1898

Lent, Jessie

Jan. 29, 1899

Manley, M. E.

Feb. 19. 1896

Lot, William

1898

Manley, Mrs. Mary

Feb. 19, 1896

Manley, W. C.

Nov. 16. 1896

Major, S. G.

1878

Manley, M. G.

Nov. 16, 1896

M^r, Mrs. Matilda

1878

Manley, Marie

Nov. 16, 1896

Major, Eliza M.

1878

Manley, W. J.

Nov. 16, 1896

Major, Annie E.

May 1884

McCarthey, F. S.

Jan. 1891

Major, Nannie 1.

May 1884

McCarthey, Mrs. F. J.

Feb. 11, 1896

Major, Jno. M.

Oct. 1888

Milligan, Mrs. A. A.

Jan. 10, 1896

Major, Lou Ella

McMillen,J.T.

1898

Major, Carlisle

McKissick, Jno. E.

Nov. 1898

M^r, Robt. M.

Jan. 1884

Meriwether, Mrs. A. E.

Nov. 1898

M^r, Mary Lou

Meriwether, W. A.

Nov. 1898

Major, Joe M.

Sept. 1897

McKellar, Mrs. Ida

Oct. 1885

Major, M.E.

Sepl 1897

Masters, J. D.

Nov. 29, 1898

Major,J.R.T.

Sept. 1897

Masters, Margaret H.

Nov. 29, 1898

Major, C. L.

Sept. 1897

Masters, Lillie

Nov. 29, 1898

McGhee, Miss Julia

Masters, J. A.

Nov. 29, 1898

McGhee.S.H.

Masters, M. L

Nov. 29, 1898

McGhee, Hellen

Mar. 15, 1891

McDowell, Mrs. Sdota

Feb. 5, 1894

McGhee, Frank

Mar. 15, 1891

Maxwell, Jno. L

Jan. 10, 1899

McGhee, Rutledge

Jan. 29, 1893

Maxwell, Nannie E.

Jan. 10, 1899

McGhee, Abner H.

Feb. 26, 1893

McKenzie, J. K.

Jan. 15, 1899

McGhee, Mary

July 1897

McKenzie, S. A. E.

Jan. 15, 1899

Medlock, Jas. T.

Miller, Mrs. Florence

Jan. 29, 1899

Medlock, Mrs. Kate

Meriwether, Wallen(?)

March 1899

Moore, Louis M.

Jan. 10, 1889

McKellar, Peter

April 16, 1899

Moore, Mrs. Emma B.

Jan. 10, 1889

McKellar, Nora V.

April 16, 1899

Murphy, Mrs. Susan

May 18, 1889

Manly, Laura E.

June 22, 1899

Morris, A. A.

Sept. 17, 1890

McKenzie, T. B.

Jan. 15, 1900

Morris, Mrs. Janie M.

Sept. 17, 1890

Morris, Udia(?)

June 1900

Harry

R. Mays

201

Magiil, Bessie

Nov. 1900

Sample, Bouiware

McCoy, J. W.

Jan. 5, 1901

Simmons, Jno. M.

McCoy. Mrs. J. W.

Jan. 5, 1901

Sturkey, P. L

Oct. 4, 1891

Major, Lewis

1901

Sturkey, Mrs. Carrie S.

Oct. 4, 1891

Moore, Edwin

1901

Sturkey, Edgar L.

Oct. 4, 1891

McCarthy, Anderson

1901

Sturkey, Ethel

Jan. 17, 1892

Magiil, Mrs. D. H.

Sturkey, Raymond D.

Sept. 24, 1893

Magiil, Kate

South, J. H.

Apr. 21, 1893

Manly, Walter J.

South, Mrs. Alice

Apr. 21. 1893

South, Christeen

Sept. 24, 1893

Ouzts, J. A.

Feb. 5, 1894

Seago, Jno. D.

1897

Ouzts, Kella L.

Feb. 5, 1894

Seago, Ella P.

1897

Ouzts, Eulala

Feb. 5, 1894

Stackhouse, W. F.

1897

Ouzts, Ernest

Feb. 5, 1894

Sheridan, F. M.

1897

Ouzts, Wilmer

Feb. 5, 1894

Sheridan, Mrs. T. P.

1897

Owens, Wister

1896

Sadler, Mrs. Eliza

Nov. 1898

Oxner, H. C.

June 1,1896

Sanders, Mrs. Annie

Oxner, N. E.

June 1,1896

Sturkey, Alma

1901

Ouzts, Martha B.

June 1,1896

Ouzts, Volenea E.

June 1,1896

Turner, Mrs. Emma T.

Ouzts, John

June 1,1896

Turner, Saml. S.

Nov. 1890

Turner, Mrs. Eunice

Nov. 1890

Pemt)erton, Mrs. Fannie

Mar. 2, 1890

Turner, Capers

July 30, 1893

Phillips, J. F.

Jan. 18, 1900

Turner, Runett M.

June 1.1896

Plummer

June 1900

Turnipseed, Mrs. M. T.

Plummer, Mrs.

June 1900

Turnipseed, L. A.

Pucket,W.S.

Talbert, Mrs. Jas.

Jan. 1900

Rampy, Geo. W.

Waller, Cadmus G.

Rampy, Mrs. C. M.

Dec. 29, 1890

Waller, M. Emma

Rampy, Mamie E.

May 1884

Waller, Coleman B.

Mar. 1884

Rushton, Miss Floride

Nov. 1898

Waller, Daisey

Oct. 10, 1886

Rhame, C. C.

