The history of any church begins long before the foundation for the building is laid, and Mt. Tirzah is no exception. Its history can certainly be traced back to when John Wesley’s ideas for what would become known as “Methodism” came to the United States, and Wesley’s influence must have affected the founder of this little church on the hill. But the true origins of Mt. Tirzah, the spiritual origins, began when God decided this church should come into being, and although we can’t trace our history back to the moment that this happened, we can rest assured that God wanted this church built, and that God cleared the way for it to be built. Mt. Tirzah’s spiritual history is at its heart and foundation.
Mt. Tirzah United Methodist Church’s physical history began during the Revolutionary War, when a man named Stephen Moore joined the military forces to fight for independence. He was sent south to recruit soldiers, and in that process traveled through what would become the southeastern corner of Person County. Struck by the beauty of the area, he named it Tirzah, after a city in the Bible that was known for its beauty.[i] Historian John Alto Price wrote, “Moore was so charmed and delighted with the beautiful and exquisite scenery and the panoramic view of wide areas of four counties…that he built and established his home on the summit of its surroundings where ‘axe had never been laid to tree’” [ii] . He purchased almost 2000 acres in November of “the ninth Year of our Independence”[iii] for 50 shillings for every hundred acres[iv]. His home was constructed in 1778, after Moore had finished his service and the war had ended, and it can still be seen from the current location of Mt. Tirzah UMC. Lieutenant Colonel Moore eventually became General Moore and was a major contributor to the establishment of Person County.
Tradition has it that General Moore founded a church nearby around the same time he built his home, although no documentation exists to support this claim. NCPedia’s article on Moore states, “A lifelong Episcopalian, Stephen Moore had participated in efforts to establish a church in his neighborhood [presumably the Mt. Tirzah area] and had been named vestryman and warden in the planning stages; because of insufficient support, the church was never built”[v] before his death in 1799. A letter written in 1997 by Larry and Ellie Clayton, descendants of founders of Mt. Tirzah, stated, “In 1795, the Episcopal bishop Pettigrew wrote to Stephen’s brother, Charles, asking him to organize a vestry for Person County. Charles duly did this, but there seemed to be few of that persuasion in the county at that time. With the Revolution, most of the episcopal priests had gone ‘home’, and the majority of the patriotic episcopals became Methodists. John Wesley organized the Methodist Episcopal Church and ordained Coke and Asbury to carry out the ‘apostolic succession’, and to provide the Lord’s Supper for his American charges.” This statement indicates that the effort was made to start an Episcopal church, but due to lack of actual Episcopalians, it was changed to efforts to establish a Methodist church.
How far these efforts went is unknown, but at least one clue indicates that a church of some form was established. According to “A Brief History of Mt.Tirzah” written for Homecoming in June of 1991, “a letter existed which was written to Moore from a relative in New York… [describing] the gift of a communion chalice to be used in worship”[vi], confirming Moore’s commitment to religious services in the Mt. Tirzah community. An earlier “Brief History of Mt. Tirzah Church”, (circa 1970) says that the first church services were most likely “held in the first school building erected in this community, located at the Phillips Moore home-place, west of the dwelling house”[vii] (Stephen Moore’s home). All of this leads to an understanding that the exact date, or even the decade, that Mt. Tirzah Church was founded remains interesting speculation, but that most likely, services were held during General Moore’s lifetime in a building not far from his home.
Again according to the letter from Larry and Ellie Clayton dated 1997, a deed for Mt. Tirzah church was granted in 1816 “by Samuel Dickens to the Methodist trustees Portius and Phillips Moore, James and Dempsey Clayton, James Clack [probably Moore’s son-in-law], and Yancy, Albert and Sidney Moore, ‘all trustees, 5 acres on a branch of Hillsborough Road to erect a house of worship for Methodist Episcopal Church—grant is void if church is abandoned (which we pray God to forbid) 20 Nov 1816.” According to the Claytons, the deed was not proven in court until 1821, “and a later deed 10 Nov 1819 from Sydney Moore to trustees for 2 acres actually appeared sooner in the deed book.” The deed dated November 10, 1819, states:
Sidney Moore to James Clack, Saml [sic] Webb, Joel Sweaney, Sidney Moore, and Portius Moore, all trustees to find suitable site for Methodist Meeting House, for $1, at the spring adj [sic] Moore – said tract being part of Stephen Moore decd land. 10 Nov 1819. Wit: Portius Moore, Griffin Jones.[viii]
No earlier date specific to Mt. Tirzah Church than 1816 and 1819 has been found. What is known without question is that a tract of land with approximately 2 acres was obtained from Sydney Moore in 1819 for $1, and this is where the first official church building was constructed. (Larry and Ellie Clayton speculated that the reason for the two deeds so close together could be that the first building burned, and that the second building was built at a slightly different location.)
