Preface
A wise man once said that a community of believers communicates its faith though its history, its relationships, and its events. To successfully express its faith, that community must have at least three generations.
The older generation is needed for its memory, the younger generation for its vision and the middle generation for present reality. Vision cannot exist without memory and the present can only be seen clearly through the eyes of both memory and vision.
A History of the church of Christ in McDowell County, North Carolina
The beginning of the church of Christ in McDowell County, North Carolina is unusual. This is not the story of missionaries moving to an area to plant a new church but rather the story begins with two women and their families, who searched their Bibles for the truth and recognized it when they heard it taught.
The story begins in 1942 with Dona Curd and her family. “Mama” Curd was a very religious person and listened to many broadcasts to hear any teachings she could… she told of listening to J. Ted Armstrong and realizing that he did not harmonize with the scriptures as she could read them!” She had also been listening to radio sermons by Eugene S. Smith form the church of Christ is Sherman, Texas when she became aware of a couple of Christians stationed at the “conscientious objectors camp” above Lake Tahoma. Milton Stovall and Ted Banner came and talked with Dona and her son Bruce.
Early in 1942 a long winding trip was make up Highway 70 to Asheville so that Dona Curd could be baptized by Kenneth Tucker. In May Miltion baptized Bruce and shortly after that Milton baptized Bruce’s brother-in-law Fred Smith.
At the same time, Macie Wilson was listening to the radio sermons of Elmer L. Smith and J. Ed Nolan. She told her family “ these men are preaching what I read in the Bible.” She had tried meeting with established churches in the area but didn’t find one that “taught Bible”. Macie had even tried to get a local Baptist preacher to baptize her “the bible way” but he refused.
Macie learned through her brother Fred Smith about the small group meeting at the Curd home in “Stumptown”, a section Marion. Fred was married to Luther and Dona Curd’s daughter, Glatha. Soon Macie and her young family joined them in their search for the truth, at that point there were “about a half dozen members.”
Milton Stovall would ride his bike 13 miles one way down the mountain every Sunday to the Curd home to be with this new church. Pearl Davis Curd, one of the first members tells that Milton “didn’t stand and preach but he sat and taught and that’s okay because the Bible says Jesus sat and taught.
“There wasn’t a baptistery available to the young church in Marion, so many of the early baptisms took place in the “Y” swimming pool (officially known as “Carroll Baldwin Hall”) and in cold Buck Creek. Vernon Crawley remembers baptizing Mrs. Isaacs and Mrs. Bailey when snow was on the ground and ice in the creek. Sometimes along winding trip by bus up Highway 70 to Asheville or east to Statesville was made.
The Curd and Smith families became the nucleus for their young congregation. Nine of the eleven Curd children were eventually baptized and “maybe 30” members of the Smith family, including Mace’s parents Will and Elizabeth.
The church continued to meet in the Curd’s and other member’s homes for about two years. The 12th Avenue church in Nashville became active in the work in Marion by sending Chester H. Smelser in June of 1944 to be their first full-time preacher. It is not known for sure how 12th Avenue came to know about the little group in Marion. J.W. Brents, who held tent meetings throughout the western Carolinas, was a member of the 12th Avenue congregation and it is thought that he may have suggested that the group in Marion Write to Nashville.
Chester and his wife, Louise, rented a rock house at 24 High (Later Highland) Street in Marion and worship services were held in the large living room every week.
In 1945, when the property came up for sale the elders from the 12th avenue church came and looked at the property and together with the men at Marion decided it would be wise to purchase it. The following year the lot next door was also available and they purchased it too.
Dysartsville
1948 saw the church branch out into the “suburbs”. Again the Smith family played an important part. Vernon Crawley (married to Edna Smith) had graduated from Lees-McRea College in Banner Elk with the intention of being a Presbyterian minister but after marrying Edna, who was attending the Baptist church, he decided that their family should be united and he would go with he. Vernon became a deacon in the Baptist church and Edna was active with her. Vernon became a deacon in the Baptist church and Edna was active teaching classes. Both Vernon and Edna studied their Bibles and were aware that what these denominations taught was not what the Bible was teaching but they didn’t know of any group that was teaching or doing any better. In 1946 Fred Smith invited them to attend services in Marion and on July 9, 1947, the morning after a J.W. Brents camp meeting, Chester Smelser baptized them in Buck Creek. Once again, the study of God’s worked converted souls.
