• Register

Article Index

Chapter Three:  A Time to Grow -- 1905-1919

With church seeds planted and being watered, Zion Hill experienced a season of growth during the next fifteen years. The growing spurt began in 1904 when the members called Rev. J. R. Clabough, the oldest son of James and Annie Clabough. When he came to pastor Zion Hill, Clabough was 39 years old and was living at Boyd's Creek with his family. The church set his salary at $30.00 a year. He led the church to expand Sunday School to meet all 12 months of the year. 1

In 1906, members once again called William Hurst to pastor the church. His first year back, Hurst baptized 21. The next year, he baptized 11 and membership reached 170. The congregation rewarded his work with an increase in salary to $60.00 per year, $5.00 a month. Unfortunately, the congregation seemed to have difficulty paying that amount, so in 1907, they lowered the salary to $48.00 a year, $4.00 a month. 2

The pastor and members of the church continued to be actively involved in associational work, attending annual meetings, even if they were held in the other end of the county. For example, in 1904, Rev. J. R. Clabough and Phillip Cummings traveled to White Oak Flats (Gatlinburg) to attend the association's annual meeting. In 1907, the annual meeting was held at Evan's Chapel No. 1 in the Smoky Mountains, a long way from Zion Hill. (Evan's Chapel No. 1 was located where the Great Smoky Mountains National Park head-quarters is today.) Messengers, J. A. Rogers and Huston Teague, travelled the long distance to represent Zion Hill. The next year the annual meeting met at Walnut Grove and messengers John Cutshaw, Jackson Stoner, and Jesse Thomas made the trip by horseback or wagon. Each time, these messengers stayed with a family in the host church for the annual meeting. At the 1908 meeting, the delegates heard, "Your colporteur is trying to get a Bible in every home and in every child's hands, and trying to persuade the young folks to read the Bible instead of reading novels. We believe that novel reading is injurious to the young people. " 3

In 1909, members called Wiley E. Conner to pastor. (He was also called as pastor by Dupont and Shiloh the same year.) Conner was born June 23, 1865, in North Carolina. He came to Sevier County in 1902 to preach a revival at Hill's Creek Baptist Creek and felt the Lord called him to stay in the area. He was an outstanding, dynamic preacher as evidenced by the following testimonial. "Mr. Conner was a firm believer in God and in the Bible as the source of truth. His messages were based on Scriptural truth and were presented in an orderly manner with a reinforced zeal directed to his audience in a way that left a lasting effect on his listeners. Even though he had little formal training, his keen understanding of people and their needs made him unusually effective in the ministry. He threw himself on God's power and mercy. He trusted God to guide him in finding the message to give to his people." 4

Conner ministered at a time when the pastor was the spiritual leader of the community. He was faithful to his calling, so much so, that no matter what the weather, Conner responded when called to preach. He never complained even though he often travelled during adverse weather conditions. Once in winter, he arrived at church on horseback, wet and cold with his "britches frozen and his feet numb from the rain and the bitter wind. He came preaching the Word and praising God because he knew he was doing God's will." 5

Preacher Conner believed that occasionally God revealed messages in dreams, as evidenced by the following story he liked to tell. "I was holding a revival meeting in a small church in the North Carolina mountains. The church was located in a community where people engaged in the moonshine liquor business, controlled by a father and his nine sons. I knew the father and his sons. When I got to the community, I visited them and invited them to attend the revival services. 6

"The meeting began and continued a few days with no visible results. One night I went to bed as usual. During my sleep I dreamed I was out on the side of a mountain splitting rails. I got tired and sat down to rest. While I was resting, I heard leaves rattling on the mountainside above me. I looked for something to fight with and saw nothing but an ax. I picked it up and stood ready for battle. The noise was coming closer, straight toward me. A small log rolled down the hill and stopped at my feet. I soon recognized it as a large rattlesnake, followed by smaller ones, coming toward me. I prepared to kill, but when they came near me, the little ones stopped. The big snake came close and laid his head on the log; I killed it, and all the others came one at a time until the big rattler with nine little ones was dead. When I was fully awake, I was amazed and confused. 7