The 1819 church was built near a bubbling spring, “one-half mile south of the present sanctuary, down in the valley between the hills.”[ix] According to a 1926 article in the Durham Morning Herald regarding the history of Mt. Tirzah, “It was here the [Methodist] circuit rider would come, sometimes on horseback and again on the stage coach, to preach to the people.”[x] Revivals and camp meetings were also held in the little unpainted church building, and it was said that “the shouts of the good sisters would make the woods ring.”[xi] In the late 20th century, members of Mt. Tirzah, with the help of the Willie and Ethel Clayton family who owned the land, were able to locate the spring and the site of the old church. They noted that some foundational stones still could be seen. The Claytons shared with previous historians that when they bought the land, it was still referred to as the “Holy Mountain.” Later efforts to find the original site of the old church have proven unfruitful, although more than one bubbling springs exist in the valley to the south of the current location.
No history of Mt. Tirzah would be complete without including the role African American slaves played in the success of Stephen Moore and his family, since it is the Moore family’s success in this part of North Carolina that allowed the founding of Mt. Tirzah Church. Like many land-owning white families in the pre-Civil War era in the United States, the Moore family benefited greatly from free labor. Arguably, Mt. Tirzah Church might never have been built were it not for the hard work, blood, and sweat of the human beings owned by the Moore family. It is unusual to know much about these enslaved people since they were considered as no more than chattel, or property, but due to the efforts of General Moore’s descendants and other historians, we know that at his death, Stephen Moore owned 13 enslaved people, and we know the names of many of these:
- According to Stephen Cox, owner of Stephen Moore’s home and local expert in the history of the General and his family, the day before Moore turned 15, his father passed away in New York City and left his son three slaves: Anthony, Cumberland, and Violet.
- Prior to this, the Moore family had owned a slave named Cato who was executed for his part in a slave revolt in New York City, according to Mr. Cox.
- General Stephen Moore owned 13 slaves at the time of his death in 1799. In March 1803 the following slaves were probated as property in the estate of Stephen Moore: Grizzy (Stephen Moore’s wife) was given two enslaved men named Peter and Scipio, a woman named Dulce, and a boy named Juba. Ann (Stephen and Grizzy’s daughter) was given a man named Cyrus. Robert (son) was given a man named Orange. Phillips (son) was given a man named Harry. Jesse (daughter) was given a girl named Sylvia. Nancy, aka Ann (Stephen Moore’s sister) was given a girl named Rose. Mary (daughter) was given a boy named Florence. Portius (son) was given a man named Pollidore. Samuel (son) was given a woman named Mary. Sidney (son) was given a girl named Vinny.
- The store at Mt. Tirzah, owned and run by descendants of Stephen Moore, “also rented for hire the employment of the Moore family slaves to the neighboring farmers to help with various farm work.”[xii]
- Years later, Stephen Moore’s son Phillips put an article in a local paper to find a runaway slave named Solomon. Solomon is described in the ad as around 30 years old, remarkably strong, with feet “broadcast directly under the ankle joint.” [Note: this odd detail is similar to the way escaped livestock might have been described.] It is further noted that he could read and that he was in possession of his own copy of the New Testament, given to him with the inscription, “A present for Sunday School teaching.” His complexion is described as yellow, which historians believe is a sign that he had white ancestry, perhaps even someone in the Moore family. Solomon was not inherited by any of Stephen Moore’s family at the time of his death, indicating that the family, or at least Phillips Moore, continued to purchase enslaved people.
- At least some of the many people who were owned by the Moore family were buried in the “slave cemetery.” According to Steve Cox, who owns the Stephen Moore home as of 2019, the cemetery was located in the valley between the house and the church.
As followers of Jesus Christ who believe in the sanctity and dignity of each human being, it grieves us that our history is tied to the enslavement of people. May we never forget what was done, and may it help us work towards unity with all people.