Mar. 26, 1899

Walker, T.H.

Aug. 15, 1886

Rushton, David

1901

Walker, Ella C.

Rushton, Shadie

1901

Wilkinson, Chars. E.

Rushton, Theododa

1901

Wilkinson, Catherine L

Wilkinson, Johnsie

Mar.15,1891

Sample, Jno. B.

Wilkinson, Daisey

Oct. 16, 1892

Sample, J. Blane

Watson, W. H.

Jan. 19, 1889

Sample, Mrs. Mary E.

Watson, Anna R.

Jan. 19, 1889

202

History of Main Street United Methodist Church

Watson, Thos. H.
Watson, Matilda T.
Watson, Jana B.
Watson, Willie R.
Watson, Alphius
Watson, H. Shorter
Ward, Mrs. Mary
Ward, Jonas
Watson, A. C.
Watson, Mrs. R. E.
Watson, Maud
Watson, Fay

Jan. 19, 1889

Oct. 6, 1889

Aug. 17, 1890

Feb. 26, 1893

Jan. 1894

May 30, 1896

Dec. 1,1897

Dec. 1.1897

Dec. 1,1897

Wrigtit,W.T.
Wtiitlock,W.H.
Whitlock, Mrs. Nora
Wilson, J. K.
Wilson. Mrs. C.V.
Wood, J. R.
Wood. Mrs. J. R.
Watson, Mrs. Thos. H.
Watson, Mary G.
Wharton, J. B.
Wharton, Mrs. J. B.
Wharton, Floride

Jan. 29, 1899

Jan. 29. 1899

Jan. 15. 1900

Dec. 21. 1899

Feb. 1900

Nov. 1900

Nov. 1901

Appendix II

MINISTERS

GREENWOOD METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH 1858 • 1908

MAIN STREET METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH 1908 - 1939

MAIN STREET METHODIST CHURCH 1939 - 1968

MAIN STREET UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 1968 - 1992

APPOINTMENT AND YEAR
NINETY SIX CIRCUIT

PASTOR IN CHARGE

1858-1859
1860-1862

COKESBURY CIRCUIT

William H. Lawton
John Mason Carlisle
Samuel Barskdale Jones,
Supernumerary

1863

1864

1865-1866

1867-1868

1869

1870

1871

GREENWOOD CIRCUIT

John Mason Carlisle
Samuel Barksdale Jones,
Supernumerary
Lewis Manna Little
Samuel Barksdale Jones,
Supernumerary
William Pledger Mouzon
James T. Kilgo
W. S. Black
John A. Mood
John Wesley Murray

1872-1873

1874-1875

1876-1877

1878

1879

1880-1881

1882-1883

William M. Hutto
John Wesley Murray
Robert Porter Franks
Richard D. Smart
John Alexander Porter
William Carr Power
Rot)ert Newton Wells

203

204 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

1 884 - 1 886 William Anson Rogers

1887-1888 Frederick Auld

1889 John Marcellus Steadman

GREENWOOD STATION (with Tranquil Church)

1 890 - 1 891 Robert Edgar Stackhouse

1892 Pierce Fleming Kilgo

GREENWOOD CHURCH

1893 William Henry Hodges

1 894 - 1 895 Artemas Briggs Watson
1896-1898 Marion Dargan

1 899 Rufus Alexander Child

1 900 - 1 901 Preston Lafayette Kirton

1 902 - 1 905 William Augustus Massebeau

1 906 - 1 908 Melvin Bookman Kelly

MAIN STREET CHURCH

1909 Melvin Bookman Kelly

1910-1913 James W. Kilgo

1914-1917 Loring Price McGee

1918-1921 Barnwell Rhett Tumipseed

1922 Alexander Nelson Brunson

1 922 - 1 926 Francis Eldon Dibble

1 926 - 1 929 William Butler Garrett

1 929 - 1 932 Edward Robert Mason

1 932 - 1 936 Raymond Lee Holroyd

1936 - 1941 Lemuel Edgar Wiggins

1 941 - 1 945 Fritz Chester Beach

1945-1947 William Louie Mullikin

1 947 - 1 95 1 John Monroe Shingler

1951 - 1957 James Foster Lupo

1 957 - 1 961 John Walter Johnson

1 961 - 1 965 Samuel Rufus Glenn

1 965 - 1 970 John Madison Younginer, Sr.

1 970 - 1 975 James Adelbert Merchant

1975-1979 Harry Roy Mays

Harry R.Mays 205

1 979 - 1 985 Needham Rodgers Williamson

1 985 - 1 989 Clinton Jones Lupo, Jr.

1 989 - Carios Owen Gardner, Jr.

NOTES:

1 . Until the twentieth century, appointment years and calendar years coincided.

2. Samuel Barksdale Jones served as interim pastor on two occasions when John
Mason Carlisle served as a chaplain with Confederate Army troops.

3. While William Louie Mullikin was ill during his pastorate, Dr. J. Marvin Rast and the
Rev. Fred Colley Owen, President and Assistant to the President respectively at Lander
College, provided both "pastoral and preaching service" for Main Street Church.