Vernon knew one of the elders of the Druscilla Presbyterian church in Dysartsville, Roy Suttles. Roy had been telling him that their preacher was old and had been sick and hadn’t been there in 18 months. Vernon introduced Roy to Chester Smelser. So Mr. Suttles and Chester Smelser agreed to start a Saturday night Bible study at the Druscilla Presbyterian church building. One night near the end of October, Berryl Prince, from the Old Jericho Road church of Christ in Statesville came and held class. Mr. Suttles was so impressed by what was being taught that he invited Mr. Prince to hold a revival meeting the week beginning November 16, 1947.
It could be said that this meeting was a success for by the last night of the meeting they had baptized all but 3 of the members of the Druscilla Presbyterian church. Word, however, “was noised abroad.”
The Concord Presbytery sent Lawyer Robert Turner from Morganton to stop the meeting. He came in that Friday night and took a seat on the back row. Mr. Prince was quoting, ”and as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement,” when Robert Turner stood and announced that there would be none of that kind of preaching done in this building. “Presbyterians don’t teach that baptism is for salvation”. “After much discussion Robert Turner forbade any members the Marion church of Christ from meeting at Druscilla and leading in worship.” The windows were shut and the doors were locked on the Druscilla church house.
Vernon’s mother was a member at Druscilla. She told the lawyer she had no idea that Presbyterians taught such. Mrs. Crawley thought the church had been treated “so rude”. “Ivey C. and Edna B. Crawley (Vernon’s parents) stated that night that they would donate land to build a church of Christ on.”
The Dysartsville church is often referred to as the “church out in the country”. It might only take 20 minutes to drive from Marion to Dysartsville now but back then the road was nothing but dirt washboard and cars didn’t travel as fast as they do now (The speed limit on Main Street was 10 m.p.h. in 1947). Chester Smelser felt that the county could support two congregations very well and he suggested that they start a new congregation for the group that lived in the Dysartsville area. They began by meeting on November 23, 1947 in the Crawley home and when they outgrew that facility Vernon bought a vacant house for them to use while they were building. Chester Smelser is remembered for his labor in teaching and in helping to build the “church house”. They moved into their cinder block building on July 11, 1948, even though it was not yet complete.
Chester Smelser came down on Saturday night for about a year for Bible study with the group and then on Sunday they would have their own services. M.E. Burns of Valdes came on Saturday night for about a year after Chester. Since that time Vernon has faithfully served the church in Dysartsville as their preacher choosing not to be paid so that money could be used elsewhere and Roy E. Smith (Macie’s brother) has taught Bible class. Served as treasurer from the beginning, and as their “first and only song leader”.
The Dysartsville church is self-supporting having paid off their building loan in 1955. They have received help in the past from other congregations, of special memory is the time the Madison congregation in Nashville sent $500 at one time. (That was a lot of money then.) Among those men who have held meetings for them have been: Bill Wallace, Foy E. Wallace, Robert Sorrels, Robert Plunket, Cletus Pritchard, M.F Norwood, Rudy Senn, Will Morrow, Will Winchester.
The charter members were: Will E. and Elizabeth D. Smith, Grady Smith, Roy Smith, Galen and Jesse Smith Isaacs, Roy and Dollie Suttles, Ida Gentry, Iona Martin, Eulis Upton, Evie Isaacs, Alice Smith, Vernon and Edna Smith Crawley.
Marion
The congregation in Marion sold the High street property in 1950 and bought property at 901 (later 1101) State Street and labored themselves to build a “church house”. They originally built a cinder block building with an unfinished basement and no restrooms!
They also bought the 4-room house on the adjoining property facing Ann Street to be used for a preacher’s home.