To continue with the physical history of Mt. Tirzah UMC, “A Brief History” (c. 1970) stated that the original church building “was later sold.”[xiii] According to the Person County Heritage Book Volume 2, Helena Primitive Baptist Church in Timberlake purchased the small Mt. Tirzah church building and moved it into Timberlake. In contradiction to this, local lore reports that at some point, the old church building burned. An article in the Person County Heritage Book states that the original church served the people for nearly a century[xiv], which leads to the conclusion that the first building was sold or burned most likely in the third quarter of the 19th century. If it burned, congregants likely met in the old school house while they built the new sanctuary. If the building were sold, it was likely around the time that they built the new building in 1888. “A Brief History” (c. 1970) cited the following as the reason for building a new church: “As the community grew and the church prospered, the need for a new church building emerged. In 1888, two acres of land were purchased from John Allen, and the present sanctuary was constructed” approximately one mile from the old location, across from Stephen Moore’s home.[xv] Previous church historian and long-time member Mary Jay Cothran Holding believes that the 1888 church would have been built by the members of the congregation working together. As for the furnishings of the new sanctuary, a reprint of a short article from the Durham Daily Sun from March 2, 1889 stated, “There is no necessity in the world for sending away from Durham for any thing [sic] you may need in the building line. The Builders Manufacturing and Supply Co. of this place, yesterday sent to Mt. Tirzah the furnishings for a new Methodist Church, which has just been completed at that place. The pulpit, pews, and other fixtures are just as handsome as they could have gotten elsewhere.”
The first pastor of the “new” 1888 church was J.B. Underwood, and he preached his first sermon in the new building on a Sunday near Christmas in 1888. During the Underwood family’s four-year tenure at Mt. Tirzah, Sarah. Underwood passed away at the age of 33 and was the first to be buried in the church cemetery.[xvi] Their child Ella is buried next to Mrs. Underwood and is likely the second to be buried there.
The last session of the District Conference for the Methodist Episcopals was held at Mt. Tirzah during the summer of 1890, and Dr. Wilbur Tillett preached. Church historians wrote that “great preparations were made to entertain the delegates and preachers who attended.”[xvii]
“For many years, the community and church thrived,” continues “A Brief History” (c. 1970). “With the passage of time, however, many of the original families moved, others died, and Mt. Tirzah church went into a decline. The Sunday School was eventually discontinued, and the church building, badly in need of repair, stood on the brink of oblivion. The church’s demise, however, was not to be. With the prompting of the Reverend Woodrow Giles, and the tireless efforts of the members and friends, the building was restored to a state of usefulness. On the second Sunday of June, 1959, regular church services were resumed.”[xviii]
Mrs. Holding paints a less dramatic picture. She was born in 1923 and remembers attending Sunday School and church at Mt. Tirzah her entire life. But in the early years of her life, Sunday School was combined with Helena Church. Because Mt. Tirzah Church was part of a multi-church charge, services were only held in the Mt. Tirzah church building once or twice a month. Consequently, the only activity that happened on a regular basis at the 1888 church building was services once or twice a month. But this does not mean the church was “in decline” as the “Brief History” (c. 1970) article states, and members of Mt. Tirzah Church were able to attend Sunday School and Worship services at their own church as well as at the other churches in the four-point charge.
In 1928, Pastor H.E. Lance produced a small handout that listed services as follows:
First Sunday: Hurdle Mills 11am, Mt. Zion 3pm
Second Sunday: Mt. Tirzah 11am, Helena “at night”
Third Sunday: Mt. Zion 11am, Hurdle Mills 3pm
Fourth Sunday: Helena 11am and “at night”
Church Buildings and Grounds
For many years, the church had no electricity or running water, yet services were held year-round, including an annual Homecoming Service and regular Revivals. Members would bring gas lanterns for the night services, and fires would be built in the wood stove for heat in the colder months. Homecoming was served out on the lawn, as it is to this day.
As was tradition, during worship services, the men sat on the right side, and the women on the left. The wood stove stood on the men’s side and the pump organ on the ladies’ side of the church. Arthur Tillett used to come early to turn on the heat each morning before the drop ceiling was installed. Mary Jay Holding reported that her father brought lanterns in the early days before electricity was added. He would set them up on pillars in the church so that the preacher could see to preach. Elaine Harris remembered that before air conditioning was added, services were held with open windows, and often they’d find bees buzzing around the congregation.