Ministers

W.H. Lawton

J. M. Carlisle

S. B. Jones

L. M. Little

W. P. Mouzon

J.T.Kilgo

W. S. Black

J. A. Mood

J. W. Murray

Harry R. Mays

207

No Photo
Avaiable

W. M. Hutto

R. P. Franks

R. D. Smart

J. A. Porter

W. C. Power

R. N. Wells

W. A. Rogers

F. Auld

J. M. Steadman

208 Histoiy of Main Street United Methodist Church

R. E. Stackhouse

P. F. Kilgo

W. H. Hodges

A. B. Watson

M. Dargan

R. A. Child

P. L. Kirton

W. A. Massebeau

M. B. Kelly

Harry R. Mays

209

J. W. Kilgo

L. P. McGee

B. R. Turnipseed

A. N. Brunson

F. E. Dibble

W. B. Garrett

E. R. Mason

R. L. Holroyd

L. E. Wiggins

210 Histoiy of Main Street United Methodist Church

F. C. Beach

W. L. Mullikin J. M. Shingler

J. F. Lupo

J. W. Johnson

S. R. Glenn

J. M. Younginer, Sr. J. A. Merchant

H. R. Mays

Harry R. Mays

211

N. R. Williamson

C. J. Lupo, Jr.

C. 0. Gardner, Jr.

ASSOCIATE MINISTERS
UNDER APPOINTMEhTT BY THE BISHOP

APPOINTMENT YEAR

ASSOCIATE MINISTER

1965-1966
1967-1970
1971-1972
1973-1974
1975-1978
1980-1981
1982-1985
1986-1991

Jerry 0. Cook

Franklin B. Buie

Rutledge Dantzler Sheridan, Jr.

William H. Felder

N. Keith Polk, Jr.

Lee Patrick McDonald

Mary Teasley Unrue

Paul D. Prey

Associate Ministers

No Photo
Available

J. Cook

F. B. Buie

R. D. Sheridan, Jr.

N. K. Polk, Jr.

L. McDonald

M. V. Teasley-Unrue

P. D. Frey

Appendix III

VETERANS OF WORLD WARS

Following are lists of members of Main Street Church who have served in two World
Wars. No such lists of members who served in the Civil War, the Spanish American
War, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War are available.

World War I

Edgar Alexander
T. Loryea Alexander
Bradford Arrington
Hubard R. Ashmore
C. A. Ballentine
James C. Banister
Frank Beacham
Charles M. Biain
Joseph M. Blain
J. C. Bowen
Horace Brinson
Thomas Bullock
Robert Chipley
Earl Cobb
Julian W. Coleman
Karl Coleman
Leiand Abney Coleman
Whit Conneley
Graham P. Curry
Olin M. Dantzler
Rev. Marion Dargan, Jr.
William H. Dargan
James 0. Duffie
Howard Ellis

John Douglas Featherstone
Lionell Fouche
Broadus Foy
George W. Furqueron
T. Benjamin Greneker
George Harper
Motte Hartzog

James Furman Herbert
Thomas Carlisle Herbert
Rev. R. W. Humphries
Clifford Jay
William Kilgo Jay
Joe G. Jenkins
Ralph S. Jenkins
John W. Jennings
Alvin Jester
Clyde D. Keller
Harold S. Kennerly
William Julian Kennerly
Benjamin L. Kilgo
Charles E. Klugh
Dr. G. F. Klugh
Charles F. B. Major
Ira B. Major
Dr. J. L. Marshall
Eugene McDonald
Archibald McMahan
Robert T. Medlock
S. Louis Major
James Curtis Miller
Gray E. Moore
William A. Moore
Edwin F. Moseley
John Abney Payne
Joel Pinson
J. W. Scott, Jr.
Hugo G. Sheridan
Olin Shirley

213

214

History of Main Street United Methodist Church

Walker Shirley
Dr. John F. Simmons
W. T. Spragens
Joe Sprott
Thomas T. Sprott
George Sullivan
H. P. Sutherlin
James Teddards
All)ert Lee Timmerman
Bryce W. Tolbert
J. C. Towles
Samuel Turner
Clyde Ward
Willie Odell Ward

A. C. Watson, Jr.
Ray Watson
Claude Welch
Earie M. Wharton
James P. Wharton
Joe Pinson Wharton
Whitfield Carlisle Wharton
Leonard F. Whitlock
R.H.Whitlock
Charles Williams
Talmage Wix
Louis B. Wright
*Frank Yates
*Killed on Mexican Border

World War II

Effie Ariail Adams
John C. Agnew, Jr.
Sam A. Agnew, Jr.
Herbert L. Allen
William C. Alston, Jr.
Hazel B. Anderson
John McLaurin Appelt
Charlie E. Ariail
Eugene F. Arnold
Richard E. Arnold
John R. Ballentine
George B. Beach
Jerrold W. Beach
John W. Bledsoe
James P. Boulware, Jr.
William Grier Bowers
Elbert H. Bowie
Cecil 0. Browning
Samuel I. Buist, Jr.
Carl Bulbck
Robert M. Bullock
Marion Leon Byrd
Talmadge P. Callison
Smith Hardin Camp

William K. Charles, Jr.
James Bradley Chiles
Robert L. Chipley, Jr.
Dacus E. Clark
Lander M. Clegg
Wiley L. Cronic
Morton E. Davis
Carl F. Dickert
Wilbur Wesley Dickert
James Madison Edwards
Capers M. Gambrell
Sue Gambrell
William M. Gambrell
James W. Gardner
Clyde F. Gan-en, Jr.
James H. Godfrey
Gladstone Goggans, Jr.
Paul Welch Goggans
Joseph J. Greene
James Carlisle Griffin
*lrvin V. Griffin, Jr.
John Ray Griffin
Marvin Reynolds Griffin
Frank J. Haddon, Jr.