"I wondered what caused me to have such a vivid dream. I continued to wonder about my dream until I asked the Lord its meaning, since it was a mystery to me. The father and his nine sons came to mind. I said to myself, 'This means the father and his sons will be converted tomorrow.' I went back to sleep." At breakfast that morning, Conner told the pastor his dream and its results. During the revival service the next day, the father walked into church with his sons; all were saved, just as Conner had dreamed. 8

Conner had a tremendous ministry at Zion Hill. He was known for his unwavering faith in God. In 1909, he preached Zion Hill's annual revival. As a result, he baptized 44 new believers into the church family, and received 16 new members by letter. Church membership grew to 227. Sunday School was rejuvenated with S.H. Clark serving as Superintendent. The two men were quite a team! Unfortunately, Conner only stayed one year at Zion Hill but returned to pastor later. 9

In 1910, the congregation called Rev. Middleton McCarter to pastor. Born April 6, 1854, to James William and Edna McCarter, his family lived on a farm as did most families in Sevier County at that time. He married Sarah Ruth Tyson, September 13, 1874; his brother Rev. Absolem McCarter performed the ceremony. He and Sarah had ten children (listed in endnotes). One of his sons, Robert Arthur McCarter, and later a grandson, Otha Olice McCarter, surrendered to the ministry. His grandson wrote in his journal, "When God called me to preach, He never asked me my opinion." The family shared a strong belief in the call of God. 10

McCarter was ordained into the Gospel ministry by Rocky Grove Baptist Church, August 14, 1893 (Ordination certificate in Appendix). While at Zion Hill, his salary was $75.00 a year. In 1911, the church raised the pastor's salary to $100.00 a year. To help Sunday School teachers better prepare themselves to teach, Sunday School Superintendent John Cutshaw led the church to buy $8.10 of literature. 11

Because of the increase in enrollment, from 150 in 1896 to 236 in 1911, more worship space was needed. The members voted to build a new church building in 1911. The new building was a white weatherboard church located where the present church building stands. The church had five Sunday School classrooms around the sanctuary. 12

In 1912, the church called Rev. Joe Albert Atchley, the son of Westley and Rebecca Atchley. He was born December 22, 1872. Later, he married Delilah Connaster and had 11 children. He was pastoring Sugar Loaf the same time. 13

Later in 1912, Zion Hill held a singing school. The church held singing schools for a number of years for members to learn about notes, their shape and sound, and their place on the musical staff. This was needful because Zion Hill did not have any musical instruments at the time. They learned that each note of the musical scale is represented by a particular shape: "Do" is an X; "Re" is a half-circle; "Mi" is a sideways diamond, and so on. They looked like the following: Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti.

Those attending the singing school would have the opportunity to sight read and harmonize. The leader would call the number of the song in the songbook and tell the singers to "sound the shapes" to get the harmony. He would pitch a tune on a tuning fork, and each part would sound its first note, then all the singers would "do-re-mi" their respective lines. When the leader called, "Now add the poetry," the parts melded together in beautiful four-part harmony as the song was sung with the words. A typical singing school might have undertaken 40 songs at a sitting, combining old favorites with new pieces. 14

Zion Hill hosted the Twenty-seventh Annual Session of the Sevier Association of Baptists, October 2-4, 1912, in their new church building. Zion Hill's pastor, J. A. Atchley, was elected Moderator of the meeting. Messengers from Zion Hill were James Bales, S. H. Clark, Mrs. Belle Galyon, Reuben Knight, and G. W. Marine. Every member of the church including the deacons -- Eli Baker, Ben Clark, Boyd Clark, John Cutshaw, A. S. Galyon, J. F. Ingle, Boyd Johnson, and A. J. Stoner -- was involved with the meeting. Messengers from churches throughout the association were assigned to church members' homes for the meeting. It was an interesting way for members of different churches to become acquainted with one another. Today, most people would have a difficult time welcoming strangers into their homes for four days and nights! 15

One interesting aspect of the meeting occurred on Thursday afternoon after the congregation sang Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. When they finished, Dr. George F. Bostick, missionary from China, sang the song in Chinese, then spoke on his mission work there. The Association gave Dr. Bostick an offering for his mission work and his return trip to China. 16

