Thc following is a brief history of the New Hope Church read by W.E. McLeod on the occasion of the celebration of the one-hundredth annivesary celebration of the church.

I have been requested to give a brief account of the organization and continuation of the New Hope Church. I shall try to do so as briefly as I can to make a connected story. As a sort of introduction to the main subject I wish to state a few facts leading up to the organization of the church.

During the last year, I have been collecting data to be used in writing an account of early Papist movements in Northeast Arkansas, which at the time was about the same as Lawrence County. I think this infomtation should be of interest to you. So let us begin at the beginning and come down to the beginning of New Hope Church.

So far as known, the first Baptist preacher to preach was George Gill, a Kentuckian. In 1814 he came with Col. William Stuart and family to the village of Lawrence (later Davidsonville). After tarrying there a few days, they continued their joumey westward, cutting out their way as they went. Col. Stuart had slaves to do the cutting. They reached White River where Mt. Olive was later. There during Christmas week,1814, George Gill preached what is believed to be the first Baptist sermon in Arkansas. Gill continued his missionary work in the White River country for several years, and in 1829 organized (Rehobeth now Morefield) church, near Batesville in Independence County, which claims the distinction of being'the oldest Baptist church in Arkansas.

John Young Lindsey, a Baptist preacher, lived at the place known as Columbia on the Fourche de Thomas in eastern Randolph County from 1815 to 1825. It is hardly to be supposed that he lived there all the time without making an effort to establish a church. A statement of unknown authorship relates that in 1818 a Baptist church named Salem was established on the Fourche de Thomas river near the present settlement of Middlebrook in Randolph County now the settlement where John Young Lindsey lived (later called Columbia) was near the present settlement at Middlebrook. It is, therefore, believed that its name was later changed to Columbia after the village where it was situated. It is positively known that there was a Columbia Baptist Church there in the 1850's, which belonged in 1815 with four other churches in Missouri to Black River Association. It was old enough in 1837 to be planning a new building in the site of the older one. If these statements, are true, and there is nothing to the contrary, they make that Salem Church the first Baptist church organized in Arkansas and John Young Lindsey probably its organizer.

The first regular Baptist missionary work in Northeast Arkansas was done by preachers from Southeast Missouri. In 1822 Elders Street, Clark, and Edwards visited Lawrence County, and organized two churches, Union and Little Rock, which joined the Bethel Association in Missouri. Lawrence County then extended no farther west than the western boundary of Sharp County, and those churches were probably in that county, but so far I have not been able to locate them.

In the 1820's on invitation of some devout women in Lawrence County. Rev. David Orr of Missouri came to the county and remained and preached for several years in what is now Lawrence and Randolph Counties. As a result of his efforts Spring River Association composed of the four churches: Spring River, New Hope, Richland, and Little Northfork was organized by the preachers, J. Williams, S. Frost, M. Baily, and William Street in 1829. I have not been able to locate Richland and Little Northfork Churches. Spring River Church was at Jackson a short distance from Imboden. But where was New Hope? Certain facts lead to thc conclusion lhat it was in the same locality that it is now.

Several years ago I published an article about the establishment of the New Hope Church, giving the date 1844. At that time Rev. Chas. Lee, then of Imboden, took me to task about it. He stated that-New Hope Church was established by David Orr, and gave some statements in evidcnce. One of them was that Uncle John Goodwin had told him in 1898 that hc was converted in a meeting held by Rev. David Orr at New Hope in 1823., when he was seventeen years old. He stated that Uncle John said the church afterward died down and that he joined Smithville church which also died down. I did not give his statements much credence at the time, but facts from other sources have served to confirm thc truth of them. Evidently there was a church and a place called New Hope as far back as 1828 but where were they? I do not know for certain, but I give you my conclusions for whatever they may be worth. I believe the New Hope Church organized by David Orr in 1828 was the old church we know as Bethel. There was just one kind of Baptists then, but in the 1830's (I do not know the exact date) they separated into missionary and anti-missionary commonly called "Hardshell." The missionaries, a small minority perhaps, drew off, leaving the anti-missionaries in the possession of the house, whose name they changed to Bethel. The Missionaries, too weak to carry on, died down" as Uncle John said. This is my conclusion. It may be right or wrong, and you may believe it or not.

There seems to be no connection between the present New Hope church and any New Hope Church prior to its organization. It appears to be an enlirely new organization, which was made on Saturday before the third Sunday (the 20th) of July, 1844. The organization was conducted by Elders P.S.G. Watson and James B. Cobb at the home of Carny Straughn, which was near the site of the present church. The following persons became members by presentation of letters from other churches: C.C. Straughan, John P. Winders, John Park, Mary Winders, and Nancy Park. George W. Wilkerson and Wm. Oldham were deacons. and Wilkerson became the first clerk of the church. In those days the church services were held on a certain Sunday and the Saturday before, when all the church business was attended to. (It is significant that no where in the church minutes is mention of the adoption of a name for the church).

At the time the church was organized, the country was sparsely settled, and for several years the growth of the church was slow. During that time it had no fixed place of worship and held its meeting at the homes of its members. In this connection the home of James Brady is frequently mentioned. At the beginning of the 1850's a great influx of immigration set in, and the country hereabouts was rapidly settled. Some of the settlers who came in about that time were William Lane, William Moore, John Wesson, Randall Morgan, a Mr. Howard and their families from Virginia, who became strong supporters of Ihe church. There were others and the church took on a rapid growth.