Harry R. Mays

215

Clement C. Hall, Jr.
Herman Boyd Harting
John B. Harris, Jr.
Wesley B. Harris
James F. Hatchell
*Clyde Franklin Henderson
William Eugene Henderson
Furman P. Hipp
Benjamin M. Hollingsworth, Jr.
Chartes Walton Hollingsworth
Egl)ert W. Hollingsworth
Frank W. Hollingsworth
Sarah Hollingsworth
John H. Huiet
Clifton Tyrah Jay, Jr.
Leslie C. Jay
John Raymond Jolly
David Thomas Joyce
John Wharton Keller
Man/in A. Keller
E. P. Latimer
E. D. Law
Jack Lawrence
John M. Lawrence
Rot)ert 0. Lawton, Jr.
John William Ledt)etter
Elliott M. Loyless, Jr.
Herman W. Mabry, Jr.
Thomas R. Major
Benjamin F. Mart}ert
Fred S. Martin
John Allen Mason
Andrew Cauthen Matthews
James 0. Matthews, Jr.
Ben R. Moye
*Olin S. Munnerlyn, Jr.
Wesley S. Murph
Sam L. McCleskey, Jr.
Henry D. McGhee
Doris McKinney

Henry E. McKinney, Jr.
William Izlar McKinney
W.T.McLeod
J. Cecil McMahan
S. E. McMillan
Thomas Harold McNeill
Benjamin E. Nicholson
John C. Norris
*aeveland M. Ouzts
H. Graham Patton
*John Saxon Payne
J. Matthew Pinson
Ernest Carlton Rabom
L. Roy Rabom
W. Curtis Reams
Jack Rice, Jr.
Walter Roy Ridlehuber
Leonard Rykard
Robert H. Rykard
Clarence Thomas Scott
James C. Self, Jr.
Charles W. Smith
Jack C. Smith
Maryan H. Smith
Edward K. Snead, Jr.
Frank P. Stadler
John T. Stone
*Henry M. Taylor
Thomas T. Taylor
William Aaron Taylor
Ralph W. Tharpe
C. Y. Thomason, Jr.
Herbert A. Thompson
Heyward Earl Thompson
William H. Timmerman, Jr.
George Robert Towles
Howard Towles
Eddie M. Vaughn, Jr.
John A. Walker
J. B.Walker, Jr.

21 6 Histoiy of Main Street United Methodist Church

Richard H. Wallace M. Garrett Williams

John A. Wells Elliott A. Williford

W. Carlisle Wharton, Jr. Martin C. Wise. Jr.

Julian W. White, Jr. Truman L. Witt

Rol)ert W. White Sam M. Youngblood, Jr.
Charles Lewis Williams

Joseph Yates Williams * Gold Star Names

Bibliography

A. LOCAL CHURCH RECORDS

Until 1889 no congregational records of consequence exist. As the church moved
toward station status Church Conference, Quarterly Conference, and forms of expected
church records are available. It is known that some older records were lost through a
general lack of concern on the part of some in the church for the preservation of such
documents. For example, George Hodges wrote in the Advocate tiefore the twentieth
century that the lx)ok containing Church Conference reports from 1858 until atwut 1890
had been lost through the carelessness of an unnamed church memt)er who failed to
realize the value of this item.

Nevertheless, it is fair to say that after 1890 a good supply of documentation from
the church records was available for research.

B. NEWSPAPERS EXAMINED

Greenwood Times

Greenwood Tribune

Greenwood Light

Greenwood Index

Greenwood Journal

Greenwood Index-Journal

Edgefield Advertiser

Abbeville Press and Banner

Abbeville Independent Press

Southern Christian Advocate

South Carolina Methodist Advocate

South Carolina United Methodist Advocate

C. ANNUAL CONFERENCE JOURNALS

Journals of the South Carolina Annual Conference, The Methodist Episcopal Church,

South
Journals of the Upper South Carolina Annual Conference, The Methodist Episcopal

Church, South
Journals of the Upper South Carolina Annual Conference, The Methodist Church

217

21 8 History of Main Street United Methodist Church

Journals of the South Carolina Annual Conference, The Methodist Church
Journals of the South Carolina Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church

D. BOOKS OF DISCIPLINE

The Methodist Episcopal Church, South

The Methodist Church

The United Methodist Church

E. BOOKS OF METHODIST HISTORY

Betts, A. D. History of South Carolina Metiiodism. The Advocate Press, 1952.
Charles, W. K., Sr. History of Main Street Churcti, Greenwood. Soutti Carolina, 1858-

1958. 1958.
Chreitzburg, A. M. Early h4ethodism in the Carolinas. Publishing House of The Methodist

Episcopal Church, South, 1897.
Herd, E. Don,Jr. Mount Ariel— Cokesbury, South Carolina. A Biography of an Ufxx)untry

Utopian Community. Volume I: Tat)ernacle-Mount Ariel, 1788-1834. Volume II:

Cokesbury, 1835-1860. Volume III: Cokesbury, 1861-1918. 1979.
Huff, Archie Vernon, Jr. History of South Carolina United Methodism. The Print Shop,

1984.
Potts, J. Manning, Editor. The Journal and Letters of Francis Asbury, (3 volumes). The

Methodist Publishing House, 1958.
Shipp, A. M. The History of Methodism in South Carolina. Southern Methodist

Publishing House, 1884.

F. GREENWOOD HISTORY BOOKS

Calhoun, C. M. History of Greenwood. Index Job Print, No date.
Calhoun, C. M. Uberty Dethroned. Index Job Print, 1903.
Robinson, G. 0. The Character of Quality R. L. Bryan Company, 1964.
Watson, Margaret. Greenwood County Sketches —Old Roads and Early Families. The
Attic Press, 1982.

