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003    BEULAH BAPTIST CHURCH [White]

Location - on Hwy 158 near Hwy 86.
Not Surveyed. Click here to read about the history of Beulah Baptist Church.

Coordinates: 36d 23m 21.0s N; 79d 16m 03.5s W Click here for Online Maps

From the book "In the Beginning - The Churches of Caswell County" Dedicated to Jean B. Scott.

BEULAH BAPTIST CHURCH

Beulah Baptist Church was organized and came into existence in the year 1834. According to the sources found, Rev. Stephen Pleasant organized Beulah and two other churches that year with a combined membership of 157. This came about as a result of Ebenezer Church withdrawing fellowship from him, because of a stand he took for the cause of all missionary activities, Baptist conventions, Bible Societies, etc. With some of the supporters of his missionary views, Beulah Baptist Church was organized with Stephen Pleasant as her pastor. The name M.J. Palmer must be mentioned from this era, but to list his accomplishments would be too lengthy. His accomplishments can be found in the HISTORY OF WAKE FOREST, Volume 1, by G.W. Paschal. Mr. Palmer was a delegate from his church, Beulah, to the Beulah Baptist Association in the year 1839. A few of his accomplishments are: a leading part in the formation of the Milton Baptist Church, Clerk of the Association, was appointed a member of the Board of Managers and also appointed chairman of the committee to write the report on Home Missions by the Baptist State Convention; he recommended that every association employ a missionary as Beulah had done with Rev. Elias Godson. In 1847 he was elected recording secretary of the Convention; he was on the Foreign and Home Mission Boards, a trustee of Wake Forest College etc.

Sidney S. Lea is a very important name in Beulah history. There is so much to say about him, but I choose to state this one important fact. On September 10, 1861, he gave to the Beulah Baptist Church a certain house and lot and the right of way to the spring located on the road leading to the Red House Road. This lot contained two acres. The best I can determine, this is the land where Beulah was located near what is now Blanch Prison. Mr. Sidney Lea gave a good sum of money to Southeastern Seminary. He contributed to and served greatly his church, Beulah, for a long period of time.

In 1880 there was a set of rules and regulations adopted and put into operation for the Beulah Baptist Church. They consisted of 16 rules and they are very interesting. Time and space will not permit the listing of them here, but they played a major role in the operation of the church, especially when it came to church discipline, such as dismissing someone from the fellowship of the church.

From 1880 to 1919, some prominent names were Sidney Lea, J.C. King, who served as clerk, L. L. Lea, R. L. Lunsford, Joseph Talley, Thos. L. Lea, Wm. R. Pleasant, J.L. Roberts, T.H. Hudgins, L.L. Donavent, R.W. Crumpton, W.W. Slade, plus many more.

Now a sad time: the church had no pastor for the year 1920, and on November 23, 1921, there was a business meeting held. The subject of the meeting was to appoint more trustees to the church and to decide on some plans as to disposition of the church house and lot. It was suggested that the trustees sell the church property for the best terms possible and place the money in the hands of the Executive Committee of the Beulah Association. The Association was to hold the money until members decided to build another church at a more suitable place. The church met at Lambeth Hill School House from December 1921 to January 1922. The Beulah Church members did not hold a meeting and the trustees did not dispose of the church property from January 1922 to March 25, 1925. They met again in September of 1925 and decided to meet in October to clean the church, grounds and cemetery. The church was reorganized and started having regular services again. Mr. Arthur Vernon (A.V.) Hudgins was very instrumental in getting this done. There were ten names on the roll when this was done. The only record that we have of a woman deacon is recorded here in December of 1925, that being Mrs. Lillian Everett. Brother Walter Tillman was elected pastor. On September 5, 1926, the ladies organized a W.M.U.

From 1925 to 1940, the Hudgins, Everett and Webster families were very active in the leadership of the church. Between 1935 to 1937, the church building was moved to Highway 158, five miles east of Yanceyville, NC where Mr. Walter Lunsford allowed the church to be located. The early and mid '40's saw a lot of growth and continued through the 1950's. The third site of the church was purchased from Mr. P. W. Thompson just across the road and a new sanctuary was built in 1961. There were some additional Sunday School rooms added in 1965. In 1973, a new parsonage was built along with the purchase of more land. In 1981 a completely new sanctuary was built along with Sunday school rooms, baptistery and bathrooms.

The old church building is presently located in the pasture of Louis H. Hall and some of the lumber that is in this building came from the building that was located on the first site. Another interesting fact about the original building is that it contains a balcony where slaves could sit and worship.

Beulah's history is illustrious and the presence and power of the living God has sustained her and brought her to this day. This is only a glimpse of her past and only God knows her glorious future.
Written by Clyde Everett.

From The Heritage of Caswell By permission of pastor: Douglas E. Jones.