BAPT BX 6480 C37 H46 1992 A History Of 1892 <- CASTALIA BAPTIST CHURCH ^ 1992 POSTOFHCEBOX 35 •CASTALIA,N.C. 27816 THE FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS / BYGARLANDA. HENDRICKS WAKE FORESTUNIVERSITY LIBRARY III 3 0399 0786680 G WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY Z. SMITH REYNOLDS LIBRARY BX 6480 C37 H46 1992 Gift of Dr. Garland Hendricks Baptist Coll A HISTORY OF CASTALIA BAPTIST CHURCH THE HRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS: 1892 - 1992 By Garland A. Hendricks, Pastor with the assistance of members and friends ofthe church Preparedfor THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION September20, 1992 PARTI THE CHURCH COMMUNITY THETOWN OF CASTALIA The town of Castalia was incorporated by the North Carolina General Assembly on March 1, 1873. At that time a store operated by James A. Harrison was the community gathering place. It was located near where the Post Office is today. The town limits extended along the Warrenton Road one-half a mile on the west, the same distance along the Nashville Road to the east, and was one-halfa mile wide. Near the center was Peachtree Road in the direction of Spring Hope. Goat Street, named for a nearby goat pasture, was the northbound road. Almost a century earlier, in 1785, David Sills had come to this area from Virginia. He purchased a large tract of land. He purchased more land from time to time until he was reputed to own six square miles of territory. This estate was named "Belford". A doctor son. Grey Sills, practiced medicine here until he became deaf in the 1880's. James Nick Sills, of this family, served as clerk ofthe Nash County Superior Court from 1898 until 1913. His son, Jim Nick Sills, was then appointed to the same position and served until his retirement in 1962. This estate had a large eight room house as well as a store building. Other buildings were constructed. Eventually the place became an overnight stop for stagecoach travelers. In the spring of 1851, a public announcement was made to the effect that anyone interested in attending The Franklin Institute for Boys or The Belford Female Institute should communicate with Dr. G. Sills at Belford. D. S. Richardson was principal at the Franklin Institute, and his wife, Mrs. D. S. Richardson, was principal at Belford Female Institute. Franklin Institute was in the Cedar Rock Community, and Belford Female Institute was located near the Franklin-Nash County line. The Richardsons had moved to this area from New Hampshire. David Richardson was well versed in classical literature and mythology. During the school year, 1852-53, the Franklin Institute at Cedar Rock was burned. Shortly thereafter the Richardsons moved into Nash County, purchased 170 acres of land with buildings, and started another school. The new school was named "Castalia", the name of a place in Greece on Mount Olympus, where the world-famous Castalian Springs is located. This is home of the celebrated "Delphic Oracle". Here at Delphi there was a community of which it was said that the gods revealed hidden knowledge or divine purpose. There were springs out of which flowed water with special healing powers. There are at least three other Castalias in North America; one in Canada, one in Ohio, and one in Iowa. The two schools, one for males and the other for females, operated underauthority ofboards oftrustees. J. B. Outlaw was president and J. A. Harrison was secretary. The female unit offered studies in English, Latin, French, art, guitar, and embroidery. In 1854, the Richardsons moved away. The school system which they left in Nash County was continued. As late as 1866 an entry indicates that there were 24 students, "an increase in number since last year". Adjustments were made. In the early days of Castalia the school was housed on the second floorofa building which was sometimes referred to as "the old yellow store". It was located on Peachtree Street at the rear of the present brick building on the comer of Main and Peachtree Streets. W. J. King, father of Gray King, taught there from 1875 until 1878. W. O. Dunn was another well-known teacher there in the 1890's. Main Street became the dividing line between the Rice School, located several miles South on the road to Spring Hope, and the Griffin School, several miles away in the opposite direction. In 1907, George W. May moved his school from Red Oak to Castalia and made it a boarding school for both boys and girls, 3 with a dormitory for each. In 1896, Miss Rebecca Drake was a leading teacher. In 1898, S. J. Bartholomew gave three acres of land and built a three-room school house. Wingate Underhill was the principal and Miss Temple Lou Underhill and a Miss Tisdale were the other teachers. The fiist free school was taught by Miss Annie Collins in the Phil Hedgepeth house. In 1909 two dormitories were constructed and a high school was