Carr’s Hill Baptist Church – the Historic Church Building

 

Carr’s Hill Baptist Church in 1993

Carr’s Hill Baptist church began in 1882. The congregation met at various locations in its beginnings as Dunn’s Rock Baptist Church (unrelated to the current Dunn’s Rock Baptist Church), ultimately building their own meeting house in 1903 on land donated by Carr Landreth. To honor Landreth’s generosity, the congregation renamed themselves as Carr’s Hill Baptist Church, referring to the new location on a hilltop.

Passers-by on the Greenville Highway will notice the classic look of the historic church building: white weatherboard siding with a green-gabled roof and an entrance tower adorned with a distinctive diamond-shaped louvered vent and topped with a pyramidal belfry. A two-story addition for Sunday School activities was added in the 1940s and matches the style of the original building.

In the winter, fewer leaves make the church more visible, and it draws attention with its annual nativity scene and message of peace. One of the oldest churches in the county, the congregation still meets today, albeit in a more modern brick building built just down the road in 1983 with ample parking. The congregation still owns and maintains the historic building. This well-loved sight is part of what makes the Cedar Mountain portion of the Greenville Highway so picturesque.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Librarian Laura Gardner. For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at ncroom@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.