City Directories and History: On July 2, 1890 the congregation of Hopewell Pres. Church expects to move their church building to the station (Lesslie) soon.”
The Herald reported on April 18, 1896 – “Mr. J. Hemphill Hayes, has sold a lot of one acre in the town of Lesslie to Hopewell Presbyterian Church. It is their intention to move the church from its present site four miles south of Rock Hill to the growing and thriving town of Lesslie.”
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Information taken from Sesquicentennial History of Hopewell Presbyterian Church 1808-1958, by Rev. John Crooks Bailey, DD and William Boyce White, Jr, published by the church in 1958.
No records exist of a formal organization for Hopewell, but in 1808 First Presbytery received a petition by William Wherry asking for a supply of preaching from Rev. Thomas Neely at a site described as in the neighborhood of Benjamin Dunlap in the Indian Land. This date is generally accepted as the beginning of Hopewell Church. Already existing in this section of York County were Neely’s Creek Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (organized about 1790) and Catawba Baptist Church (organized in 1792). Nearby Presbyterian churches included Fishing Creek in Chester County, Waxhaw in Lancaster County, and Bethesda and Ebenezer (Indian Land) in York County. (Wm. Wherry died in 1850 and his estate paid the following to provide a tombstone and burial expenses: Pitman and McCammon $5.00 for coffin, Boyne and Sproul $24.85 for tombstone, $1.05 for freight, and $5.12 for enclosing the grave.) YC Estate Book 14/64 p. 458-59.
Because Presbytery boundaries changed several times, Hopewell’s early records are sketchy. From 1810 to 1824, it was in Concord Presbytery, and these record shave been lost, so there is little documentation of the early years. In 1824, Bethel Presbytery was formed, and Hopewell is listed as a church with no installed minister. It is known that Rev. George Reid preached at Hopewell and Waxhaw for a time around 1810. The church received supply pastors off and on in the early years. The first known regularly installed pastor was Rev. Samuel Blain Owen Wilson, who served Hopewell and Six Mile Creek church in Lancaster County from 1839 to 1841.
In the early years, Hopewell had services in an existing school house. About 1845, William Wherry, who is often considered the father of Hopewell, donated 4 ¾ acres for the first church building. The site is on Neely’s Creek Road, about one mile north of Neely’s Creek church, and the Hopewell Cemetery is still located there. The building was a large frame structure with a slave gallery. The church still maintains a soapstone block from the foundation of this building with the date 1845 inscribed on it.
The Rock Hill Herald reported on May 27, 1880 – “Mr. S.W. Barnhill, who lives about five miles from town on the Landsford Road, lost his barn to a fire. His house was also set on fire but was saved by quick work.”
In the 1890s, some church members began to discuss the possibility of moving the church to the nearby village of Lesslie (sometimes called Lesslie Station). This community had grown up on the new rail line, locally called the Three C’s Railroad, which had come through the area in the 1880s. The new site in Lesslie was less than a mile from the old church site. Some members opposed the move, but it was eventually voted on in the affirmative by the congregation. One of the chief advocates for moving to Lesslie was John Shillinglaw. The lot in Lesslie was secured from G. W. Barnhill, M. J. Barnhill, G. H. Barnhill and Mrs. Annie Smith. The lot was one acre and cost $35. An additional ½ acre lot was secured for $17.50. The land cost was paid by J. J. Williams.
The new building was begun in 1897, but during construction, a storm blew down much of the structure. (Rock Hill Herald, September 15, 1897: The contract for the new Presbyterian Church at Lesslie has been let to Mr. Timmons of this city. The new edifice will be erected on the spot where the former one was wrecked by the storm in June, and will be completed by November 15. The plans were drawn by Mr. C. C. Hook of Charlotte, and the church will be a very pretty one.) Construction was begun again, and the new church was completed in early 1898. Some of the church members assisted in the construction, including W. Brown White, a local contractor who built the tower. Trees were planted on the grounds by Joseph W. White and John A Hayes. The church was constructed free from debt and cost $800 in cash plus the equivalent of several hundred in contributed work. The completed church was 28 feet by 45 feet and included a sanctuary and Session room. The dedication service was held on March 6, 1898 with Pastor O. G. Jones, Rev. J. H. Thornwell and Rev. Oliver Johnson officiating. The old church building on Neely’s Creek Road was sold to R. L. Sturgis for $50, and he demolished it and used the wood to construct a barn on his property.
Hopewell in its early years was small and had a long series of supply pastors. One installed pastor was Rev. James Spratt White of Rock Hill, who served fromm1876 to 1879. Rev. Oliver Greene Jones had an important pastorate in the 1890s. He was an energetic and active young minister who came to Rock Hill as an assistant minister at First Presbyterian Church. He helped to organize White Memorial Church in Rock Hill and also served as installed pastor at Hopewell. He helped lead the church during the relocation and construction of the new building at Lesslie. During the twentieth century, a long and successful pastorate was enjoyed by Rev, John Crooks Bailey, who served Hopewell from 1919 to 1947. He also served at Ebenezer. Rev. Laurence Williams was pastor when the Sesquicentennial celebration was held in 1958.
In the 1950s, the church bought additional land and constructed a Sunday School building, which was completed in 1954. Some land was sold at the site of the old cemetery.
Early elders at Hopewell included William Wherry, Benjamin Dunlap, Isaac McFadden, W. B. Dunlap, Capt. Jonathan N. McElwee, Andrew Shillinglaw, William P. McFadden, William Wylie, and William Cowan.
Changes in recent years have involved the relocation from the site in Lesslie to a site on US 21 just east of Lesslie and the change in affiliation from the Presbyterian Church in the USA to the Presbyterian Church in America, a separate denomination. The current location of Hopewell is 1571 South Anderson Road. The 1898 building still stands and is occupied by a child care center, although it has been altered and the tower has been removed. The street address for the old building is 3143 Lesslie Highway. The old cemetery remains at the original building site on Neely’s Creek Road.
(Article research and written by P. M. Gettys Oct. 2016 with assistance from the writing of Wm. B. White, Jr.)
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