G. OTHER SPECIALIZED TEXTS

Baker, Mary Neal. The Economic History of Abbeville District, 1860-1876. (Unpublished
thesis written in partial fulfillment of a Master of Arts Degree at the University
of South Carolina.)

Butler, Mrs. F.A. History of the Women's Foreign Missionary Society, The M.E. Church.

Harry R. Mays 219

South. 1904.
Carlton, D. L. Mill and Town in South Carolina, 1880-1920. University of South Carolina

Press, 1967.
Smitti, Alfred Glaze, Jr. Economic Readjustment of an Old Cotton State: South Carolina.

University of South Carolina Press, 1965.
Stokes, Ftev. A. J. The Epiphany of Women. 1902.

H. OTHER GREENWOOD HISTORICAL ITEMS

'Our Old Roads." (A series of newspaper columns written by Harry Legare Watson and
published between August 18, 1940, and Febnjary 4, 1950, in the Greenwood
Index-Journal.)

Cemetery Records of Greenwood Cemetery, East Cambridge Street, and Magnolia

Cemetery, Magnolia Avenue, Greenwood, S.C. (An unpublished inventory pre-
pared by the Old Ninety Six Genealogical Society, Greenwood, S. C.)

First Annual Catalogue, 1848, Fuller Institute, Greenwood, S.C.

Catalogue of Hodges Institute for 1858, Greenwood, S.C.

I. OTHER DOCUMENTS

The Cokesbury District Journal, The South Carolina Annual Conference, The Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, 1867-1897. (A manuscript record of the annual District
Conference sessions.)

Fifteen Reasons for Selecting Greenwood as the Site for Columbia College. (A brochure
prepared during the effort to have Columbia College moved to Greenwood.)

Index

Abbeville Circuit 26
Ackerman, Dr. Steve, 183
Adams, Joe, 177
Alewine, Barrett Thomas, 181
Alewine.FredH..177,192
Alewine, Miriam, 152, 170, 192
Alexander, Agnes, 109
Allen, Dr. Charles, 182,183
Anderson, H. A., 105
Anderson, Mrs. W.E, 45
Andrews, J. L, 87,89
Andrews.J.S.,119,129
Annual Conference, 79, 81, 82, 83,

112,126
Annual Conference, entertainment

of, 1898, 79-84; 1919, 112;

1932, 124; 1935, 126; 1943,

139:1944,142
Annual Conference Woman's

Foreign Missionary Sodety,

entertainment of, 54-55
Arnold, Clarence Gilbert, 150, 1 70-

171,173
Amngton,Sue, 177
Asbury, Bishop Francis, 18, 29,

161.193
Atkinson, A.L, 171
Auld, Frederick. 53, 54, 55, 66, 74
AukJ, Mrs. Olin, 94
Averill,C.N.,35

Bailey, James A., 27,31

Bailey, Mary Hodges (Mrs. Samuel

A.), 27, 29
Bailey, R.A., 27
Bailey Military Institute. 120
Ballentine, George, Sr., 171, 192
Beach, Fritz Chester, 136. 137,

138,142,143,145
Beaty, F.L,120
Beaudrot, Martha Tinsley. 190
Bennett, Dr. R.H., 120
Bethea, Dr. Joseph, 183

Bethea, Nettie. 62

Blake.R.P.,87,89

Blayk)ck, Charles D., 117

Bkxnquist Bert 169

Bk>w,J.H.,36

Bobo, William, N., 177, 187

Bourne. Mrs. Helen, 45. 190

Brown, Manning, 31

Buie, Franklin B., 162

Byrd,A.C.,177

Byrd, Mrs. Elizabeth (Eliza), 26, 27,

29
Byrd. Captain Thomas B.. 29-30

Calhoun. Mrs. Anna, 35
Calhoun, Dr. Franklin Ramsey, 30
Campbell, J.B., 67
Campbell, Mrs. J.P., 71
Campground, the Methodist 23
Candler, Bishop Asa. 98
Cariisle, John Mason, 26, 31 . 32,

33, 34, 37
Games, Jacinta, 134, 138
Cauthen, Andrew Jackson, Jr., 61,

181
Centenary Fund, 111,115
Chandler,Joe,184,192
Chandler, W.Harry, 157, 160, 164
Chapel, the, 22, 24
Charles, W.K.Sr.. 128. 129. 145.

146,152,156,157,191
Charies,Mrs.W.K.,Sr.,152
Cheerful Chenjb Kindergarten, 171
Cheezem, Dr. James, 1 73
Chetwynd, Ivan, 1 79
ChikJ, Rufus Alexander, 84, 85, 86,

87.88
Chipley,J.S.,80,95
Chipley, Marvin S.. 105. 113
Chovan. Laura Arrington. 1 77
Church Extension, Board of, 64,

114,115
Church Extensbn, General Board

of. 95

Claric. Bishop Roy C, 185
Class meetings, 28, 51
Clyde. WA. 80
Clyde, Mrs. W.A., 45
Cobb. Eliza, 45
Cobb.LtR.S.,35
Coke, Thomas, 161
Cokesbury (Mount Ariel), South

Carolina, 19
Cokesbury Chapel, 161
Cokesbury Circuit 26, 31 , 32, 37,

41,42.60
Collins, Mrs. MittieF.. 125
Columbia Female College. 34, 87
Conner, George, 18
Cook, Jerry, 161
Cunningham, J.C, 120

Dargan, Anna Hicklin (Mrs.