begun. Rev. George W. May managed the boarding school from 1906 until the fall of 1909. Oscar Creech was principal from then until 1912. On March 13, 1913, one dormitory was burned. Since 1913, some highlights in education at Castalia are: The L. W. Bobbitt home was built and Mr. Boardbank was principal. Walter Bone of Nashville was principal from 1922 until 1924. W. E. Whisnant was principal in 1925 and 1926. J. S. Hopkins followed, from 1926 until 1931, at which time Miss Eugenia Boone was a teacher. Myrtle Hedgepeth began teaching while H. I. Tharrington was principal from 1943-45. She was principal and teacher for many years after that time. The first Post Office in Nash County was built in 1804. The second was built at Belford. David Sills was Postmaster. In those days the amount ofpostage due was written on the parcel and might be paid by the sender or the receiver. There were no postage stamps. Mail was carried by stagecoach or on horseback. The rate was fora single sheet ofpaper: six cents up to 30 miles; ten cents up to 80 miles; twelve-and-a-half cents up to 150 miles; eighteen and three-quarters cents up to 400 miles; and twenty-five cents a greater distance than 400 miles. In 1847 the first postage stamps were issued. The five cent stamp had a picture of Benjamin Franklin, and the ten cent stamp bore George Washington's picture. In 1831 there were seven Post Offices in Nash County. One was Belford, where David Sills was still postmaster. The two others which still exist, were Rocky Mount and Nashville. Rural Free Delivery was begun in 1896, but came to Nash County after 1900. The development of mail delivery may be illustrated in the experience of George Mark Strickland. He began delivering mail on Route 2, Castalia in 1919, on November 18. At that time he was serving 200 families. When he retired in 1959, his route included 500 families. His daily run was from Castalia to the Cedar Rock community and returning by May's Cross-roads. The first seven years he traveled by horse and buggy. A Model-T Ford replaced the old mode of transportation. When the unpaved roads became too rough for the horse and buggy or the automobile, he would deliver the mail by riding a horse. In 1884 the County Commissioners divided Griffin's Township and named the western section Castalia Township. They designated Castalia as the voting place. In the 1890's, S. J. Bartholomew developed a highly successful business and became a prominent leader in all phases of community life: economic, political, educational and religious. Over a period of time his business was expanded to include cotton ginning and buying, selling and trading in cotton seed meal, and commercial fertilizer. He erected a large gin on Main Street which sucked the loose cotton from a farmer's wagon and blew it into the gin. This was a new process which eliminated the laborious task of putting cotton into baskets, and feeding the cotton into the gin by hand. By using this highly efficient new method, Mr. Bartholomew soon had most of the cotton ginning business from a large area. He added to his operation saw milling and corn grinding equipment. Then he offered a regular wagon transportation service to the nearest railroad station at Nashville. Dr. T. A. Matthews became a community physician and a community leader. He established a drug store on the corner of Main Street and Peachtree Street. R. D. Bowden was druggist, and became a community leader. Mr. Bartholomew considered education and transportation to be two of Castalia's greatest needs. On October 5, 1903, he deeded Castalia Academy, which he had erected earlier, to the Nash County Board of Education and it became a public 5 institution. The State of North Carolina was getting involved heavily in public education and local communities and counties were changing their support ofpublic participation in the entire process of education. Soon the academy progressed to the point of offering college preparatory courses of study under the leadership of such outstanding principals as Wingate Underhill, R. H. Burns, E. L. Fox, and P. D. Mangum. In 1907, Rev. George T. May, who had been operating a private school at Red Oak, was persuaded to move his school to Castalia. A two-story girls' dormitory was erected facing Main Street near the Academy. Then a boys' dormitory was erected near the Academy. The Academy building was enlarged and improved. The course of study was expanded and improved with the addition of such high school subjects as commercial studies and music. W. D. Johnson was principal from 1904 until 1908, at which time Oscar Creech assumed the position, which he held until 1912. During this period Castalia was widely known as a prominent education center, drawing boarding students from Nash and Franklin and other surrounding counties. Loss by fire on March 13, 1913, marked the end of boarding facilities and a