The association passed the following resolution before adjourning. We extend to Zion Hill Baptist Church and the people of the community our heartfelt thanks for their kind and generous hospitality during the session of this Association. We thank the choir for their excellent music. 17

On July 5, 1913, Zion Hill held an ordination service for Sidney ("S. H.") Clark, ordaining him into the Gospel ministry. The church clerk, Oscar Shelley, wrote of the service, "Our beloved Brother, Sidney Houston Clark, has the entire approbation of the Ordaining Council in being publicly set apart to preach the Gospel and administer the Ordinances of Christ. May he, like Barnabas, be full of the Holy Spirit and Faith, and through him may much people be added to the Lord." (Ordination certificate in Appendix). 18

In the associational letter for 1913, Zion Hill reported Sunday School enrollment at 120 with an average attendance of 80. The church paid $17.48 for literature that year, a growing amount for a growing enrollment. The church also began giving to missions causes, giving $30.00 to aid the poor.19

At the 1914 associational meeting at Zion Grove on the campus of Smoky Mountain Academy, Rev. S. H. Clark and Rev. B. F. Burnett served as messengers from Zion Hill. They had the opportunity to hear their pastor, Rev. Atchley, preach the Wednesday night sermon. He read Psalm 1, then took his text from Psalms 23:4, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." The sermon was well received by the delegates.20

At this meeting, messengers turned aside from usual matters of association business to adopt the following resolution: Whereas, all Europe is in the midst of the most cruel and wicked war the world has ever seen, the President of the United States has set apart October 4th, as a day of prayer for the peace of Europe. Resolved, we heartily respond in all of our churches by calling on our kind Heavenly Father in his own way to give peace to the warring nations. 21

In 1915, S. H. Clark preached at the Wednesday night session of the associational meeting held at Millican Grove. His text was Ephesians 5:14, "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give the light." He also used Matthew 26:34, "Sleep on now and take your rest, behold the hour is at hand." Even though Clark had only been ordained into the gospel ministry two years, he boldly proclaimed the word of God when given an opportunity. 22

During the annual pastoral call in 1916, the membership called one of their own, Sidney Clark, to pastor. He immediately planned a revival, as reported in Montgomery's Vindicator, September 22, 1916. It read, "A very successful revival has just closed at this place, held by Revs. Clark and Conner, the latter doing all the preaching. There were even fifty additions to the church, all of whom were converted during this revival except six, two of whom were restored and four joined by letter. Rev. Clark baptized the host, forty-three in number, one of the converts being unable to be there. Eight years ago, Rev. Conner conducted a revival at this place and baptized 44 at the same spot. He is a great revivalist and his work takes well with the people of this community." The writer added, "we expect to have a B.Y.P.U. organized soon, and give these young converts something to do." 23

Sidney Clark was born June 23, 1886, to Anderson and Angie Manis Clark. Sidney, two sisters, and a brother were orphaned in child-hood. To keep from being institutionalized, Sidney took responsibility for his siblings. He worked and gave his earnings to his Uncle and Aunt, Jim and Millie Manis Bales, for their care. In 1903, seventeen year old, Sidney Clark married Rachel Ingle, daughter of John F. Ingle a deacon at Zion Hill. They had 11 children (listed in endnotes). As was mentioned earlier, Sidney Clark was ordained into the Gospel ministry by Zion Hill Baptist Church. His father-in-law served as a member of the ordaining council. 24

Clark pastored Zion Hill for only two years, but had a strong ministry for almost seventy years. As was the custom of the day, his wife stayed home with the children while Sidney preached in churches all over the area. In his early ministry, the only transportation he had was by horse and buggy which often took him great distances to preach. Like Preacher Conner, he never missed an opportunity to share the gospel even in bad weather. In cold winter months, it has been said that foam from his horse's mouth would be frozen by the time Clark got to his preaching point. 25

