Zion Presbyterian Church (Columbia, Tennessee)

Zion Presbyterian Church

Zion Presbyterian Church in 1936
Location in the state of Tennessee
35°35′56″N 87°8′42″W / 35.59889°N 87.14500°W / 35.59889; -87.14500Coordinates: 35°35′56″N 87°8′42″W / 35.59889°N 87.14500°W / 35.59889; -87.14500
Location Maury County, Tennessee
Country United States
Denomination Presbyterian Church in America
Website www.pcazion.org
Architecture
Status Church
Functional status Active
Style Greek Revival
Completed April 7, 1849 (1849-04-07)
Construction cost US$7,000
Specifications
Materials Brick
Clergy
Senior pastor(s) Rev. Paul Joiner
Pastor(s) Rev. Chad Middlebrooks
Laity
Director of music Paul Brenner
Zion Presbyterian Church
NRHP Reference # 72001245
Added to NRHP June 13, 1972

The Zion Presbyterian Church is a historic building in Maury County, Tennessee. The church was built between 1847 and 1849 of brick in the Greek Revival style.[1] President James K. Polk attended a school conducted by the church.[2][3] The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 13, 1972.[4]

History

Zion Presbyterian Church was established in the early 19th-century by Scots-Irish families from South Carolina who moved to Maury County, Tennessee. In 1807, they organized and built a structure on 5,000 acres (20 km²) of land they purchased from heirs of Major-General Nathanael Greene, who had received the land as part of a 25,000-acre (100 km²) American Revolutionary War land grant. The original building was replaced with a brick structure in 1813.[1][3] The present building was constructed in the Greek Revival style by members and their slaves using brick, limestone, and timber. The architectural styling features stepped gables and a recessed open vestibule. A gallery was also provided for slaves to attend service. In the 1880s, Tiffany Stained Glass windows were added to the church building.[1]

Cemetery

With over 1,500 graves, the Zion Presbyterian Church cemetery of is also of historical significance. In addition to many of the church's founding members, soldiers from the American Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the American Civil War are also interred there. The church cemetery contains a monument to "Daddy Ben," a slave who, during the Revolutionary War, refused to tell the British where his master was hiding, and survived three hanging attempts by the British Army.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Owens, Anne-Leslie (March 1, 2011). "Zion Presbyterian Church". Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  2. ↑ Quaife, Milo Milton, ed. (1910). The Diary of James K. Polk During his Presidency, 1845 to 1849. Chicago Historical Society's Collection, Volume IX. IV. Chicago Historical Society. p. 160 – via A. C. McClurg & Co.
  3. 1 2 Johnson, Mayme Hart (1986). A Treasury of Tennessee Churches. Brentwood, Tenn.: J.M. Productions. p. 59. OCLC 14755790.
  4. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.

Further reading

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