John Lewis returned to his native McDowell Co. in January of 1952 bringing with him wife, Mollie and children. Mollie had been raised in a Christian home in Alabama where her father was an elder in the church. Mollie “knew little of the vast mission field just to the northeast of her home.” She immediately became a source of strength and courage for this young congregation. Mollie was instrumental in getting the M. F Norwoods to join the work in Marion in the late 50’s, writing to them at a time of great need. She wrote, “pointing out the over-abundance of gospel preachers in North Alabama and the fact that they were ‘just running over one another’. “The Norwoods” could not deny her plea”.
Also in the ‘50’s another “pillar” for the church arrived in the form of Ben Duncan, a local man. Ben met Fred Smith at the barbershop where he worked. Fred invited Ben to services and soon Ben and his five daughters were regularly attending services. Shortly after Ben was baptized Fred moved away and Ben took an active roll in the work. He taught Bible classes, was treasurer and worked hard for the church in Marion. He was a great help in getting things done when it came to “elbow grease”. His daughter, Janet Clark says that he was never afraid to “do what he could”.
The early years saw financial and spiritual support coming from those outside McDowell Co. Over 40 congregations have lent support to the church through the years. Of special note are the 12th Avenue, Rosebank, and Central churches in Nashville and the Hobbs Street and Bethel churches in Alabama.
Men would come from Nashville (J.W. Brents, A.R. Holten, Earl West) and Texas (Gus Dunn, Foy Wallace) and other parts of North Carolina (Berryl Prince of Statesville, M.E. Burns of Hickory and Paul Burns) to hold meeting to help strengthen the church and to teach “the way”. “Jack” Fogarty of Texarkana would come with his semi-truck and 5,000 seat tent and set up for 3-week tent meetings. G.F. Gibbs came and showed his slide of the Hold lands and lectured on the tabernacle setting up a miniature model of the tabernacle. Men had to find outside support for their families in order to preach for the little congregation. Sometimes they even had to take outside employment. It was not an easy life for these men and their families. After Smelser, Fred Smith, M.F. Norwood, Rudy Senn, Gilbert Tripp, Stanley Baker, Dorsey Strothers and Harold Smith filled the pulpit at various times. Today Will T. Winchester is the minister. He has labored with the church since 1975.
Since 1979 the group has been financially self-supporting and is returning the blessings that it received by contributing to the Lord’s work in other areas of the country and abroad. The original building has remodeled classrooms finished and restrooms were added in the early ‘60’s. The preacher’s home, after a fire, was remodeled and enlarged. They have recently purchased additional property on State Street with the view toward more growth.
The church has grown from two members to over 60. Among the early members were Homer and Nell Washburn, Arrah Davis, J.C. and Viola Davis, the Seagels, Bill Autrey, Cooper an Rose Elliot, the W.M. Henlines, Jim and Elsie Burnette, and Avery and Gertrude Elliott. Many more souls have come and gone through the years each one leaving its own special influence on the church.
Those who have been a part of the church in Marion have looked back and realized, that for most, the happiest memories have been those of seeing loved ones attend services and being baptized. They are of the fellowship between being members, the times of “dinner on the ground”, camping trips, ball games and being in each other’s homes. The congregation has also looked forward and the vision for the future could be summed up in the words of Mrs. M.F. Norwood, “As with the church in Jerusalem may she continue daily with one accord in the temple, and break bread from house to house, eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church such as should be saved (Acts 2:46, 47). In this I see unity and harmony among themselves and close communion with the Father. There will be close fellowship, socially and spiritually one with another, and they will be happily engaged in bearing personal and each other’s burdens, giving honor to the Father. Not only so, they will be will regarded in the community and thus increased in number. Only as we glorify God in our daily lives and in our interchange, one with another, will this be possible. The Lord will give the increase!”
In 1992 the church will be able to celebrate 50 continuous years in McDowell County and although it has grown to include many families, they can also celebrate seeing a third generation Curd preach the Word and a fifth generation of Smiths learning about God because two women and those who came after them studied their Bibles.

*This history is a compilation of the memories of the members, county records, newspaper articles and church records.