[An interesting story is related about Clark when he was pastoring Union Valley. The first church building there was a small one room building tied together overhead with iron rods. One Sunday morning, Clark prayed that any hindrance keeping the church from going forward be removed when one of the iron rods fell and hit a church member on the head. As a result, a revival meeting broke out and many souls were saved.] 26

During this time, Zion Hill continued to grow and participate in the functions of the association. In the October 4, 1916, edition of Montgomery's Vindicator, "The Sevier Association ... appointed the Clerk, W. W. Rule and S. M. McCarter, to arrange denominational objects so that all our churches will be giving to the same object at the same time. Make your gifts as follows: January and February -- Home Missions. March and April -- Foreign Missions. May -- Denominational Education. June -- Orphans Home. July -- Colportage Work. August -- State Sunday School Work. September and October -- State Missions. November -- Orphans Home. December -- Ministerial Relief." This seemed to be the first attempt at some sort of systematic giving for all Baptist churches. 27

In 1916, the Sevier Association held a series of missionary rallies. (Today, they are called World Missions Conferences.) They were announced in the local paper: Morning services starting at 10:00 a.m. and afternoon services at 1:00 p.m. The following topics would be presented: Stewardship, Bible Plan of Giving, Pastoral Obligation and Pastoral Support, The Church as God's Storehouse. At each meeting, there would be a returned missionary, a Baptist state worker with some pastors outside the association and all the pastors that can attend from the association. The purpose was to help local churches in their work, and to give them a greater vision of denominational work. Zion Hill's members were to meet with Gist's Creek, October 21, 1916. The announcement also read that the pastors in each group were expected to attend to act as moderator and to bring his choir for special music. The ladies of each group would prepare a luncheon. The announcement closed by encouraging all church members to attend to make the meetings a great success. 28

In 1917, there was a special emphasis placed on Sunday School across the state. Tennessee Governor, Tom C. Rye, proclaimed Easter Sunday April 8, 1917, as "Go to Sunday School Day." One week later, Zion Hill hosted the Tenth District Baptist Sunday School Convention, April 15, 1917. As reported in Montgomery's Vindicator: "Devotional exercises were conducted by Rev. S.H. Clark. Miss Stella Clark delivered a welcome address and a welcome song was rendered by five little girls. (Unfortunately, the paper did not give their names.) Audley Ballard was elected secretary protem. The first topic of discussion was, "What is the key to the success of our Sunday School?" Opened by Brother G.F. Ownby who believed the Bible was the key to the success of the Sunday School. A female quartet sang Tenting Tonight. The second topic was, "How may we get the uninterested interested in the Sunday School?" Opened by Brother Lee Reed who thought we should have interesting leaders in the Sunday School service. Further discussed by Brother E. P. Ownby, Rev. S. H. Clark and Boyd Clark. Music by the choir. Five little girls sang Jesus Loves Me. The convention adjourned to meet on the following Sunday eve with the Sugar Loaf Church. J. D. Drinnen, Vice President." 29

Later, at the 1917 associational meeting, messengers adopted the following resolutions dealing with an event effecting all of Sevier County, including the Zion Hill Church family. "Be it resolved, that the Sevier Association of Baptist, now assembled, puts itself on record as being in full accord with President (Woodrow) Wilson in the prosecution of the present war against the powers that are threatening the liberties, not only of the United States, but of the entire world. Be it further resolved, that we pledge to him all resources at our command, to the end that this war may be carried on until lasting peace may be guaranteed to the people of the entire world." 30

"Be it further resolved that our hearts go out to our brave boys who have enlisted in our armies to fight for liberty, home and country, and we hereby pledge ourselves to do all we can to aid them at the front, as a reward for their patriotism." 31

Zion Hill church members were not isolated from this war. Several men from the church answered the call to serve in World War I. They were: James Bales, Earl Cown, Bertis Mitchell Ellis, Charlie Galyon, Andy J. Graves, Earl Grooms, James Headrick, Joe Moore, William Myers, James Hubert Reed, James Rogers, William H. Rogers, Oscar Shelley, and Charley Wells. Mr. Wells was a casualty of the war, dying at the age of 21 on April 15, 1918. He was later returned home and buried in Zion Hill Cemetery. 32