gradual decline in the prominence of the Academy, though it was considered to be an excellent high school for many more years, until the school consolidation movement changed everything in the field ofpublic education. Vocational agriculture was introduced in 1919. T. B. Elliott was principal and agriculture teacher. In 1918 the old frame building known as the Academy had been replaced by a modem two-story brick structure with steam heat, indoor toilet facilities and running water. It was the most advanced school building in the Nash County school system at the time. At about the turn of the century, before automobiles and trucks, Castalia aspired to become a railroad town. Community leaders tried in vain to get a railroad extended from some nearby town to Castalia. Mr. Bartholomew and others got a bill introduced and passed in the North Carolina Legislature to 6 . incorporate "The Castalia Railroad Company" for the purpose of building a railroad from Nashville to Castalia. The County Commissioners were authorized to call an election in which Castalia Township would vote on a bond issue to help finance the project. Opposition developed. Supporters of the bond issue employed the law firm of Austin and Grantham and Battle and Cooley to appear before the County Commissioners. Attorney F. S. Spruill represented the opposition. After arguments were presented the commissioners went into a secret session and voted not to call an election. In 1911, another attempt was made to get a railroad. The General Assembly authorized an election for a bond issue which would authorize negotiating with Seaboard Air Line or Atlantic Coast Line to connect a spur line at some point for services to Castalia. On May 10, 1911, the voters decided on a $15,000. bond issue. 160 citizens registered. The vote was 92 forand 19 against the bond issue. A preliminary survey was made fora line from Henderson to Castalia, and consideration was given to a line from Henderson to Rocky Mount by way of Castalia and Nashville. Rumors fixed the site for a depot. L. F. Tillery of Rocky Mount and G. D. Taylor of Castalia persuaded engineer John J. Wells of Rocky Mount to lay off lots in an area adjoining the Castalia Academy and near the site of a proposed depot. The following streets were mapped: College, Warren, Blackwell, Barn, and Bartholomew. A big auction sale was held and choice lots were sold to investors who were convinced that an economic boom was in the making for Castalia. The nearest thing to a railroad ever to be realized at Castalia was a narrow gauge line built from Momeyer to Red Bud, which crossed Peachtree Street near the town limits. This was helpful while it was in operation in hauling saw logs, fertilizer and other freight to and from Castalia. No depot was ever erected. No railroad for regular service was ever established. Public roads were improved. In March, 1903, tax money was used for the first time to improve the roads. On May 13, 1911, Castalia township voted to use $15,000.00 for road improvements and machines were used to shape roads and ditches and to straighten curves. In July, 1913, the Bank of Castalia was opened in the former Baptist Church building located next to S. J. Bartholomew's store. This was after the congregation had erected and moved the church into a larger building immediately back of the store. Gray King was the first manager, serving until J. W. (Billy) Lancaster became managera few months later. In 1920, disastrous fires destroyed the bank building and S. J. Bartholomew's store building. A new bank building was almost completed, and the bank was able to move into its new brick quarters a short time later. A new store building was constructed on the same site as the old one. The bank closed during the Great Depression in 1933. In 1966 the Johnson Publishing Company in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, published a book written by a man who grew up in the Castalia community and whose relatives still reside here. Rosser Howard Taylor, an outstanding scholar and writer, brother of Copie and Chalmers Taylor, depicts in this book what life was like in the area at the turn of the century when Castalia Baptist Church was established. The title of the book is "Carolina Crossroads". The sub-title is "A Study of Rural Life at the End of the Horse-and-Buggy Era". At the time of writing the book, Mr. Taylor was a professor at Western Carolina College, Cullowhee, North Carolina. He says, "The plain farm people of this belt shared, for the most part, common prejudices, economic problems, religious affiliations, and educational opportunities. Theirs was an economy ofscarcity." Such a community as Castalia then reached out about five miles in all directions, and contained about two hundred people, of whom about fifty percent were white and about the same number were black. At the intersections of country roads 8 .