Property owner: Trustees of Wolfe Valley
Baptist Church
Date added to WVCPA register:
December
2007
Data Updated: 24 June 2013
Accessibility:
Easily
accessible, though currently no handicapped access to the upstairs
portion of the building, only the Sunday School area in the
basement. Plans are in the works for adding a wheelchair ramp to
access the upstairs.
** Condition of church
building and grounds as observed on the given date - may not be
representative of care at other times of the year Scale:
Excellent - Good - Fair - Poor - Abandoned
Click thumbnail photos below to
enlarge
Wolfe
Valley Baptist Church was founded in 1852, under the leadership of
Rev. Wm. Getchell and Lewis Greenlee. Other founding members
included Lewis & Christina Wolfe, Francis & Deborah Knapp,
Jacob Zearley, John Williams, John & Elizabeth Harpold and
Abigail and Joshua Deweese.
In
its early years, the log church building served as both church and
schoolhouse, until the nearby Cloverdale School was built.
Affiliated
with the Teays Valley Baptist association from 1873, separating and
becoming an independent Baptist church in 1976. The church has been
in nearly continual use since its founding, and currently maintains
an active membership of between 15-25, with twice-weekly services
and Sunday School classes for adults and children.
One
of the
earliest photos found of the church - estimated to be from the mid-
to late 1920's:
In
1940, the original church building burnt to the ground, along with
virtually all of its contents. There are a few small items that
miraculously managed to survive the blaze, including a family Bible
that had been given to the church by a neighboring family, along with a small assortment of general records.
The Bible was returned to the sanctuary, along with the surviving
records, after a new building was built in the early 1940's
by the congregation.
The "new" concrete block building,
not too long after its completion over the same site of the original
building, probably from 1941 or 1942. The new building having the
addition of a full basement and indoor restrooms:
Pastors
who have served this congregation over the years
include
(dates are approximate in some cases):
1852
- Rev. William Getchell
1853-1872 - ?
1873-1877 - Rev. William Cadle
1878 - ?
1879-1892 - Rev. William Cadle (he also served Old Town Baptist, Shiloh
Baptist, Long Hollow and
Concord Baptistchurches,
simultaneously at times,
during these years)
1893-1939 - ?
1940-1954 - Rev. Brady G. Duncan
1955-1959 - Rev. Clinton H. Craig ?
1960-1963 - Rev. J. Paul Graham (with Rev. Fred Harmon
serving as
associate pastor)
1964-1965 - Rev. B.G. Duncan (may have been other years too)
1966 - Rev. Dennis Weaver (with Rev. Fred Harmon, retired,
serving
as associate pastor)
1967-1972 - Rev. William H. McDaniel
1973-1974 - Rev. Franklin Nott
1975-1986 - Rev. Nott?
1987- Rev. Bobby Craig
1988-1998 - Rev. Charles Higginbotham ?
1999-2002 - Rev. Wayne Conley
2003-2005 - Rev. James Conley
2005-2011 - Brother Bob Way
2011-2012 - Dr. R.W. Hall
2012-present - Pastor A.W. Chism
Rev. William Cadle, pastor during the late 1800's
Comments:
This church holds a special place
in the heart of the WVCPA founders, Joel & Donna Duprey, as
Joel's ancestors were among the founding
members. This little white church in the
valley sits at the crossroads - the heart, if you will, of what was
once known as Capehart, and near the confluence of Thirteenmile
Creek and its tributary, Poplar Fork. Up Poplar Fork (which runs on the west side
of the church) at the bridge, the Capehart store and post office
once stood. In the opposite direction, a short ways down Tribble
Road just across Thirteen Mile Creek on a knoll to the northeast stands
what was the Cloverdale School, now on private property and fallen
into disrepair. Just beyond
Cloverdale School, on what is today known as Cabin Ridge Road, lies
Wolfe Valley Cemetery. Not associated directly with the church, the
cemetery is the resting place of many of the pioneers of this area, a vast number of those buried
having been one time members
of this congregation. To see what's happening at the church, visit
their web site at
www.wolfevalley.org.