It was said that Mrs. Sue Bettie Tillett often sat on the front seat and played the organ for much of 50 years, up until her death in 1972. It was also said that Emma Noell played the piano, going back to when services were held once a month at Mt. Tirzah. Miss Emma, as she was affectionately known, played the piano when the church started back up with regular services and played until late in her life when she could no longer see well. Miss Emma was also the first to wear pants to church, stating that she didn’t see any reason why women couldn’t have their legs protected from the cold in the winter just like the men did.
Ann Noell, wife of Penn Noell and daughter-in-law of Miss Emma, was the one to break the separation of men and women. When she married Penn, her daughter Margaret reports, she began sitting on the men’s side with him. In response to criticism for this, she said that she married to be a partner, and so she was going to sit next to her husband during church.
The pulpit looked very much as it does today. The wide boards that are still visible on the walls were originally unpainted, and the windows had outside shutters to keep out the bright sunlight. The cemetery was originally enclosed by an iron fence.
When asked what people did when “nature called,” a female member who had grown up before there were restrooms in the building said, “You waited until you got home!” In 2015, older members were quick to point out that children learned to sit still, regardless of the call of nature, throughout the service.
Because the church was only used once or twice a month during the first half of the 20th century, less is known about the years between 1925 and 1960. The report given to the Charge Conference in 1963 stated that membership had increased from 30 to 52, and that Sunday School attendance had increased from 30 in 1960 to 74 in 1963. The report says that this is “rather good when you consider that the majority of our students are from Primitive Baptist homes who had not been in the habit of attending Sunday School.”[xix] The same report shares that services at that time were held once a month at Mt. Tirzah.
In the late 1950s, the pastor at that time, Woodrow Giles, worked with members of the community and family members who had moved away from the area, to revive the church, including lowering the ceiling and other improvements. In the spring of 1960, a survey of the community revealed an interest in having Sunday School at Mt. Tirzah Church again. That August, the church held the first Sunday School session in twenty-five years.
At that time, Sunday School lessons were held in the sanctuary, with each age group meeting in one corner, unless the weather was nice, in which case some of the classes met outside. A church bulletin from June 10, 1962 states that at this time, there were six classes, with 60 members, all meeting in the sanctuary[xx]. With this much interest, the leadership of the church realized that there was a need for Sunday School classrooms, and in 1962 plans were drawn for four classrooms, two restrooms, and a full basement. [xxi] (See “Proposed Addition” in Appendix.)
No funds were available to begin the building project, so a fundraising campaign was begun, starting with a letter written in September 1962 by the Building Committee[xxii]. First, 7,000 feet of lumber was cut from the Noell farm. Then, the Methodist Board of Missions pledged $500.00. Additionally, $700.00 was contributed by the other two churches in the charge, Helena Methodist Episcopal Church and Mt. Zion Methodist Episcopal Church.[xxiii] Many interested friends of the church also contributed.[xxiv]
On May 6, 1962, a ground-breaking ceremony took place at the church.[xxv] The work was begun, but in spite of all the money raised, it was not finished until a year after it was scheduled to be completed. The total cost at completion was $5,375.00.
In addition to the building of the Sunday School rooms, Dr. Alex Stanford, who joined the church, gave many beautiful boxwoods for planting around the church and cemetery,[xxvi] many which survive into the 21st century. The cemetery was also greatly improved with the effort of “many interested persons” (according to the past historians), and the iron fence was removed. William Tillett and Benjamin Harris “secured and brought to the church chairs for our Sunday School.” Several of these beautiful wood chairs are still in use.[xxvii]
Letters in the possession of Margaret Noell Puett indicate that there was some discussion during this time of tearing down the old wood church and rebuilding a cinderblock building in a larger format. Another option that was considered was covering the old church with brick veneer.
In 1969, a vestibule was added to the front of the sanctuary and a simple steeple was erected. The church was underpinned and painted white. Pews were obtained from the Duke Divinity School Chapel “as a gift to us, by the timely efforts of Reverend W.D. Mullins”[xxviii]. The old pews were given to several Mt. Tirzah families, and at least one is still in the basement of the parsonage.
Many improvements continued to be made to the church building and grounds. One of the most impressive was the refinishing of the altar and wood in the chancel area by longtime member Mr. Thomas Penn Noell, Sr., who spent many long hours working on this. He dismantled the railing and the pulpit furniture, brought everything to his home, and hand-scraped seven layers of paint off each piece, before refinishing it and putting it all back together. Other additions and improvements included shutters for the long windows, overhead fans, new carpet, reupholstered pulpit furniture, a spinet organ and spinet Baldwin piano, and a stone and brass marker for the front of the church.