Marion), 69
Dargan, Edina, 69
Dargan, Marion, 67, 69, 70. 71, 74.

78.84
Dargan, Marion. Jr., 69
Dargan, William, 69
Dariington, Bishop U.V.W.. 112
Davis, G.W., 58
Davis, James F., 27, 35, 58, 62, 64,

75,80,91,96,115,142
Davis, Mrs. James F., 45
Davis, Roberts., 155, 157
Davis, Mrs. Robert 155, 157
Dawsey, Bishop Cyms, 155
Deaconess (Miss Lucy Epps), 101-

103
Deadwyler, Mrs. C.A., 100
Dibble, F.E., 116, 117. 118
Donnelly. S.T.. 35
Drake, Ann, 191

Drake Sunday School Class, 1 76
Dukes, Lynn, 184
Dumont David. 184
Dunbar. F.F.. 61, 62
Dunbar and Mays, 64

220

Duncan, Bishop William Wallace,

55,82
DuPre, D.C., 87
DurstJ.K.,54,86,87
Durst William C, 56, 60
Durst, William Lowndes, 86

Edfvards, Frank Haden, 1 77

Elkin, Lois, 190

Elliott, Mrs. J.M., 134, 137

Episcopalians, 72

Epps, Miss Lucy. 101-103

Epting,Dr.R.B.,62.80,87,89

Epting, Mrs. R.B., 96

Epwortti League, 73, 75, 130, 133,

141
Evans.CaplF.S.,9294.99
Evans, S.R., 87

Featherstone, Judge C.C, 88, 105,

112,115,154,185,191
Feattierstone, Mrs.C.C.,154
Featherstone, J. Douglas, 128,

129,154,159,164,188
Featherstone, Christine (Mrs. J.

Douglas), 154, 188
Fellowship Class, 144
Ficklin, Edith Coglxifn, 177
Ficklin, John Thomas, 177
Rinchum, Kenneth, 171
Ford, A.M., 75
Foster, James, 17
Frey, Paul, 188, 191
Frey, Ruth Ann, 191
Frkly, Dr. William Wallace, 181,

190
Fuller, H.F.. 53
FullerlnstituteforGirls,22,31,53

Gadsden, Dr. James, 179, 180,

181
Gage,A.A.,58,64
Gaml)rell,J.B.,128.129,131,144
Gambrell,W.G.,80
Gardner, Carks, 195

Gardner, Douglas, 194

Gardner, Owen, Jr., 193

Garfiekt James A., 48

Garrett, W.B., 119

Garrison, Bill, 184

Glenn, Samuel Rufus, 157, 160

Godsey, Bill, 192

Godsey.Jeanette, 192

Gokien,J.R..58

Goudy, Robert 16

Graham, H.M., 95

Great Wagon Road, 17

Green, Mrs., 94

Green, Emma, 86

Green, Maude Arrington, 177

Greene, F.C., 62

Greene, James W., 54

Greene, Mrs. J.M., (Mary) 45

Greenwood (South Carolina),

growth of; to 1860, 15-22; post

Civil War, 49, 54, 56, 86, 156
Greenwood Air Base, 138
Greenwood Circuit 42, 43, 45, 48,

50,60
Greenwood Colored Circuit 40-42
Greenwood Methodist Home, 164,

166,172,192
Greenwood Station, 56
Grier, RB., 87
Griffin, Irvin v.. Jr., 145

Hackney, Priscilla Gallegly, 1 70

Hamilton, Miss Frances, 133-134

Hanging of the Greens, 191

Hardin, Bishop Paul, Jr., 1W

Harding, Nan Roark, 190

Harmon, Bishop Nolan B., 156

Harmon, Bob, 189

Harper, Dr. J.C, 105

Harrell,H.H.,106

Harrell, Bishop Costen J., 149

Harris, John B., 171

Harrison, I.C., 121

Hart George W., 99, 105, 110

Hartzog,H.G.,80,115

Hayes, R.M., 89

Henderson, Clyde F, 145

Henderson, Kathy Cheezem, 190

Herbert R.Bryce, 183

Herd, E. Don, Jr., 19, 191

Hinton,V.R.,53

Hoang,Binh,174

Hoang,Dao,174

Hoang, Huong Van, 174

Hoang, Luy, 174

Hoang, Minh, 174

Hoang, Nam, 174

Hoang, Phuong Van, 174

Hoang, Tarn, 174

Hodges, Alma Elise Kennedy

(Mrs. William Henry), 64
Hodges, Ella B., 30
Hodges, George C, 27, 28, 58, 61 ,

64,75,76,78,80,87,92,93.

94,96,99,104,105,106,115,

119, 191
Hodges, G.C., Jr., 105
Hodges, Mary, 30
Hodges, William Henry, 64
Hoke, Mr., 80
Holland, J.A., 120
Hollingsworth,C.W.,121,127,128
Holroyd, Raymond L, 124
Holroyd, W.C, 144, 145, 191
Horse Racing, 40
Hughes, Bishop Edwin Holt 143,

144
Huiett G.S., 80
Humbert J.W., 54
Humbert Mrs, 55
Hut Class, the, 168
Hutton, Adrienne, 184
Hutto, William, 43

Inwin, Evelyn Simpson, 177, 193
Irwin, Harry, 193

Jenkins, J.G., 95, 115
Jenkins, N.E., 80
Johnson, Andrew, 30
Johnson, John Walter, 155, 156
Jones, Dr. Samuel Barksdale, 34
Jordan, D.A.P., 64

