Perhaps someone will want this. Gene. Willowdale Baptist Church By Earl Greene, Historian, 1996 Many of the churches in this area have handwritten minutes dating back to their inception but this body had the misfortune of having theirs believed to be burned in a fire some time after its opening. It has been my efforts to piece together as much of that history as was possible in the hopes of preserving it for the future. It is generally believed that a "traveling" preacher entered the valley and held a revival meeting in the Willowdale School- house which also housed a fraternal organization on the second floor. After this revival, Willowdale Baptist Church was organized on February 25, 1911 by I. J. McGhinnis and E. M. Gragg. On February 11, 1911, Brushy Fork Baptist Church records that "Brother S. L. Fox made application for letters of dismission for the following brethren to wit to constitute a church at Willowdale--David Dugger, Lena (Tena) Blair, S. L. Fox, Filmore Fox, Lafayette Fox, John Norris, Susan Norris, Avery Norris, Martha Adams, James Blair, Harriet Blair, David Fox, Carmilla Fox, and James Hayes." From Cove Creek Baptist Church, Saturday, February 18, 1911, item # 2 reads as follows: "On motion the following Brethren and Sisters were granted letters of dismission for the purpose of organizing Willowdale Baptist Church to wit: Elvira Holtsclaw, Jack Smith, Mae D. Smith, Essie Hayes, Mattie Holtsclaw, Mary E. Dugger, Nancy M. Dugger, Addie Brinkley, Waldo Elliott, B. S. Dugger, M. J. Dugger, M. C. Dugger, John G. Dugger, Annie Dugger, and W. E. Dugger." This newly organized body continued to hold services in the schoolhouse until 1923-24. On August 31, 1911, in a meeting at Mount Calvary in Avery County, Willowdale joined the Three Forks Baptist Association and has remained a faithful member since. The first pastor of this church was S. L. Fox, and B. S. Dugger served as the first clerk. J. W. Blair was the first messenger to the Association. The first building was located on property where Elmo Hicks' barn now stands across the creek. According to the first Associational records there were 8 received by letter, 8 restored, 1 died, 21 males and 24 females for a total of 45 members. The value of the property was listed as $200.00. The first financial records state that 50 cents was given for the minute fund, pastor's salary was $28.54, building and repairs $55.00, $3.00 for incidentals, and $13.00 was given for the poor, thus we see it has been a mission-minded body from the beginning. Today the membership is recorded at 192. The first Sunday School reports that J. W. Blair was Super-intendent, had 7 officers and teachers, 91 scholars, was open 12 months of the year, averaged 57 in attendance and had an expense of $11.20. The Sunday School enrollment today is 165 with an average attendance of 108. In 1925, BYPU, BTU, and CT were organized. On April 29, 1924, it is recorded that W. J. Mast and wife, J. A. deeded 7537 square feet of land for the building of the first church. This is recorded in Book 31, P. 278. This building was made of wood and painted white. It had Sunday School rooms at the west end of the building with folding doors and other Sunday School rooms across the back. A second deed was made by Tom Lawrence and wife Lucy on December 30, 1946 for 4 acres. This is recorded in Book 64, p. 215. A third deed was made by Rodney Isaacs on July 25, 1952 for 2 acres of land. This is recorded in Book 71, p. 215. The third building was made of brick and was constructed in 1960/62 and underwent some remodeling in 1995/96. In the special dedication service held on December 22, 1962, gold-plated offering plates and candelabra which were given by Mr. and Mr. Floyd Smith of Lenoir were dedicated. A piano which was given by the late R. M. Mills was also dedicated. An interesting fact about the piano was that Mr. Mills, who was blind, chose a black Steinway and then stipulated that it remain black which has been honored. At that time the building cost was listed at approximately $25,000.00. This did not reflect the community labor and supervision by the late Clint Mast and the gifts of materials at reduced prices. At that time Rev. E. O. Gore was pastor. The present remodeling included upgrading a sound system, building a choir loft, adding frontal space and new classrooms, installing a new heating and air condition system--all debt free. Also a parsonage and a fellowship hall had been previously constructed. The pastors who have served this body include S. L. Fox, J. J. L. Sherwood, George W. Trivette, M. A. Adams, A. J. Greene, E. C. Hodges, R. C. Eggers, L. A. Hurst, W. O. Gordon, J. A. McKaughan, W. R. Davis, Roby Painter, F. C. Watts, G. A. Hamby, Ben Lee Ray, C. O. Vance, E. O. Gore, Maurice Cooper, James E. Branch, Carl Poston, Cannon Ward, Howard Hodges, Eugene Byrd, Kenneth Bryant, and today--Chuck Edmondson--the new man on the block from near Charlotte. The Association held its meeting with this body in 1947, 1960, and again today, 1996. This lovely building and grounds stand to reflect the love and pride of the people in this community and their dedication to God. We are pleased to be here today. Some Notes on the History of Willowdale Baptist Church By Fredrick E. (Gene) Blair, 1997 