Sunday School:
A copy of a handwritten history of Mt. Tirzah’s Sunday School tells us that on July 20, 1879, Sunday School was organized at the church. The writer goes on to say that this was “a continuation of the Sunday School previously organized at Moore and Clegg’s School House.” The first day of Sunday School at the new church boasted 24 pupils and six teachers. Over the course of 1879, that number on the rolls appears to have doubled, but the number in attendance remained about the same. During that year, they took up a collection of $12.00 to offset the expenditures of $8 for “Periodicals and Songbooks.”[xxix]
In a ledger marked “Mt. Tirzah S.S. Library July 18th 1890”, a numbered list of resources is followed by individuals’ names and the dates they checked out and returned the various resources. The ledger also seems to have been used for attendance, and as the sign-in book for “Homecoming and Moore Reunion” on Sunday, June 14, 1959, and again for Homecoming on June 12, 1960.
Sunday School at Mt. Tirzah was discontinued in 1925, although it continued to be offered at Helena Church, which was part of the Mt. Tirzah Charge. Mt. Tirzah did not offer Sunday School in its own facilities until August 14, 1960, when a small group of people, led by Pastor Vasser Jones, began to meet at the church for Sunday School, “with a hope for the future deep within their hearts”[xxx].
In 1962, plans were drawn up for the Sunday School wing. Mrs. Penn Noell Jr. (Anne) was Superintendent of Sunday School until 1966 when Penn Noell, Jr. took over. Mrs. Jack Cothran, mother of Mary Jay Cothran Holding who was our oldest member in 2019, was the adult class teacher until her health failed. In March 1966, all debt on the building was paid, and a special dedication service was led by Pastor J.J. Juren to celebrate.
Mt. Tirzah Charge, and the Parsonage:
Some confusion exists about the original location of the parsonage for Mt. Tirzah. An article from 1926 says that in the decades following the Civil War, “A farm of 60 acres was purchased near the church [referring to the first building, located south of the current church] for a home for their preacher, and a new church was built farther up on the hillside.”[xxxi] Another source says that when the new church was built in 1888, the pastors lived “in the community” until the parsonage was moved to Roxboro in the mid-1890s in Brooksdale, where it remained until 1918.[xxxii] In 1918, New Bethel Church was made part of the Mt. Tirzah Charge by the Annual Conference, and during that year, a new parsonage was built on land given, according to a deed dated July 2, 1918, by E.W. and Fannie Reid, to the churches in the charge.[xxxiii] Another source says that the parsonage in Helena was built in 1918, which was shared with Helena United Methodist Churches. This was located in Timberlake at 142 Parsonage Road and was sold in 1950 when a different parsonage was purchased. In 1967, while Reverend Lynn Buzzard was pastor, it was agreed to sell Mt. Tirzah’s share of the parsonage at Helena, and for Mt. Tirzah to pay rent for our pastor each year at a sum agreed upon by the church. Mt. Zion, the other church on the charge, made plans to become its own station in 1968, leaving Mt. Tirzah and Helena on the Mt. Tirzah Charge.[xxxiv]
In 1986, Helena UMC left the charge, and Mt. Tirzah became a one church station.[xxxv] Because Mt. Tirzah was not large enough to support a full-time pastor, it was decided that the church would become a “Student Charge”, meaning that a student attending Duke Divinity School would be assigned as a part-time pastor for the time they were in school, usually 3 to 4 years.
Reverend Stephen Hall was assigned as Mt. Tirzah’s first student pastor under a single church charge. At this time, it became clear that the church needed a parsonage for future ministers and their families. To this end, the W.F. Reade family donated one acre of land adjoining the church property.[xxxvi]
In the spring of 1987, the parsonage build began. The church was in good financial condition with a little more than fifteen thousand dollars in savings, and to compliment the savings, the trustees were granted a loan of $30,000.00 toward the building of the approximately 1,500 square foot parsonage over a full basement.
Pastor Clint Spence and his family were the first to live in the parsonage. Since they had their own furniture, only the appliances were added at that time, supplied by donations from members. During the same year, on June 5, 1988, the Homecoming Centennial was held.[xxxvii]
When Reverend Sam Martin was assigned to Mt. Tirzah in 1991, furniture was needed. Again, donations from church members furnished the parsonage and landscaped the yard surrounding it.
