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Speedwell Baptist Church to mark centennial

By Lynn Hotaling
Speedwell Bapt Speedwell Baptist Church, established in 1902 and constructed in 1913, will celebrate its centennial Sunday, Nov. 17. The day will begin with Sunday school at 10 a.m., followed by worship, dinner on the grounds and gospel singing in the afternoon. - Herald photo by Lynn Hotaling Another of Jackson County's historic community churches will celebrate a milestone this month.

Members of Speedwell Baptist will gather Sunday, Nov. 17, to mark the church's centennial through worship and song.

Termed "Old-timers' Day" by church members, events will begin with Sunday school at 10 a.m. The Rev. Wesley Hooper of Franklin, Speedwell's pastor from 1970 to 1972 and the church's oldest former pastor, will bring the message during the 11 a.m. worship service.

Dinner on the grounds will be served following the worship service. The afternoon will be filled with singing by For His Glory of Franklin, Anita and the Browns of Tuckasegee, the Speedwell Choir and others.

Speedwell Baptist was organized Nov. 16, 1902, by 37 members of Cullowhee Baptist Church who lived in Speedwell community. The Rev. A.C. Queen served as Speedwell's first pastor.

The congregation purchased land for a sanctuary in 1912 from W.A. and Etta Hooper, and the church was built the following year.

A.C. Queen A.C. Queen Church members initially held worship services at the old Speedwell School along with members of the local Methodist congregation. Speedwell's Baptists and Methodists used the same building for services for a number of years and continued to hold joint services into the 1950s, said longtime Speedwell Baptist clerk Ida Mae Wilkes.

Speedwell's current pastor is the Rev. Clemmey Queen, a relative of the church's first pastor, A.C. Queen. Former pastor Wesley Hooper, who will bring the Nov. 17 message, is a son of the Rev. D.C. Hooper, Speedwell's pastor from 1928-33, 1949-53 and 1956-58, Wilkes said.

Charter members at Speedwell were Queen Adams, Hix Ashe, Daniel Boone, Gossett Boone, Perry Coggins, Callie Dills, Ramsey Dills, Ida Fox, Mary Fox, Nellie Hooper, Rosetta Hooper, William Hooper, Artisha Mathis, Dora Mathis, Elbert Mathis, John Mathis, Julia Mathis, M.W. Mathis, Riley Morrison, Andrew Pressley, Callie Pressley, David Pressley, Jacob Pressley, Lavina Pressley, Louis Pressley, Lula Pressley, Mack Pressley, Matilda Pressley, Pink Pressley, W.E. Seago, Belle Styles, Kansas Watson, Zeb Watson, Florence Wilson and Leota Wilson.

River Speedwell Baptist Church Pastor Virgil Cook, far right, and the Rev. Zollie Fox, a former pastor, baptized Wayne Fox, left, and Clarence Pressley in Cullowhee Creek on July 26, 1958. Speedwell still follows the Baptist tradition of baptism through immersion, said longtime member Jesse Flake. The first deacons were David Pressely and Louis Pressley. Zeb Watson served as the church's first clerk.

Speedwell Baptist has been described as one of the "most unusual religious structures" in Jackson County and has been featured several times on the annual tour of historic churches sponsored by the Webster and Jackson County historical societies.

Its "plain white wooden, one-room sanctuary is dominated by a five-tiered, hexagonal entrance and shingled bell tower, providing a dramatic way into a simple worship setting," according to a 1992 historical society brochure.

The exterior of the church has not been changed in the 90 years since it was constructed; when repair or restoration has been necessary, it has been accomplished by reproducing the church's original details, the brochure said.

A basement containing three Sunday school classrooms was added in 1979, said longtime church member Jesse Flake of Cullowhee.

Speedwell still follows the traditional Baptist practice of baptism through immersion, Flake said. In the church's early years, baptisms were held across the field from the church near the junction of Wilson and Tilley creeks but were later moved downstream to a site near the Speedwell General Store, he said.

During its 100 years, Speedwell has had 29 pastors but only eight clerks. Wilkes, the church's current clerk, has held that office since 1955. Wilkes said she has seen a lot of changes to the church through the years.

"When I was a little girl we had a wood stove to keep warm, then an oil stove, then an oil furnace, then electric heaters, and now we have gas heaters," she said.

"I've enjoyed being clerk," she said last week. "It's all worked out and been good."

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