THE OLD FREE CHURCH; THE METHODIST PREDOMINATE; THE FIRST REAL CHURCH ON THE ISLAND, ERECTED IN 1836. THE METHODIST PRESTIGE ON THE ISLAND

I have heretofore told you something of the politics of Knotts Island, that Jefferson, in his campaign of 1800, infused into it, and I will say, there has been but little, If any, change in this respect, on the Island since.

Now, I will try to give some account of the Island in a religious way, beginning far in the past.

I am satisfied prior to 1832, there was not a church building on the Island worthy the name.

My father and other old people told me that there had been a shanty on the public road about two hundred yards northerly of the present Methodist, on or about, the Scadlock lot. This no doubt had been a dwelling, donated or purchased by the people for a place of divine service; it was dubbed Free Church," that any and all creeds might set forth their respective doctrines therein; this soon brought forth jarrings, disputes, and bickerings, as such churches always do. Doubtless these disputes arose between the Baptist and Methodist creeds, for before and up to this time, these two denominations were trying to establish themselves in the by-ways and out-posts of civilization; and I am sure from what I have heard of their history, they had a hard time of it. I have some evidence from which to form the belief that the Methodist eventually subdued all opposition from all sources on the Island.

I have no date to fix the beginning nor the ending of this old Free Church. The Methodist, spoken of above, prior to 1784, were Wesleyan Methodist after that date, Methodist Episcopal.

This denomination planted itself firmly on this Island to the exclusion of all others, one hundred and fifty years or more ago; and there remains but little doubt they took charge and ruled the old Free Church building or buildings to its end.

It seems almost a useless effort for any other denominaion to try to establish itself on this Island with the expectation of any great amount of influence.

The Methodist Protestant, another branch of Methodist, called Reformers, tried this in the last '40's, it engendered a great deal of ill-will and fussing as you will find in another chapter; in about ten years it withered, and this church in a body went back to the mother church--Methodist Episcopal. The Baptist, it is true, has a church on there now, of recent date; it may do better than the Reform one. The church prestige of this Island though is Methodist. So it is: democrat, born; democrat, die; Methodist, born; Methodist, die.

I could not have been over four years old, when my father took me, one Saturday evening, to the church lot, where Methodist Church now stands.

I was carried into an old dilapidated house and I think it had a shed, and the floor of this part apparently had just now been taken up, there were many long, pine poles and other lumber scattered around in great confusion; in one corner of this house stood a speaker's stand; this old house was the only building on this lot that evening.

It strikes me very forcibly, that the people gathered then and there that evening, were preparing to erect a suitable new church and these poles had been brought there that day to erect scaffolds and the floor taken out of that old house to complete them; & further, it strikes my mind, like the glow of a bright May morning, that a new church was erected in 1836; still further, I do know it was a new church in 1840, for it had been furnished with nice, substantial and well made seats, altar and pulpit, and the workmanship was commented upon in my presence then and there. I am sure now, also, that while this church was being built, that the workmen used this old house for a workshop and that was the reason the old house and its surroundings were in such a state of confusion and disorder that Saturday evening.

In the Register's office of Currituck County, in Book 11, page 199, is the record of a deed executed third day of January, 1811, by Henry Beasley to Jesse Taylor, William Dolly (Dawley), Joel Wickes, William Beasley, Commissioners of the Methodist Meeting house. There may have been a meeting house then, 1811, or this land was bought to erect one. This old house that I was carried to that Saturday evening was the Methodist Meeting house, and likely had been there since, 1811.

I think from what I can recollect, this old house was a poor substitute for a church, but I am quite sure Tom Jones held his big meeting in and around it, and this meeting had stirred the people up to build a better one--hence the most spacious, proper and suitable meeting house ever built on Knott's Island, worthy to be called a church, was then and there built.

"Church" is now popularly applied to all places of worship, but in olden times, the Episcopalians claimed the word "church" as their exclusive property, as the Catholics do now, other denominations held "meetings" and their places of worship were called "meeting-houses"--hence the Commissioners of the Methodist meeting house on Knotts Island.

That new church built in 1836, was torn down thirty or more years ago, to give place to a more modern and larger one; and in turn this one was also torn down very lately, and in its place, so I have been informed, is reared one of the most modern, and one of the finest church buildings in this and adjoining counties.

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