CityView Magazine

10 August 2021 F ayetteville has been called 'e City of Churches.' When I was a boy living with my parents, my sister Vivian and my aunt Lucy at 109 Rowan Street near Saint James Square, I oen walked into my backyard and could hear lovely music coming from the chimes in the steeple of the First Presbyterian Church on the corner of Ann and Bow streets. I could also hear the chimes from the First Baptist Church on the corner of Old and Anderson streets across from the old YMCA building. Within walking distance of my home there were several other churches that are still being used for worship today. Saint Joseph's Episcopal Church on the corner of Ramsey and Moore streets is one of the most historic churches in town. It was chartered in 1873, and it had a lovely hand- pumped pipe organ that was donated by Eva Cochran in the year 1896. e pipe organ was one of two of the oldest of its kind in the United States. Another church near my former home is the Saint John's Episcopal Church on Green Street across the street from the post office. is church has some of the most beautiful stained-glass windows I have ever seen. e land for Saint John's Church was purchased from the First Presbyterian Church in 1817. Next door to the Presbyterian Church was the first Catholic Church to be built in the state of North Carolina. It was across from Liberty Point and near my father's Champion Automotive Equipment Company Store. When I was a child, I oen enjoyed riding my tricycle on the sidewalk in front of that church. FAYETTEVILLE HISTORY 'The city of churches' BY WEEKS PARKER Clockwise star ting far left, in 1834 the first Hay S treet Methodist Church was a wooden building. This building was replaced by a much larger brick structure in 1908. The original First Baptist Church, on the corner of Old and Anderson streets, was a wooden building. A new brick building was dedicated May 12, 1912, and the church complex was greatly expanded in the 1950s and 1860s. The sanctuar y of Saint John's Episcopal Church on Green S treet has lovelstained glass windows. The first Highland Presby terian Church sanctuar y was a circular wooden building that was later replaced by a new brick building that is still used today. This is one of the few pictures ever made of the Presby terian Church that stood at the bottom of Haymount Hill. Opposite page, the original First Presby terian Church was built in 1816. It was almost totally destroyed by the great fire of 1831 that devastated downtown Fayetteville. It was later rebuilt on the walls of the old building by the builder of the Clarendon covered bridge across the Cape Fear River.

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