221

Junior Missionary Society, 1 1 7
Juvenile Misssionary Society, 75,
117

Keller, Mrs. Alonzo, 190

Keller, Mrs. J. FranK 64

Kelly,W.A.,96,98

Kelly, W.C, 100

Kennedy, Mr., 80

Kilgo,JamesA.,103,104

Kilgo, Bishop John C, 136

Kilgo,J.T.,62

Kilgo, J.W., 101

Kilgo, Mrs. J.W., 101

Kilgo, Rev. P.F., 59, 62, 64

King's Daughters, 46, 65

Kirkland,W.D.,62

Kirton, Uila Lee O'Brien (Mrs. P.L),

86
Kirton, Preston Lafayette, 86, 87,

96
Klauber, Dr. William A., 164

Ladies' Parsonage Aid Society, 46,

178
Lamper, J.B., 64
Lancaster, Rev., 98
Lander, Dr. Samuel, 88, 89, 90
LanderCollege,90,91,104,118,

120,139,142,146,150,161
Lawton, James Charles, 35
Lawton, J. Mikell, 35
Lawton, R.O.,105,120
Lawton, Mrs. R.O. 'Buddie," 162,

168
Lawton. William H., 24, 25, 26, 28,

32
Laymen's Movement 99, 101
Lee, Allison, 167
Lee, A. St Claire, 31
Lee, Mrs. A. St Claire, 27
Leigh, UnaMae, 171, 175. 190
Uttle, LM., 37
Lola Smith Sunday School Class,

185
bve Feasts, 51

Lupo,C.J.,Jr.,107,185,191
Lupo. Dr. James Foster, 151 , 154,

160,193
Lupo, Vera, (Mrs. CJ., Jr.) 185, 187
Lupo Methodist Church, 153, 154

157

McConnell,Rev.J.J.,120
McCullough, Carolyn, 150
McDonald, Lee Patrick 183, 184
McGee,LP.,104.106
McGehee, John. 15-16
McGhee. S.H.. 27, 30, 34, 43, 80,

91-92,105,115
McLaughlin, Mrs. Louise, 109
McWatty, Ernest 159
Main Street United Methodist

Church Foundation, 187, 189,

191
Major, Joe, 79

Major, John Robert Turner, 181
Major, R.W.. 52, 53, 55, 56. 58. 61.

75
Major. Mrs. R.W., 45
Major, S.G., 58, 64, 80
Marcengill. Sam, 184-185
Mason, E.R., 122, 144, 145
Mason, Mrs. E.R., 143
Mason Class, 143
Masset)augh,W.A.,87,112
Massengale, Lila, 171
Maund, Christie Young, 190
Mays, Ham'etA., 190, 191
Mays, Harry R., 173
Meadors, Morris Keener, 181
Medlock,J.T.,58,89,93,95,105,

106
Medlock,J.K.,64
Medlock, Mrs. Kate, 45
Medlock,Melvin Kelly, 181
Merchant James A., Jr., 170, 1 73
Merriman. L.D., 27. 64
Merriman, Mrs. LD., 26. 30, 45
Methodist Church, The, 131
MethodistYoulh Fellowship, 141
Mikell, Margaret W., 36
Mickler, P., 64

Miller, John Teague, 75, 168, 181

Missionary Fair, 52

Mood,J.J.,42

Moore, Gray, 170

Moore, L.M., 58, 62, 64, 75, 80

Moore, Dr. R.C., 149

Moore, WJ., 115

Moravian Love Feast 1 78, 187,

191
Moorehead,H.S.,99,115
Morgan. Martha Frances, 133
Morris, A.A., 80
Morton, Henrietta, 171
Mounce, [sic]; Mounts, Rebecca

Redmond (Mrs Robert H.),

27,30
Mounce, Robert H., 30
Mouzon,W.P.,37,38,40
Mullikin, Dr. William Louie, 143,

145,146,147,148
Munnerlyn, Olin S., Jr., 145
Murchison, Colin, 25
Mun'ay,J.M.,43

Nesbitt C.F.,120

Nicholson, Judge Francis, 171 .

179
Nicholson. W.H., 95, 99, 101, 105,

110.115,121,
Nicholson, William H., Jr.. 152,

191
Ninety Six Circuit 24, 25, 26, 31.

32,37,41.48
Ninety Six Colored Circuit 41

Oldham. Mrs. J.M., 45
Olin, Stephen. 19. 97
Osborne. Milton. 27
Osborne, Mrs. Milton, 27, 30
Ouzts, Cleveland M., 145
Ouzts, Clinton, 172, 173
Owen, F.C., 145

Park,J.B..87,89
Parker, Fred Howard, 128

222

Parks, John 1.31.56,58. 64
Parsonagfi Aid Society, the. 1 78
Partkjw, Doris, 150
Patton. J.P..120
Payne, John S., 145
Pert, James, 15
Phelps, Richard, 171. 173
Phillips, Myra Davis, 156
Pinckney, Richard, 184
Pinson,J.W.,58
Polk, N.Keith, Jr.. 173
Porter, JA, 45, 46
Powell, Fred, 171
Powell, Rudy. 184
Power. W.C, 48, 49
Purcell, Bishop Clare, 132,142
Purdue, Charles Ray, 181

Rampey, G.W., 58, 64

Rast Dr. J. Marvin. 139. 142. 145

Redhead, Dr. John. 183

Rice, Jesse. 184

Rivers, Effie Seago, 1 77

Rivers,. L.M., 120

Roark, Walter. 167. 170. 171

Rodgers, Clara (Mrs. Irby B.), 150,

177
Rodgers, Irby B., 177
Rogers, William Anson, 50, 51 . 52
Rogers. Mrs. William Anson. 45
Roosevelt, Franklin D., 142
Roper, Maggie A.. 85
Rosenberg. A.. 87. 89
Rounds, George L. 106

