Craigs Chapel AME Zion Church: summary of history

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Cratgs Cha.peC
A.M.'£. Zton Church
The Can~ on wbtcb the Cratgs Cha.peC church f>utC~t~ an~ cemetery are
Cocate~ ortgtnaCCy f>eCo~e~ to James .tfammontree, one of the earCy settCers tn the
area. A veteran of the War of 1812, be ts f>urte~ tn the graveyar~. The Cratgs
Cha.peC Can~ ts part of a Carger tract the Mr • .Hammontree soC~ to Ben 1>rttcba:r~
tn 1842. 1>rttchar~ beC~ the Can~ unttC 1857, when be soC~ tt to WtCCtam Cratg.
Mr. Cratg Ctve~ ~own the bill on the north st~e of the cemetery on a rt~ge caCCe~
"The ~c&.s". ,,
In 189 6, Will tam Cratg soC~ an acre of Can~ on whtcb the church f>utC~t~
was erecte~. The church was name~ Cratgs Cha.peC tn. memory of htm, an~ tn the
same year the co~regatton appears to have f>een acttve. On August 6, 1896, the
Maryville TIM:£S reporte~ from ACCeghany, as the town of ereenf>acG. was then
caCCe~:
The coCore~ frten~s are boC~t~ qutte a su.ccessfu.C meett~
at Cratgs ChapeC con~u.ote~ f>y ~v. Wear of MaryvtCCe.
Cratgs Cha.peC ts oC~er f>y severaC years than the 1>resf>ytertan Church at
ereenf>acL 1ha. t congrega tton was not organt.ze~ un ttC 19 0 8. M n ttC that ttme
the ereenf>acG. peopCe con~u.cte~ non-~enomtnattonaC servtces an~ Sun~ay ScbooC
tn the scbooC bouse f>utC~t~, a CtttCe fra~e structure on. tbe .-s9,u.th st~e of the town
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that came to f>e caCCeo tl1:l '~oc~ ScbooC ffou.se. , . ' · .
The schooLhouse at Cratgs Cha.peC was opene~ tn 1899, <l9atn on an acre of
Can~ f>ou.ght fro.~ WtCttam .Cra:tg an~ bescr't.f>eb as abjotntng,"the ~b~rch property.
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Cratgs CbpeC ts at feast 82 years orb, havt~ occu.pteb tts present stte
conttnuou.sCy stnce 1·896·, accorbt~ to avatCar,Ce recorbs. "It ts posst.f>Ce that the
co~regatton ls even oCber, as tt may have hao a f>utCbt~ o.n Can~ to wbtcb tt ba:~
not acqutre~ tttCe at an earC~r bate. There ts onCy one other co~regatton tn the
ereenf>acG. communtty tflar ts oCber. 1>tne erove 1>resf>y~ertan ·Church was
organ tzeb tn 1.8 ~ 0 •
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