Wilkinsville and a Mystery Church

The History of Wesley Chapel According to The Gaffney Ledger

One of the problems with researching old African American churches is a lack of records. These congregations were often marginalized or ignored by newspapers in the late 19th and early 20 centuries. Add that to the fact that there were several other Wesley Chapels not far away and the task became even harder. I wasn’t able to find any information about the founding of the church, but the earliest news was that of conflict between races, as one would suspect, written from a White perspective.

The Gaffney Ledger would have a section for “Colored News” which did feature some items from Wesley Chapel. Adding the keywords “colored” or “Negro” would often provide better results to my queries. Those words, along with the tone of the article, often gave insight into the Jim Crow South and how some of these congregations were viewed. This article from 1911 is one of the most egregious examples.

Talk about a back-handed compliment! The implication was that any Black church gathering, even a “Children’s Day”, had the potential for violence. Apparently the writer’s comment stemmed from an incident that took place on Thanksgiving Weekend of 1910.

Robert Davidson and some of his friends showed up at Wesley Chapel one Thanksgiving service, whether to be social or just to cause trouble is never mentioned, but given the nature of the conflict I suspect the latter. Brothers Luther and Arthur Corry, identified as “Curry” in this article, along with a young Will Corry accosted Davidson and his friends. There was a struggle for weapons and Davidson was shot in the leg. Davidson died from an infection caused by the injury. Later news articles said that a “five more Negroes” were arrested for their involvement in the shooting, including Will Corry, Dave Corry, Bud Love, Matt Dowdle, Amos Byars and Gaither Byars.

Robert Davidson was the son of a prominent land owner and member of Salem Presbyterian, mentioned earlier in this article, so the story made for sensational news over the next two years. From one article it seemed that the church was a place of conflict between races prior to this incident. This letter to the editor at least acknowledges that blame should be born by both sides, but seems to place most of the blame on the church activities themselves.

For sometime the church has been a rendezvous or meeting place for lawless and disorderly crowds composed of whites and negroes…

Luther and Arthur were tried and convicted of murder. Luther was sentenced to death by hanging and Arthur was given a life sentence. Amos and Gaither Byars were given ten year sentences for their involvement. Later, Governor Blease commuted Luther’s death sentence to life in prison. Two years after sentencing both were reduced to ten years instead of life.

One white man by the name of “Hayes” was arrested for involvement in the murder. An all-white jury failed to convict him. However, Judge Wilson said he believed that…

…although the jury had acquitted the white man, Hayes, still he believed Hayes was as guilty as any of the negroes, and that he did not believe the negroes would have gone out boldly and killed Davidson if they had not been backed up and instigated to the act by Hayes…

…Hayes was the most guilty of all men tried; that Hayes, when he went upon the stand did not deny the proof that he furnished shells; that he urged the boys on; that the only miscarriage of justice was when the jury acquitted Hayes…

The Gaffney Ledger, Tuesday, March 7, 1911

I don’t know if Luther and Arthur served their full sentences, but Luther went on to serve as an ordained minister for the Methodist Episcopal Church. Their brother, Willie, would play a major role in the church’s history. His name will appear in many of the news articles cited in this story. Arthur died in 1971 and his obituary lists him as a farmer from the Wilkinsville area.

It was clear that there were issues that this congregation had to deal with on a regular basis and it’s tragic that this is some of the earliest news I could find for the church. Fortunately, most of the subsequent news of the church is positive, largely due to the efforts of Willie Corry.

The earliest reference to the church that I could clearly identify as this particular Wesley Chapel was from 1909 a year prior to the murder. It was a description of a second Sunday meeting, which implies that the congregation didn’t meet regularly. The article was submitted by Willie Corry, who was 19 at the time and already taking an active roll in the church.

Corry would go on to submit announcements about the activities of the church to the local paper. Apparently singing was a large part of the life of the church and singing classes and conventions were held there.

In 1915 a wood frame church was built on the site. The pastor at the time was Rev. L. C. Chamblin, according to the extant plaque on the current structure. The Star of Zion, a publication of the A. M. E. church, describes Chamblin as a builder, and it is possible that he was heavily involved with construction of this sanctuary.

In 1930 plans were made for construction of a larger church and consolidation of several other congregations. This article describes plans to purchase a new site for the church. It doesn’t look like these plans were followed through, though. The location doesn’t sound like the current site.

The 1915 church building lasted until sometime in the early 1940s when it was damaged beyond repair by a storm. The next news articles addressed the need for a new sanctuary with announcements about singings and gatherings to raise money.

What I love about this last article is that Corry graciously offers use of the new sanctuary to the white Methodist church until they can get their building completed. Apparently the events of the previous decades didn’t leave a stain on the church.

By 1946 the new church was completed and ready for services. Willie Corry is identified as the builder of the church.

Over the next several years there were more announcements about special services and the life of the church. The congregation seemed willing to share their new building with various organizations and to host singings and other activities. These articles from 1947 are typical from this time.

Most of the articles in the Gaffney Ledger about the church were of this type. However, there was one article that caught my attention and I’m still not sure how to interpret it. In 1950 Willie Corry came under fire for writing a letter to the pastor, Rev. John H. Black, urging him to resign or “he would be sorry.” The letter was taken as a threat and Corry had to appear before the local magistrate. In the letter Corry mentions local activity by the KKK and it’s unclear whether he was actually threatening Black or if he was just warning him.

Rev. Black did eventually resign. Two years later Rev. G. S. Gale was pastor of the church.

More announcements of singings, revival services, homecomings, and funerals followed in the pages of the Gaffney Ledger. The last announcement of activities at the church was for a homecoming in 1966. According to this article Vera Williams was now secretary of the church, replacing long-term secretary Willie Corry. After that date, there were no new announcements, only notices of funerals for church members.

Within five years the church ceased all operations. In 1971 the Gaffney Ledger posted a photo of the church, identifying it only as an “Old Abandoned Church…Reminder of Bygone Days.

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