Saint Mark Methodist Church, 1 57
Sample, Mrs. A.P.. 153
Sample, J.B., 58, 64
Schuller, Dr. Robert, 183
Scurry. Mrs. J.C. 151
Self. James C.Sr.. 11 5, 140. 156
Shelley. Greg, 184
Sheridan, F.M., 84
Sheridan, Mrs. F.M.,96
Sheridan, Sadie (Mrs. J.L), 140.
188

Sherrill. John. 177
Shingler. John M.. 148. 183
Sigmon, Bruce R., 164
Simmons. J. T.. 87
Slaves, 4042
Smart, R.D., 44
Smith, Lisa Schulze. 190
Smith, John Q., 154
Smith, Mrs. John a, 154
Smith, Robert W., 128
Snead, Edward, 172
Social Meetings. 43
Sokiers' Aid Society. 37
South Carolina Annual

Conference.1 91 5 division,

104; 1947 reunion, 144-145
Spires, Dr. George, 31
Stackhouse, Robert Edgar, 59,

60.61,62
Stackhouse. W.F.. 80
Steadman.A.C..105
Steadman. John Marcellus, 56
Stephens, Mickey. 150
Stillwell. Marguerite, 161
Stockman. Abner P.. 115. 144.

153,164
Stockman, Mrs. Abner P., 153
Stone, I.T., 121, 128
Stuart, Brooks S.. 164
Stuart. Davki. 154
Stucky. P.L, 64. 80, 94, 99

Tabernacle Academy, 19
Tabernacle Methodist Episcopal

Church. 19. 21
Talbert, Mrs. John, 177
Tally, O.M., 110
Tarrant, Capl J.R., 27, 35
Taylor. A. A.. 128
Taylor. AndrewE.. 121. 125. 129.

131
Taylor. Henry M.. 145
Taylor. T.L.. 115
Teasley.Mrs.W.A..184
Teasley Scout Hut 168
Tinsley, Margaret. 177
Tinsley. William D., 177

Torian, Inez, 138, 142

Tullis, Bishop Eckard, 173, 182

Tumipseed, Rev. B. Rhett, 86,

108,109,110,111,112,113
Tumipseed, Emma Green (Mrs.

B. Rhett), 86
Turpin, Alfred Bell, 30
Turpin, Anna. 27
Turpin. Annie E., 30
Turpin. Biza, 26, 27. 30

United Methodist Church. The,

169
United Methodist Women, 1 70,

190
Unrue, Mary Teasley, 184, 185,

187,188
Unrue, Mike, 184
Upper South Carolina Annual

Conference, 104,139, 142

Vancura,Rev.Vavlav, 119
Vietnam War, 169

Wade, James W.. 192
Walker, Dr. Alistair. 183
Walker, T.H.. 80
Wallace, Bishop, 83
Waller. Albert, 31
Waller. C.A.C.. 87, 89, 112
Waller, Cad G.,58. 62. 64. 80
Waller. Emma (Mrs. Cad G.). 45
Ward, Dr. James E.. 145
Watkins. Bishop Walter!. 133.

136
Watson. Amelia Bonneau

Wightman (Mrs. A.B.). 67
Watson. Artemas Briggs. 66. 67
Watson. Harry Legare, 29
Watson, Mrs. T.H., 121
Wells. Robert Newton. 49
Wesleyan Service Guild. 166
Wesley. Charies. 17
Wesley, John. 17. 97. 193
Wharton. C.C, 105. 110. 129

223

Wharton. J.B., 87, 89
Wharton, Mrs. J.P.. 117
Wharton, Joe P., 114, 119, 145,

191
White, Julian, 140
Whitlock, Frances Arrington, 177
Wiggins, Dr. Casper, 170
Wiggins, LemE, 127, 129. 132,

133,135,136,137
Wightman, Mrs. Bishop William M.,

55,71
Wilkerson,A.S.,128
Wilkerson, Bill, 184
Wilkerson, Shannon, 184
Williams, Glenn, 184
Williams, Mike, 192
Williamson, CileKinard, 190
Williamson, Lawrence, 184
Williamson, Needham, 182, 183
Williamston Female Academy, 88

Williamston Female College. 90
Williams, Zella. 192
Willson,Dr.JamesO.,96,97,106,

111,112
Winfield,Lovick.177
Wise, Betty, 134
Woman's Foreign Missionary

Society, 45. 51, 71, 75. 98.

116.117.121.130.131.190
Woman's Home Missionary

Society. 77, 100. 101. 103
Woman's Society of Christian

Sefvk».131.134.137,149,

151,154,159
Women's Society of Christian

Service, 166, 170
Women's Work.

See Annual Conference

Woman's Foreign Missionary

Society; Juvenile Missionary

Society; King's Daughters;
Ladies' Parsonage Aki Society;
United Methodist Women;
Wesleyan Servk» Guikj;
Woman's Foreign Missk)nary
Society; Woman's Home
Missionary Society; Woman's
Society of Christian Service;
Women's Society of Christian
Servk^
Wright. F.F., 99

Younginer, Dr. John Madison, Sr.,

160,164,170
Young, Kenneth, 171, 172

Zimmerman, Emma, 53

224

DEMCO 38-297

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ISBN 1-881576-09-4

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