Mt. Tirzah United Methodist Church continued to grow and thrive, and in 1995, under the pastorship of Eddie Hill, the leadership of Mt. Tirzah decided to move from being a student charge with a part-time student pastor, to becoming a full-time charge. The congregation agreed that going full-time would allow the church to better serve the needs of the people in the community and in the congregation.
Mt. Tirzah remained a full-time charge for over a decade, and during this time, the church settled into a better understanding of God’s call for its members and God’s purposes for the little church on the hill. In the mid-2000s, the church leadership wondered if Mt. Tirzah was large enough to support a full-time pastor, and discussions began to determine if the church resources were being used in the best way. It was decided, and voted on, that Mt. Tirzah would become a student charge once again, welcoming our first student in 2008, Dustin Sprouse.
In 2016, after a year focused on prayer led by our second (of recent times) student pastor Jarrod Davis, the congregation participated in a Discernment Retreat, facilitated by previous pastor, Eddie Hill. At this retreat, the Holy Spirit revealed that Mt. Tirzah’s mission for the next few years is to proclaim the Gospel to and make disciples of children, youth and families in the Timberlake area. In 2019, under the leadership of Pastor Josh Tester, several members of Mt. Tirzah made a commitment to intentional Discipleship, resulting in a renewed energy among the leaders and others.
People and Events:
General Steven Moore is without a doubt the literal or at least figurative founder of Mt. Tirzah Church, but many other community leaders had an influence throughout the decades. John Reade of Virginia bought part of the Moore estate, and his family can be considered one of the foundational families of the church. One of his sons, Edward, became a state supreme court judge. An article from 1889 states that a Judge Edwin Reade donated an organ to the church.[xxxviii] This historian assumes that Edward and Edwin were one and the same. It was most likely the school house located on Judge Reade’s land that served as a meeting place when there wasn’t a church building. (James W. Tillett was one of the teachers. His father was a preacher, and his brother Dean married Lucy Noell. The Tilletts, Reades, and Noells still have descendants who are members of Mt. Tirzah.)
William T. Noell, also of Virginia, settled near the church and married a grand-daughter of General Moore. His descendants also still attend Mt. Tirzah UMC.[xxxix] William was said to have brought the first sewing machine into North Carolina in 1852.[xl] Many visitors came to his home to “see the show”, according to A.A. Wilkinson in an article written for the Durham paper in 1946.
“Log rollings”, which were events where land was cleared for farming, were enjoyable social gatherings for the people of Mt. Tirzah. “While the men toiled in the field the good wives were busy indoors quilting and preparing the meals,” reports a Mrs. Lance in the 1926 Durham article.[xli] “Then at the close of day, when the evening meal had been eaten and the dishes done, the young folks would begin coming in, rugs would be rolled up in the big room, the fiddle and the banjo would strike up a lively tune, and they would have what some styled a ‘tear down,’ or what some radio broadcasting stations term a barn dance. The huskiest fellow in the group would call the figures. Some of the older heads would venture out on the floor to the merriment and enjoyment of the crowd, but mostly they’d sit back, either taking a social dip or chew or keeping time with their feet to the music.”
Welcoming new pastors is something in which the 20th and 21st century members of Mt. Tirzah have taken great pride, and so it is interesting to note that this tradition has been handed down through the ages. “They were thoughtful, too, of the pastor in their midst,” reports Mrs. H. E. Lance, writer for the Durham Morning Herald in 1926. “I have heard one…preacher say that the largest pounding he ever had received was here, where they came with a two-horse wagon load and backed up to the back porch to unload the things they had brought to him.”[xlii]
Music at Mt. Tirzah was provided by a pump organ for most of its early history, followed by a piano, but the most shocking change in music came in the 1970s when a local preacher from another church came to a revival hosted by Mt. Tirzah, and brought his acoustic guitar. The congregation listened politely to his playing, and the man was treated with respect, but once the service was over, tongues were wagging in the parking lot, about playing a guitar in church! Not too many years later, Mike Smith began playing the acoustic guitar regularly during services, and slowly over time, it became a natural part of Sunday morning worship.
Christ as the Foundation:
In recent history, Mt. Tirzah has sought to prepare for the future while maintaining a firm grip on its heritage and unique characteristics. As part of this process, there has been a successful blending of the old and the new, as longtime members have welcomed in new faces. A quick glance at the church’s leadership list testifies to this fact, as historic Mt. Tirzah names are found side-by-side with names only recently a part of the Timberlake and Rougemont area.
