Fourth Creek Congregation
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35°47′08″N 80°53′28″W / 35.7855988°N 80.8910980°W
Fourth Creek Congregation | |
|---|---|
 Highway Marker 46 for the site of the Fourth Creek Meeting House | |
 Fourth Creek Congregation Families in 1773 | |
| Province | Province of North Carolina |
| County | Rowan County, North Carolina; Iredell County in 1788 |
| City | Statesville, North Carolina after 1800 |
| Founded in | 1753 |
| Founded by | Rev. John Thompson, Rev. James Hall |
The community of the Fourth Creek Congregation consisted of Scots-Irish Presbyterians who first arrived in the Province of North Carolina in the mid to late 1730s and established a congregation by 1750 under Pastor John Thompson in Anson County. This area later became Rowan County in 1753 and, eventually, Iredell County in 1788. The site of the Fourth Creek Congregation was chosen as the location of the county seat of Iredell County in 1789 and was named Statesville that same year. The Fourth Creek Presbyterian Church was officially renamed the First Presbyterian Church of Statesville in 1875.[1]
The Fourth Creek was so named because it was the fourth creek encountered when travelling west from Salisbury, the earliest town in the area, that was founded in 1753. In 1750, a Presbyterian minister, John Thompson purchased seven parcels of land, that he sold to settlers who became members of his Fourth Creek Congregation. Thompson left the congregation in 1753, after which missionaries from the Synods of Philadelphia and New York served the church. A nearby fort, Fort Dobbs, was constructed for the defense of the settlers in 1756 and remained until 1766.[2][3][4][5][6]
In 1773, a map showing the location of the members of the Fourth Creek Congregation was made by William Sharpe. (The map was later published in 1847.) The original map is located in the North Carolina State Archives. The map shows a total of 224 heads of families and the location of creeks and mills. The map was probably made to support the appeal for the formation of the Concord and Bethany Presbyterian Churches, formed in 1775. The map shows heads of families by Quadrant:[7][3]
- SW Quadrant, 40 Families
- SE Quadrant, 31 Families
- NW Quadrant, 80 Families
- NE Quadrant, 53 Families
In 1778, the Reverend James Hall, who grew up in the Fourth Creek Congregation, was confirmed as leader of the Fourth Creek Congregation. Meanwhile, the state legislature created Iredell County from Rowan County on Nov 3, 1788. One year later (1789), the legislature selected the Fourth Creek settlement as the location for the Iredell County seat. The settlement became known as "States Ville" and later "Statesville".[8]
After William Sharpe created his map of the Fourth Creek Congregation in 1773, it was decided to create two additional church congregations--Concord Presbyterian Church and Bethany Presbyterian Church. Dr. James Hall was appointed the pastor of all three churches on April 8, 1778.[5][4]
