At the meeting the congregation of the church will announce plans for a special celebration in October, as the church marks almost 200 years in existence.
Nancy Liner, a member of the congregation working on the October event, will have for viewing some of the original church record books and deeds dating back to 1824.
These record books are a wealth of information about the pioneer residents of the area who established the church in the early 1800s.
Records indicate from the beginning of the church’s founding, slaves were in attendance and often were recorded by name. The church met on the third Saturday of each month.
The original church was built on land given by Sterling Camp. Camp received several land grants in the area in November of 1820. These grants were obtained after the Cherokees ceded their lands in the Hiwassee Treaty of 1819, at which time the town of Calhoun was organized.
In the original hand-written records of December 1824, 15 statements of faith and beliefs were recorded and witnessed by names such as Camp, Varnell, Roberts, Oswalt, Brookshir and Morgan.
The original church building was displaced in 1939 by TVA and the congregation built a new building on higher ground near the original site. The current building has undergone several additions and renovations since it was built.
The church maintains a cemetery across the road from the church, and the graves of many pioneer residents of the area, including Sterling and Anna Camp, can be found there.
At the meeting, the historical society will have available several copies of some of the church records for handouts and hopes to have all of them published to their website very soon.
The church is located at 507 Co. Road 950 along the Hiwassee River, east of Calhoun. Visitors can locate the church by following signs to Advent Home.
Visit cchhistoricalsociety.org for more information.