Jesus Christ is the foundation of this church and of many in its congregation. Vibrant ministries have been a part of Mt. Tirzah for decades. Members are involved in the community and involved with each other. People love and support each other and those who are less fortunate. All of these are important, but the key is that many members actively seek to be closer to Jesus through prayer, worship, Bible study, and service. With Jesus at our heart, Mt. Tirzah looks forward to what will be written about this little church on the hill in the next 100 years.
“The “little church on the hill” is remembered by many for its simplicity and peacefulness, and for breath-taking views of the surrounding countryside. The changing of the leaves in the fall and the awakening of new life in the spring can still be seen for many miles as one stands on her hilltop.” (Church History 1819-1995)
Interesting facts:
May 1889: “Ex-Judge Edwin G. Reade, of Raleigh, has given the Methodist church of Mt. Tirzah a handsome $165 organ.”[xliii]
September 29, 1892: “Mr. Paul A. Noell, of this city, and Miss Lizzie M. Reade, were married at Mt. Tirzah ME Church yesterday evening at 4:15 o’clock by Rev. Dr. E. A. Yates.”[xliv]
1908 “WILL SOON BE MARRIED. Invitations Issues by Mr. and Mrs. Reade… DURHAM. N. C. June 15. Invitations have just been issued by Mr. and Mrs. James R. Reade, of Mt. Tirzah, Person county, to the marriage of their daughter, Miss Lela Reade. To Mr. Robert Percival Reade, a prominent young attorney of this city. The bride is a great-grandniece of the late Judge Reade. The marriage will take place in the Methodist Church at Mt. Tirzah Wednesday, June 24th. It will be an interesting social event.”[xlv]
June 1962: “Our church now has 47 members. We received 17 new members this year, and 13 of these were by Profession of Faith. Our Sunday school, which was begun two years ago this August, now has a membership of 60. Our average attendance is 42. We have six classes. We meet each Sunday at 9:00.”
1969 membership was reported by Pastor Giles in a letter dated 1-20-1959, as 30 people. In the same letter, Pastor Giles reported, “We had also hoped to brick-veneer the building in the Spring and if possible to put in running water and restrooms. But the local membership has done about all they are financially able to do at this time.”
As reported by Margaret Noell Puett in 2016, the organ that is in the church at the time of the 2016 revision of this history was given by Emma, Lizz, and Percy Noell in honor of their mother, Lizzie Reade Noell. There used to be a pump organ before the church was restored, although Margaret does not remember it. Her grandmother, Emma, played the piano until Donna Clayton took over when Emma could no longer see well.
“Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Moore also contributed much to the establishment of Person County. After the Revolutionary War, Moore returned to the county, and bought several acres of hilltop property–Mount Tirzah (or Mount Beautiful). Nearly 1,000 troops from Person County served the Confederacy during the Civil War. E. Fletcher Satterfield, a Person native, brought forward the Confederate flag during the Battle of Gettysburg. A statue stands in his honor at the Person County Courthouse.” (http://www.northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/610/entry/)
Contributions and Sources:
Much of the information in this History of Mt. Tirzah came from the detailed and well-thought-out “History: Mt. Tirzah United Methodist Church 1819-1995”, for which the following contributed in innumerable ways:
Miss Julia Howard, niece of Mr. And Mrs. Charlie Reade
Mrs. Emma Noell, Superintendent of Mt. Tirzah Sunday School, 1960-66
B.C. Satterfield of Mt. Zion Church (located old indentures)
Dr. David Rogers (found volumes of the Mt. Tirzah Charge Conference records at a yard sale)
Carlyle Clayton and son, Bernard Clayton (assisted in locating original site of church built in 1819)
North Carolina Conference Historical Directory (1984)
Mrs. Anne Noell, Church Historian for many years
Rebecca Clayton, Church Historian until 2014
Mary Jay Holding, Church Historian until 2014
Other contributing sources:
Berry, Vicki. “Mt. Tirzah Latest Focus in Museum’s Townships Series.” The Courier=Times. Roxboro, NC, May 2, 2007.
“Mt. Tirzah United Methodist Church”, Miss Julia Howard (“beloved teacher and a member”, Emma Noell, and George Papendick, typed by Margaret Noell Puett. 10/9/1969
This version of “History of Mt. Tirzah UMC 1819-2016” was put together by Susan Jacques, current historian for Mt. Tirzah Church.
