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Church History
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The lady in the white stole is Mrs. Frank Johnson. The other three ladies are sisters. In the black dress is Oera Flack Koon (1874 - 1967). To her right is Rutha Jane Flack Byrd (1878 - 1957). The next is Peggy St. Clair's grandmother, Laura Parilee Flack Simpson (1876 - 1961). The man with his hat in front is Frank Nanney's grandfather, Frank Ivan (Champ) Nanney (1861 - 1956). The middle man was our supply pastor at the time, F.A. Bower. And the man on the right is George Morgan. The photo was taken in front of our present church; so it had to be after 1950. Then you can see when the first one died shortly after. We list Rev. Bower as being our supply pastor in 1950 when Dr. Howington left us. Photo Courtesy of Peggy St. Clair.The history provided here is just a small portion from the book, The History of Round Hill Baptist Church, 150 Years (1840 - 1990), written by Rilla Edwards, Liberty Press, Rutherfordton, North Carolina. 1990.
The Mountain Creek Baptist Church was organized in 1789. This was a missionary minded church and mission points were established as 'arms' of the church. The Round Hill 'arm' of the Mountain Creek Baptist Church was establish sometime around the close of the eighteenth century. In 1840, Round Hill was established as an independent church.
In 1889 the Round Hill Baptist Church founded the Round Hill Academy, the only accredited school in the area. In 1925 combined facilities became a public/private campus serving as an orphanage, home for troubled children, children from broken homes and day students from the community. Children at this school attended services at Round Hill Baptist Church.
The church was housed in a number of different buildings until the present one was built in 1950.
Professor W.E. Sweatt came to Union Mills in 1926 and became the principal of the school, which became Alexander School. He coordinated efforts between the school and the church with the desire to provide the children with the best possible Christian education. It was Mr. Sweatt's faith and vision that motivated the community to build the present church, a major and expensive undertaking at the time.
Skeptics doubted that it could be done. A large percentage of the congregation were children who had no other home, and the rest were wage-owners of average income. But the members of the community provided the labor. Farmers chopped down their own trees to provide wood for the construction. Even the children provided assistance with the construction by hauling truckloads of gravel, sand and bricks to the site. They worked late at night to lay the hardwood floors. The congregation was determined to have stained glass windows with pictures of Jesus and high quality pews.
On March 13, 1951, Professor Sweatt was murdered and never got to see the completion of the church that he had envisioned.
The first service in the new church was on the first Sunday in August, 1951. On that day, 600 people attended. It was a sunny day, and the stained glass windows were glorious. The window depicting Jesus blessing the children was made as a memorial to Professor Sweatt.
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Take Up Thy Bed and Walk Suffer Little Children to Come Unto Me I am the Good Shepherd Behold! I Stand at the Door and Knock And Thou Shalt Call His Name Jesus He Was Received Up Into Heaven In Memory of Mr. & Mrs. A.H. Nanney by their children & grandchildren In Memory of W.E. Sweatt who loved Jesus - given by the Sweatt family Dedicated by Nettie Bartles in Memory of her parents, M.V. & Sarah Keeter Bartles and Sister, Frances Bartles Dedicated by the family of Ellen Reid & Frank Ivan (Champ) Nanney In Memory of Mary Ora Flack & Marion Devault Koon Dedicated by Mary Elizabeth & Thomas Clingman Nanney
