Special Collections & Archives

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?> <ead xmlns:ns2="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="urn:isbn:1-931666-22-9" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="urn:isbn:1-931666-22-9 http://www.loc.gov/ead/ead.xsd"> <eadheader findaidstatus="In_process" repositoryencoding="iso15511" countryencoding="iso3166-1" dateencoding="iso8601" langencoding="iso639-2b"> <eadid url="http://hdl.handle.net/10339/39434"/> <filedesc> <titlestmt> <titleproper>First Baptist Church (Valdese, N.C.) records <num>CRMF360</num> </titleproper> </titlestmt> <publicationstmt> <publisher>Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives</publisher> <address> <addressline>PO Box 7777</addressline> <addressline>Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27109</addressline> <addressline>336 758-5755</addressline> </address> </publicationstmt> </filedesc> <profiledesc> <creation>This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit <date>2016-02-11T16:01-0500</date> </creation> <descrules>Describing Archives: A Content Standard</descrules> </profiledesc> </eadheader> <archdesc level="recordgrp"> <did> <unittitle>First Baptist Church (Valdese, N.C.) records</unittitle> <unitid>CRMF360</unitid> <repository> <corpname>Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives</corpname> </repository> <langmaterial> <language langcode="eng"/> </langmaterial> <container id="cid201084" type="Reel" label="Microform">1</container> <container id="cid201083" type="Reel" label="Microform">2</container> <physdesc> <extent>2.0 microfilm reel(s)</extent> <extent>35 mm; positive</extent> </physdesc> <unitdate>1921-1972</unitdate> <origination label="creator"> <corpname source="local" role="Creator (cre)">First Baptist Church (Valdese, N.C.).</corpname> </origination> </did> <scopecontent id="ref11"> <head>Scope and Contents</head> <p>This collection consists of two reels of microfilm containing the records for the First Baptist Church of Valdese, North Carolina. The first reel contains a single directory book with the church members' names and addresses from the period from 1921-1971. It also contains associational letters to the Southern Baptist Convention for the years from 1942 to 1946. The second reel of microfilm contains two books of minutes. The first covers the period from 1944 to 1958 and the second covers 1958 to 1972. At first, minutes are recorded only for meetings of the board of deacons, but later the minutes follow regular meetings of the church body. The directory and both of the minute books feature lists of deacons as well as lists of members on various committees and advisory councils.</p> </scopecontent> <bioghist id="ref10"> <head>Historical note</head> <p>"In 1920, Mrs. W. Harvey Jones, whose husband came to Valdese to work at the cotton mill, began an English-speaking Sunday school for the workers and their families. The English-speaking gathering was distinguished from the French worship services held by the Waldensians who founded Valdese in 1893. Mrs. Jones' Sunday School was taught outside with the pupils sitting on a hack of lumber, and she spoke often about the need for a building to house the group. John Louis Garrou, a Presbyterian, allowed her to use an empty cotton mill house on a temporary basis. But eventually, he decided to help Mrs. Jones build a meeting place on cotton mill land. It was called the 'Community Church Building.' From that Sunday School sprang most of the churches in Valdese, including ours. First Baptist Church was formally organized with forty charter members on Sunday, May 23, 1920 under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Fred Bowers, Pastor of First Baptist Church in Morganton. Dr. Bowers pastored the church from 1920-1921, and was followed by Rev. George Abernathy from 1922-1923. By September of 1924, with Rev. Avery Lineberger as Pastor, the congregation set about finding a building for their meetings. In that year they purchased land and broke ground to begin the new First Baptist Church of Valdese. The building, located on Church Street, served the congregation well until the 1950s under the leadership of Rev. J. R. Greene (1927), Rev. W. E. Bost (1928-1932), Rev. M. I. Harris (1933-1948), and Rev. Fred Mauney (1948-1952). In 1954, with Rev. Jason Ross as Pastor, the church decided not to remodel the building, and instead began to raise funds for a new facility. In 1959, the congregation called Rev. W. A. Huneycutt as Pastor. Though he led the transition to the new building, some said that it actually took four pastors to build the new building: Rev. M. I. Harris, 'a man of prayer;' Rev. Fred Mauney, 'a dreamer;' Rev. Jason Ross, 'an evangelist' (1953-1958); and Rev. W. A. Huneycutt, 'a man of action' (1959-1972). After years of hard work and prayer, the church moved into its new building in September of 1965. In building the new facility, the church incurred a debt of $362,000. Payments were made faithfully, and the building was dedicated when the note was burned in the 1970s. Pastors in this era included Rev. Charles Midkiff (1973-1977) and Rev. William Thompson (1978-1982)."--Taken from: http://www.valdesefirstbaptist.org/page/history.</p> </bioghist> <acqinfo id="ref3"> <head>Immediate Source of Acquisition note</head> <p>Purchased from the North Carolina Department of Archives and History in 1973.</p> </acqinfo> <prefercite id="ref1"> <head>Preferred Citation</head> <p>First Baptist Church (Valdese, N.C.) records, CRMF360, Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.</p> </prefercite> <userestrict id="ref2"> <head>Copyright Notice</head> <p>Use of unpublished manuscripts is protected by provisions of copyright law and by laws against libel and invasion of privacy. No material from a manuscript collection may be published without prior written permission from the holder of the copyright. The Library claims only physical ownership of most manuscript collections. Anyone wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of literary property rights or copyrights. Please contact Special Collections &amp; Archives (archives@wfu.edu) with questions regarding specific manuscript collections.</p> <p/> </userestrict> <accessrestrict id="ref13"> <head>Access Restrictions</head> <p>Collection is open for researchers.</p> </accessrestrict> <controlaccess> <corpname source="local">First Baptist Church (Valdese, N.C.).</corpname> <subject source="lcsh">Baptists--North Carolina--Burke County--History--Sources </subject> <geogname source="lcsh">Burke County (N.C.)--Church history--Sources</geogname> <subject source="lcsh">Church records and registers--North Carolina--Burke County </subject> <subject source="lcsh">Church records and registers--North Carolina--Valdese</subject> </controlaccess> <dsc> <c id="ref4" level="series"> <did> <unittitle>Records</unittitle> </did> <c id="ref6" level="subseries"> <did> <unittitle>Member Directory</unittitle> <container id="cid1238001" type="Reel" label="Microform">1</container> <unitdate>1921-1971</unitdate> </did> </c> <c id="ref7" level="subseries"> <did> <unittitle>Minutes</unittitle> <container id="cid1238002" type="Reel" label="Microform">2</container> <unitdate>1944-1958</unitdate> </did> <c id="ref8" level="subseries"> <did> <unittitle>Book 1</unittitle> <unitdate>1944-1958</unitdate> </did> </c> <c id="ref9" level="subseries"> <did> <unittitle>Book 2</unittitle> <unitdate>1958-1972</unitdate> </did> </c> </c> </c> </dsc> </archdesc> </ead>