Most of the early records of Willowdale Church are evidently forever lost. Earl Greene wrote a history of the church in 1996 and considering the scanty information available, his work is extraordinary. This is to add a few notes from personal memories and to further identify some of the founding members. Mr. Greene mentioned that the church started in "Willowdale Schoolhouse." Edith Brinkley Isaacs, whose mother and grandparents were founding members, was baptized there in 1919 at age 13. She doesn't remember it being a school but says it's quite possible, although everyone commonly knew it as a lodge building. Cove Creek Academy had started about 1885, followed by Walnut Grove Academy near Sugar Grove in 1904. So it's entirely reasonable, given the pro-education attitude prevalent in these mountains, that there was a school there at one time. I hope we can learn more of this aspect of the building, for if it did indeed house a school, this is an important fact of our early community history. The building was hard on the south bank of Brushy Fork near the confluence of Willowdale Branch and Road. The Odd Fellows Lodge met on the second floor. It's likely that Ben S. Dugger, founding member of the church and the first clerk, was a member of the lodge, as he lived just upstream and on the north bank of Brushy, and I know he was a member of the Elk Park Odd Fellows Lodge in later years. Among the founding members noted as transferring from Brushy Fork Baptist Church were James B. and Harriet B. (Coffey) Blair, my great-grandparents. Another was my great-uncle David Crockett Dugger, whose wife Mary E. (Munday) transferred from Cove Creek Baptist Church. Mary died on 9 April just after the transfer letter was written on 18 February 1911. The Lena (Tena) Blair mentioned as transferring from Brushy Fork was Euphina (Parker) Blair, wife of my great-uncle Jobe Walter Blair, Willowdale's first Association Messenger and Sunday School Superintendent. Throughout her life she was commonly called 'Fina,' hence the rendering from old documents as 'Lena.' Jobe was the son of James B. and Harriet Blair. Among those mentioned as transferring from Cove Creek were William Eben and Nancy Matilda (Wilkinson) Dugger and their children Addie, clerk Ben S., John Gray, and Annie (married Fred Blair), my mother. Eben, as he was known, and David C. Dugger were brothers. Addie (married Henry Brinkley) was the mother of Edith, mentioned above, and John Gray (married Ruth Combs). John Gray Dugger was the father of current Willowdale member James A. Dugger. Ben's wife Julia (Snyder) taught young peoples' Sunday School class for many of those early years. The M. C. and M. J. Dugger mentioned were likely the spinster sisters of Eben and David, Margaret and Mary Jane, who lived in a small home nearby. A possibility, less likely, is that M. C. was Martha Caroline ('Matt') who lived a short distance up Willowdale Road with sister 'Lou' and brother 'Hard.' These three, never married, were the children of Benjamin Franklin Dugger, brother to Eben and David C. The Waldo Elliot from Cove Creek Baptist was the son of Ester L. and James Bennett Elliot. Waldo was the older brother of Clyde and Cordelia ('Cord'), who lived their lifetimes in the area. The Masts who deeded land for the second building in 1924 were Wiley J. and Julia A. (Blair) Mast, who lived farther up on Brushy Fork, near Brushy Fork Baptist Church. Julia was the daughter of my great-great-aunt Mary E. ('Polly' or 'Aunt Pop') Blair, sister to James B. She and Wiley had ten children, most of whom were active in Willowdale at one time or another. Among them was Myrtle Mast, wife of Dalton Glenn of Vilas, a devout and faithful member until her death in 1990. Another was Loy, who married Carl Henson. They were active members all their life-times. Daughters of 'Miss Myrtie' and Dalty were Lucy, who with husband Tom Lawrence deeded property for the present building, and Gladys, whose husband, the late Clint Mast, is mentioned in Mr. Greene's history. Lucy, Tom, and Gladys are lifelong and current members there. Of the pastors, M. A. Adams was pastor in 1919 when Edith Brinkley Isaacs was baptized. Andrew Jackson Greene was pastor for a long time, I remember his imposing presence during the 1930's. Finley C. Watts was pastor when I was baptized on October 18th, 1942. Ben Lee Ray was pastor later in the 1940's. Pastor E. O. Gore and former pastor C. O. Vance conducted my father's funeral in September 1963. The late Cannon Ward, a friend of mine from high school days, was pastor and conducted my mother's funeral in 1975. I also recall that J. C. Canipe, pastor of First Baptist, Boone, regularly filled in for us at various times in the 1940's and may have actually been pastor at one time. I was born on Willowdale Branch and Road, a half mile north of the church and was a member there through a nomadic Navy career until 1977. I deeply treasure the way I was reared and the nurture I received all my childhood by the wonderful and faithful Christians of that congregation, and I'll hold Willowdale Baptist Church close in my heart forever. Fredrick E. (Gene) Blair 112 Wesley Oaks Drive. St. Simons Island GA 31522-1808. Phone: 912-638-4934. 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