Line 1:
{{Short description|Historic site in Rowan County, North Carolina, US}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Back Creek Presbyterian Church and Cemeterey
| nrhp_type = =
| image = 2012-09-28_17-49-28_27_back_creek_church.jpg
| caption = Back Creek Presbyterian Church, September 2012
| location = 2145 Back Creek Church Road (SR 1763), [[Mount Ulla, North Carolina]]
| coordinates = {{coord|35|39|3|N|80|42|24|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = North Carolina#USA
| built = 18561857
| architecture = Greek Revival
| added = December 29, 1983
| area = {{convert|5.8|acre}}
| refnum = 83003998<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>▼
| governing_body = Private
▲ | refnum = 83003998<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>
}}
'''Back Creek Presbyterian Church and Cemetery''' is a historic [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]] [[church (building)|church]] and [[cemetery]] in [[Mount Ulla Township, Rowan County, North Carolina|Mount Ulla, Rowan County, North Carolina]] currently affiliated with the [[Presbyterian Church in America]] (PCA). It was named for a nearby stream, which was back of Sills Creek and called Back Creek.<ref name='Website'>[{{cite web|url=http://stat.pcanet.org/ac/directory/directory.cfm |title=Presbyterian Church website]|access-date=June 24, 2019}}</ref><ref name='Thyatira2'>{{cite book|title=Thyatira Presbyterian Church Rowan County, North Carolina (1753-1948)|url=https://archive.org/details/thyatirapresbyte01ling|author=Lingle, Walter Lee|year=2013|publisher=Forgotten Books}}, {{ISBN|152779248X}}</ref><ref name="History150">{{cite book|title=150th Anniversary of Back Creek Presbyterian Church, 1805-1955|year=1955|location=Mt. Ulla, North Carolina}}</ref>
==History==
In the late 18th century disagreements about the worship style at [[Thyatira Presbyterian Church, Cemetery, and Manse|Thyatira Presbyterian Church]] culminated in the splitting of its congregation. Thirty families, including all five of Thyatira's elders - Thomaselders—Thomas King, John Barr, William Bell, Abraham Lowrance, and Thomas Gillespie, -Jr. left(son of [[Thomas Gillespie (North Carolina plantation owner)|Thomas Gillespie, Sr.]])—left the church. TheyThe worshippedonly withoutelder astill pastorloyal forto severalThyatira yearswas unitlCapt. theirThomas requestCowan to(1747-1817). formThey worshipped without a newpastor churchfrom wasSeptember granted1805 byuntil ConcordApril Presbytery1807. The official birth date of the Churchestablishment of Back Creek was September 5, 1805.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://www.ancestraltrackers.net/nc/rowan/history-back-creek-presbyterian-church.pdf|title=History of Back Creek Presbyterian Church, Rowan County, N.C., for 100 years|lastlast1=Alexander|firstfirst1=Samuel|last2=Goodman|first2=John|publisher=Enterprise Steam Job Print]|year=1905|isbnlocation=Mooresville, N.C.|pages=5–9}}</ref><ref name="History">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofbackcre00alex/mode/2up|title=History of Back Creek Presbyterian Church, Rowan County, N.C. for 100 years|year=1905|location=Mooresville, N. C.|publisher=Enterprise Steam Job Print|author=Alexander, Samuel Caldwell|pages=5-91–34}}</ref>
In 1807 the first pastor, Rev. Joseph D.Kirkpatrick Kilpatrick of Poplar Tent Presbytery, accepted the call to lead the new congregation. Four yearyears later, thein congregation1811, builtland awas littledeeded logby houseone of worship on the landruling donated byelders, John Barr, oneto of"Back Creek Meeting House" and the rulingcongregation eldersbuilt a little log house of worship on the land.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/backcreekpresbytback/backcreekpresbytback_djvu.txt|title=Back Creek Presbyterian Church 150th anniversary, 1805-1955|last=Goodman|first=M.Emma|publisher=Back Creek Presbyterian Church|year=1955|isbn=|location=Mount Ulla, N.C.|pages=}}</ref> This was replaced by the congregationscongregation's present [[Greek Revival architecture|Greek Revival]] sanctuary built in 1857. In 1869 the congregation lost their African-American members, nearly half of the congregation. The entire region suffered economic depression. Many members left to the West. In 1952 a religious educational building was added. The current manse was built in 1968. Over the years Back Creek Presbyterian belonged to five different [[Presbyterian]] denomination. In 1991 the congregation joined the Presbyterian Church inof America. InAnd in 1993 the classrooms and kitchen were expanded.<ref name="nrhpinv">{{Cite web | author =Davyd Foard Hood and Michael Hill| title = Back Creek Presbyterian Church and Cemetery| work = National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory | date =July 1983| url = httphttps://wwwfiles.hpo.ncdcrnc.gov/ncdcr/nr/RW0045.pdf | format = pdf | publisher = North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office | accessdateaccess-date = 2015-02-01}}</ref><ref name='Website2'/>[http://www.backcreekpca.com/main_design_1-20-10_003.htm<ref Backname="History" Creek Presbyterian Church website]</ref>
In 1824 some members of Back Creek Church congregation organized Prospect Presbyterian Church in southwestern corner of Rowan County.<ref>{{Cite book|title=History of Rowan County North Carolina|last=Rumple|first=Jethro|publisher=Observer Printing House|year=1916|isbn=|location=Charlotte, N.C.|pages=369}}</ref>
The Rev. S. C. Alexander (1830–1907) delivered the dedication of the third church building in an address at Thyatira on March 21, 1857. At that time, he was pastor of both Back Creek and Thyatira.<ref name="History" />
It was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1983.<ref name="nris"/>
Back Creek adheres to the [[Westminster Confession of Faith]], [[Westminster Larger Catechism]] and [[Westminster Shorter Catechism]].<ref name='Website2'>[{{cite web|url=http://www.backcreekpca.com/main_design_1-20-10_005.htm |title=Back Creek Presbyterian Church website]|access-date=June 24, 2019}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[South Yadkin River]] showing Back Creek
==References==
Line 36 ⟶ 43:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Back Creek Presbyterian Church And Cemetery}}
[[Category:Presbyterian Church in America churches in North Carolina]]
[[Category:CemeteriesPresbyterian cemeteries in North Carolina|Presbyterian]]
[[Category:Protestant Reformed cemeteries]]
[[Category:Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Greek Revival church buildings in North Carolina]]
Line 44 ⟶ 50:
[[Category:Churches in Rowan County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Rowan County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Cemeteries in Rowan County, North Carolina]]
{{RowanCountyNC-NRHP-stub}}
| 
Article Images