Although no one is sure of the exact date of this church’s beginning,
the deed for the original plot was signed in 1899. But all estimates place
the beginning several years earlier. Apparently the people were not very
prompt in recording transactions and, in their efforts to be unworldly,
had no secretary or church clerk.
The church probably had its beginning in 1891 or 1892. A copy of the
"Mt. Juliet Messenger" dated August 15, 1944, contains articles by Sister
R. V. Cawthon and Brother J. N. Carver listing the date as 1891.
Annie Grigg said the building of the Mt. Juliet Church came about in
this way. Her father, J. W. Grigg, and Mrs. Annie Gleaves were riding horseback
from church one Sunday when Brother Grigg said, "Why don’t we build a church
here in Mt. Juliet?" Sister Anne, wife of Jesse Gleaves, said, "We will
give the little thicket down by the creek if you will raise the money."
So the little thicket became the location not only for that first church,
but for at least two other houses of worship, for that little half acre
plot is almost directly in front of our present building where our new
auditorium is under construction.
In all probability, it will continue to serve as a location for a Church
of Christ for years to come. The language of the Gleaves deed written by
Brother J. W. Grigg says, "J. H. Gleaves and wife, to the Church at Mt.
Juliet, For and in consideration of the deep abiding interest we feel in
the cause of Christ and the great love we bear the Church of Christ at
Mt. Juliet, we, Jesse H. Gleaves and wife, Annie Gleaves, do transfer and
convey to said Church of Christ at Mt. Juliet, Tennessee forever the boundaries
follow one-half acre more or less. The above remains in full force and
effect only so long as said property ceases to be used it shall revert
to Jesse H. Gleaves, his wife and heirs." Brother Jonah Carver said the
deed was not recorded until 1899 when the Gleaves sold out and moved to
Texas. It is not known who built this first house of worship. It was a one-room
structure about 25 by 45 feet, weather-boarded, painted white, with double
doors in the front and a single door in the rear. There were four tall
narrow windows on each side and there was a flue for a stove in the middle
of the building. It was built on stone pillars, as few buildings had solid
foundations in that day.
According to the records kept by Sister Dovie Cawthon, the following
were charter members: Mr. J. W. Grigg, Mr. and Mrs. Will Grigg, Mrs. John
Finney (Leora Grigg), Mrs. Jesse Gleaves, Mr. and Mrs. H. H. McFarland,
Mr. and Mrs. S. H. Hatfield, Mr. Sam Hatfield, Mr. and Mrs. G. V. Goodall,
Mrs. Harrison Ozment, Mrs. Henderson Clemmons, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Scobey,
Mr. and Mrs. John Burke, Mr. Eugene Burke, Mr. Jerome Burke, Mr. Kirk Burke,
Mrs. Tom Tilghman, Mrs. Dayton Martin, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Moore, Mr. and
Mrs. Dabney Cawthon and Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Cook. Another list has Captain
and Mrs. R. C. Hardison and Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Mayberry. H. P. Cawthon and
wife were attending Corinth and probably didn’t come for the first service.
Brother Cawthon, one of the most powerful and able song leaders the brotherhood
has produced became the song leader for the new group. Bother Jonah Carver,
who strangely is not on the list as a charter member lists some others
who may have been close to charter members: Mr.
and Mrs. Bob Logue, Dr. J. H. Oldham, himself, Virgil Cawthon, and
Mr. and Mrs. I. K. Hibbett.
Evidently no elders were appointed at first. A 1910 deed lists G. V.
Goodall, T. F. Hamilton and Jim Grigg as elders. In 1925, a record lists
G. V. Goodall, T. F. Hamilton and R.
V. Cawthon as elders and I. K. Hibbett and Orris Philpot as deacons.
Bro. R. V. Cawthon and Sis. Annie Grigg lived to see the new building erected
in 1969 and today a few descendants of the old charter members still attend.
These include Dorothy Zumbro (T. F. Hamilton), Vesta Locke and Nancy Hackney
(H. P. Cawthon), Sissy Pickler and the McCullochs (Bob Logue).
Even monthly preaching was unknown in those days, so the first preacher
was probably Brother John E. Ridley, a well known preacher of the time,
who held the first meeting in the fall of 1892.
The church still owned only the original half acre of land with barely
one hunderd feet of frontage. Between it and the creek was a saw mill powered
by steam engine. On March 22, 1908, sparks from the stack of the engine,
helped by a strong South wind, ignited the wood shingles and the church
building burned. Annie Grigg recalled seeing the smoke and rushing down
to try to save the contents especially the silver communion plates and
goblets. She saved the goblets, but almost lost her life in the act. The
plates ended as a glob of melted silver. The building was insured for $3,000,
which the insurance company collected in a lawsuit against the owner of
the saw mill.
The group worshipped in the old school building until the new church
was finished that same year. Being quite fire conscious, they endeavored
to make it as fire proof as possible. Concrete blocks and metal shingles,
quite a novelty at the time, were used. This building was also a one-room
structure very similar in size and other features to the original building.
The blocks were plastered on the inside and the elliptical shaped, stained
glass upper windows were the talk of the day. The sloping floor was also
the latest in church construction.
Brother Derryberry, ancester of our Elmer Derryberry, held the first
meeting in the new building. No record is available as to who was the first
to obey the gospel in this meeting. All baptismal services both summer
and winter were held at the old "Baptizing Hole" on the Tilghman property.