In 1852 a committee was appointed to buy land from the United States on which to build a church. Forty acres was bought, and in 1853 the first church house was built. It was a framed building. It had a wide door in the west end. The pulpit was in the opposite end. It soon proved to be too small, and in 1859 a large shed was built where services were held in suitable weather. It was situated about a hundred yards southwest of this building. Great camp meetings were held there each year which was attended by people as far away as thirty miles. For the accommodation of the campers,cabins were built along the path to the spring two or three hundred yards away. All this time the church was increasing in size.

In 1873 the church building was enlarged by taking out the north side and adding an addition which doubled its size. This building served during the period of the church's greatest activity. In 1892 it was torn down and replaced by a some what larger framed building, which was used until 1941 when the present building was erected.

During the hundred years of church's existence, many interesting events connected with it have transpired, which of course can not all be mentioned here. For 50 years or more it was the religious and social center for the country miles around. The location of the church was the most popular meeting place in the county. It was the place of great revival meetings, picnics, singing schools and community singings. People came to them for many miles around. Persons as old as I am will remember them.

Some of the leaders of the church during thc first half-century and little later were the Lanes, Moores, Matthewses, Prices, Webbs, Brady, Wassons, Waylands, Borahs, Jameses, and McLeods. Some of these will be remembered by persons present. Other persons who were not of the church but often attended the seivices were George Edwards, Emanuel Goad, Marion Rainwater, John Casper, Thomas Guthrie, the Richardsons, Dentons, and their families.

My parents took me to the meetings at New Hope Church further back than I can remember, but I can remember persons and events farther back than many of you can remember. I can remember when I went to the meetings in the second old church with my parents and had to sit up in the amen corner with my father on a high puncheon seat through long services and how tired I got. I remember the old graybeards who were the pillars of the church then, William Moore, Wilson Moore, Jackson, Oldham, William Lane, Randall Morgan, John Wesson, Wyley Matthews and a few others. I thought they were great men, and they were.

New Hope church has touched and intluenced the lives of many persons. It is estimated that it has had altogether as many as two-thousand members. It has had in all thirty six pastors, viz: James J. Cobb, P.S.G. Watson, C.G. Borah, John Miller, Joseph Howard, Robert Ross, R.S. Eaton, W.I. Cornett, David Wagster, B.F. Holford, John Miller (a second time), G.B. Borah (son of the third pastor), J.D. Buttler, R.B. Bellamy, W.R. James, J.N. Weaver, C.C. Marshall, T.M. Carter, W.H. Meredith, H.B. Wilson, C.P. Walters, Roe Caldwell, J.R. Barnett, L.F. Baine, L. Devore, C.C. Sledd, W.L. Yeldell, C.G. Davis and T.J. North. Of these pastors I remember personaly W.L. Cornett, David Wagster, B.F. Holford, John W. Miller, G.B. Borah, John Judkins, G.A. Armstrong, M.D. Bowers, D.E. Hunt, R.B. Bellamy, and J.T. Winchester.

I did not know the other preacher's names because some of them served before my day and several after I had moved away from the community. Dr. C.G. Borah and his son, G.B. Borah, each served the church as pastor for eleven years, longer than any other pastors served. Dr. Borah was pastor during the Civil War period. Miller and Armstrong each served as pastor two terms separated by an interval. The church has licensed 6 preachers, G.B. Borah, David Hunt, W.B. Wayland, M.D. East, John Judkins and Mack Price. They lived in the faith and preached the gospel as long as they lived.

The most noted, perhaps, of the preachers who have pastored New Hope Church was B.F. Holford. He was pastor for several years and held some great revival meetings. I remember the great baptizing at the end of one of his meetings. It was in the creek at the upper end of the big red bank. My recollection is thirty or forty persons were baptized. Some one else here may remember it. Rev. Holford also pastored Pleasant Hill (Dry Creek) and Pleasant Grove churches. G.B. Borah also conducted a great revival and baptizing at New Hope Church. More than thirty persons were baptized at the lower end of the big red bank. I think there may be persons who were in that baptizing and still remember it.

The meetings of the church have been continuous once a month since its organization, even in the time of the Civil War. The rules of the church were very strict in relation to attendance in the early days. A member failing to attend three or more consecutive meetings must be able to give a satisfactory reason for doing so or be excluded from the church. Some of the members lived as far as fifteen miles from the church and had no better or faster way of traveling than on horseback. The rule was hard to keep and was abandoned. The minutes of the church from its organization to the present have been preserved.

New Hope Church is a mother church. From it sprang the churches of Pleasant Grove and Pleasant Hill (Dry Creek). It has contributed members to other churches.

New Hope Church has been a member of four associations. In 1848, it joined with three other in organizing an association, but nothing came of it. In 1852 it joined the Rocky Bayou association, where it remained until 1869 when it joined with other churches to form the Spring River association. When Baptist churches separated into Convention Baptist and Association Baptist, New Hope remained Convention and joined other churches in forming Black River Association, where it remains.

I have not said much about the church since 1900 because being away continually, I do not know much personally about it. The persons I have mentioned have passed to their reward, and some of their descendants have been leaders in the church for several years. Their ancestors carried on well for half a century, and they, too, are carrying on as their progenitors, before them did, and we all hope and pray that the work so well done for a hundred years may likewise continue for another century.

This article was taken from the Lawrence County Historical Society Quarterly, Spring 1991, Volume 14, Number 2. The information on this page may be used for historical and genealogical purposes and not for financial gain. Any use must be accompanied by written permission of the page owner and this copyright must appear with the article. Jeri Helm Fultz