[1] Howard, Julia, Emma Noell, and George Pappendick, “Mt. Tirzah United Methodist Church.” Person County Heritage Book, Volume I, Section 79, October 9, 1969.
[1] Actual source for this quote is unknown. Quote itself came from Wright, Stuart T. “Indians, Explorers, First Settlements to 1799.” Historic Sketch of Person County. Womack Press, 1974.
[1] Note: research points to 1784 as the “9th year of our Independence,” yet the house was built in 1778. This historian is not sure how to reconcile these dates.
[1] State of North Carolina Deed No. 629, 691, and 801.
[1] http://ncpedia.org/biography/moore-stephen
[1] “A Brief History of Mt. Tirzah”, from the Homecoming bulletin dated June 2, 1991, author unknown.
[1] “A Brief History of Mt. Tirzah”, from the Homecoming bulletin, c. 1970, author unknown.
[1] Person County, North Carolina Deed Books 1792-1825, Book E, Page 246-247.
[1] Howard, Noell, Pappendick, 1969.
[1] Lance, Mrs. H. E., “Hand of Time Deals In a Ruthless Manner with Mt. Tirzah Church and It Now Serves Handful of People.” Durham Morning Herald, February 14, 1926, p. 22.
[1] Howard, Noell, Pappendick, 1969.
[1] Jeffreys, David E. Jr., Person County Heritage-North Carolina Volume II p. 256.
[1] “A Brief History”, c. 1970.
[1] Howard, Noell, Pappendick, 1969.
[1] Ditto
[1] Howard, Noell, Papendick, 1969.
[1] “Durham District Conference.” The Daily State Chronicle, Raleigh, NC, August 6, 1890, Vol VII. No. 131.
[1] Howard, Noell, Papendick, 1969.
[1] Noell, Mrs. Penn Sr., Superintendent of Mt. Tirzah Sunday School and Secretary of the Mt. Tirzah Building Committee. “Additional Summary Notes on Mt. Tirzah Church”, “Report to give at Charge Conference”, 1962-1963.
[1] “A Brief History”, 1962.
[1] “A Brief History of Mt. Tirzah”, from the Homecoming bulletin dated June 5, 1988, author unknown.
[1] See letter dated September 1962 in Appendix.
[1] Howard, Noell, Papendick, 1969.
[1] See copies of letters regarding fundraising for Sunday School wing of church, in Appendix
[1] [picture left to right: Penn Noell, Arthur Tillet, Jack Cothran, Rev. Vasser Jones, CD Barclift, DS of Durham District.] The appendix contains letters written by past Mt. Tirzah pastors who aided in the fundraising efforts of the church. Original pledge signatures of members and friends who contributed $10.00 each to alleviate the church’s indebtedness in 1965 are also included.)
[1] Howard, Noell, Papendick, 1969.
[1] See photo in Appendix
[1] Howard, Noell, Papendick, 1969.
[1] See copy of “1879 Church Report” in Appendix.
[1] Howard, Noell, Papendick, 1969.
[1] Lance, 1926, p. 22.
[1] Howard, Noell, Papendick, 1969.
[1] “Supplement Appeal” submitted to the Judicial Council of the Methodist Church on May 18, 1967 by B. I. Satterfield, Member of the Board of Stewards.
[1] Ditto
[1] “A Brief History”, 1988.
[1] Ditto
[1] See pictures of Centennial Homecoming in Appendix
[1] “Personal and Social.” The State Chronicle, Raleigh, NC, May 10, 1889.
[1] Lance, Mrs. H. E., “Hand of Time Deals In a Ruthless Manner with Mt. Tirzah Church and It Now Serves Handful of People.” Durham Morning Herald, February 14, 1926, p. 22.
[1] Wilkinson, A.A., “Person County, Established in 1791, Named After Revolutionary General; Roxboro Center of Prosperous Area.” Durham Morning Herald, June 2, 1946, Section IV, p. 1.
[1] Lance, ditto
[1] Lance, ditto. NOTE: A “pounding” is when people bring supplies to stock a home, originating from the idea that someone brought a pound of flour, another a pound of butter, etc.
[1] “Personal and Social.” The State Chronicle, Raleigh, NC, May 10, 1889.
[1] “And Still They Marry.” The Durham Daily Globe, September 29, 1982, Vol. III No. 214
[1] “Will Soon Be Married.” The Times Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia, June 16, 1906, p. 3.