The course of the creek was changed when the new road was built in 1966.
The always frigid pool was about four feet in depth and was located just
below the John Deal building. This spot was used until after World War
II, when the pools at the Old Hickory and Green Hill Churches were used.
In 1910, the balance of the land to the South and West of the original
lot was purchased, extending the property lines. The Elders listed at that
time were G. V. Goodall,
T.
F. Hamilton, and
Jim Grigg.
In 1915 the property was deeded again with the restrictions mentioned above,
to G. V. Goodall, I. K. Hibbett and R. V. Cawthon as trustees.
The first Sunday School rooms were built in 1927. The elders serving
during this period included J.
S. Hatfield and H. C.
Denson in addition to those mentioned above. The mission program of
the church at that time produced spectacular results in the distant future.
The church supported Brother Cawthon in his mission meetings. He had his
own tent and chairs and the church gave him the little finances he needed.
Congregations were established in Old Hickory, Berryville, and six in Nashville. Ray Jerkins became the first regular preacher for the congregation in
1946. He was followed by W. C. Geer, John
Hurt, R. R. Taylor, Damon Daniel, Bob Hendron, Ronnie Greenman, and
during the summer and fall of 1966, J. Garvin Smith, Thomas Eldridge, Fred
Mosely, and Lloyd Gale, Jr., who began his work here in early 1967, and
Bill Speight from 1972 to 1980. C.
J. Potter became an elder along with John McCulloch in 1949 and 1950
respectively. In 1966, after the deaths of Brothers Potter and Hatfield,
Robert McCulloch, Kenneth Hackney and Paul
Hunter were also appointed.
In 1958, another building program was finished. A nursery, baptistry,
restrooms, and another class room were added. The first person to actually
be baptized in the church building was Ronnie Hackney. Growth was slow,
but steady and by the early sixities the leaders of the congregation saw
that with the anticipated growth of the town the old church could not serve
the members. A building fund was started with the idea of building an auditorium
for worship services beside the present building and using the present
facilities for an education building. The relocation of the new highway
changed that plan, however in November 1966, a committee of three men decided
the future of the Mt. Juliet Church for years to come. There was pressure
being applied to move to another location, and these men were insructed
to investigate all possibilties and report back as to where the new church
should be built. They were unanimously in favor of locating in back of
the present building and demolishing it when the new facility was completed.
This recommendation lost the church minister, but thoroughly united the
congregation.
The last gospel meeting was held in the old building in May, 1967, by
Brother Robert R. Taylor. Work was started on the new building in September,
1967, by Anco Structures. The last Sunday service held in the old building
was Sunday, April 28, 1968, with Lloyd Gale preaching. A short service
was held Wednesday, May 1, and the moving process started. On Thursday
afternoon, May 9, a bulldozer, a monstrous machine undreamed of by Brother
Hamilton and his fellow members, was hitched to those concrete block walls
and down they came after being a landmark for some sixty years.
The first service was held in the new building on May 5, 1968, with
Robert R. Taylor again preaching, with some 425 in attendance; although
the membership was something less than 200 at that time. The first person
to be baptized in the beautiful new edifice was Larry Engles.
Another note on the progress of the gospel in Mt. Juliet might be made
in the comparison of the cost of the three buildings. Brother Cawthon said
that the first building was insured for $3,000, so that must have been
close to cost. He also said that with the insurance collected they still
owed $3,000, on the second structure, making the total cost $6,000.
The Sunday School rooms added in 1927 cost about $2,500, and the addition
in 1958 cost $12,000 making the total capital account in the last building
about $20,500. The new building was built at a cost of approximately $95,000,
with the addition of many hours of time by the members and was appraised
by the insurance company at $165,000.
In 1979, the elders decided to build a new annex that would connect
with our older building. This annex would have three floors and would be
used primarily for classroom space. It was built at a cost of approximately
$155,000. Elders serving at that time were Paul
Hunter, Ronnie Sneed
and Albert England. In 1980, it was decided that the church was ready for a full time minister.
Bill Speight who had been the regular minister for seven years, had a full
time job and was not interested in going into full-time preaching. Ivey
Powell was selected. Powell soon left and Bill Watkins, son of James Watkins
who had held many meetings here, was selected. In 1982, Curtis
Hall succeeded Watkins. On January 1, 1988, Steve
Hale moved here from Scottsville, Kentucky to become the pulpit minister..
In 1991, the third floor of the education building was finished. This
added an additional seven classrooms to the education building.
In the fall of 1992, a Christian based "mother’s day out" program was
begun. The Tuesday/Thursday school is from 9:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. and
has structured pre-school lessons, as well as a generous amount of active,
fun time.
On October 1, 1993, Joey Davis
came from Adams, Tennessee, to become our Associate Minister. After five
years, Joey left Mt. Juliet to pursue other interests. Steve Hale
left Mt. Juliet in January 1999, to preach at a congregation in Doniphan,
Missouri.
On August 22, 1999, David
Shannon moved to Mt. Juliet from Gadsden, Alabama, to become the full
time pulpit minister. He and his wife, Tracie, have 3 children.
Present elders (1999) are Albert England, David Fleming, DeWayne Griffin,
Pat Hackney, Tony Huddleston, and Tommy Whittle. The Mt. Juliet congregation
has twenty-two deacons serving on nine different service committees.
More History can be found on the Recent History
Page.
Go back to the History page or to the
top of this page.