When leaving for war, each man was given a New Testament. Inside the front cover was the following: "A Prayer for a Soldier: Keep me, O Heavenly Father; straight and pure and true. Protect my dear ones at home. Whatever comes, help me to do my duty in Christ's name. Amen." Inside the back cover was the "War Roll." It read, "I hereby pledge my allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour and King, and by God's help will fight his battles for the victory of His kingdom." 33

After Sidney Clark resigned in 1918, the church again extended the call to Wiley E. Conner. This period of ministry was more difficult than in 1909, as a severe influenza epidemic swept through the Zion Hill community, Sevier County, and the entire country. There was much fear about this invisible killer that would strike suddenly. A person could feel fine in the morning and be dead by nightfall; that was how quickly this strain of influenza ran its course. As a result, church services and other public gatherings across the county were banned for a month in October, 1918, to try to control the spread of influenza. In early 1919, the epidemic returned and another ban was placed on public gatherings until the end of March. During this worldwide epidemic, 14 people in the church family died and were buried in Zion Hill Cemetery. 34

Although many of the congregation were affected by the epidemic, Conner continued his church work by promoting Sunday School and preaching services. Because of the work of Conner and Ira Clark, superintendent, enrollment in Sunday School reached 140. In 1919, the church rewarded Conner's efforts by increasing his salary to $250.00 a year. Under Conner's leadership, the church gave $327.11 for denominational education, divided between Harrison-Chilhowee, Smoky Mountain Academy, and Cosby Academy. 35

At the 1919 associational meeting held with Pigeon Forge Baptist Church, Rev. Conner preached the annual sermon. His text was from James 4:3, "Ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss." His sermon topic was "Six Reasons Why Prayer is Not Answered." His sermon made an impression on the messengers. 36

The following story helps to illustrate the kind of pastor Conner was. He invited a young minister to help him in a revival meeting in another church he pastored. The two ministers were on their way to the church when Conner told his helper about a man in the community. He said, "He attends every service and always asks for prayer. He will sit on the mourners' bench as long as he can. He wants to be saved, but he can't find the way." Conner added, "That man is like a big log in the center of a dam across the river. If we can break that log, we will have the biggest spiritual flood this community has ever known. The Lord wants that man, and he wants to be saved. We must work and pray until he surrenders his life to the Lord. If we can hold to the Lord, He will find a way to touch and tender that man's heart." 37

The revival continued with large crowds at every service. One day, the interested man's son asked those present to pray for his father. Again, time for the evening service came and a large crowd attended. There seemed to be unusual interest by the church membership that night. It appeared the entire audience was being spiritually touched. Dozens of lost fathers stood trembling with tears flowing down their cheeks, but they would not yield. The service ended and the people went quietly to their homes. 38

The young man who asked the Christians to pray for his father went home to his bedroom. Instead of going to bed, he began to pray for his father. The father heard him praying, got out of his bed, went to his son's room, and joined him. The two prayed together. They were later joined by the father's wife and a daughter who was also lost. They prayed and talked together for almost two hours. As a result, the father and the daughter were both saved. 39

Early the next morning, the father went where the preachers were staying. The ministers were outside and saw the man coming. They started to meet him, but he spoke at a distance in a joyful tone of voice, "It happened last night, and I couldn't wait to tell you." He continued, "I see it all now. I wanted to do something myself, but when I had done all I could, I cried out and said, 'Lord, I don't know how to be saved. I surrender myself and all I have to you. Whatever you want me to do, I will try to do it.' That's when it happened; it was so easy. You just give up to Him." 40

The newly converted man returned to his home. When he had gone, Conner told his helper, "The Lord has torn the log from the center of the dam, the dam has broken, and the spiritual flood waters are rushing through the valley now." As revival services continued, the church building was filled at every service. Many souls crowded into the prayer and instruction room. The man who had been a seeker for so many years walked down the aisles where many were in prayer, calling each one by name, and saying, "Just give yourself to the Lord. That's all you can do. It's so easy to surrender to Him. Just surrender. He does the saving." 41

When the revival closed, 28 people, mostly heads of households, were saved, joined the church, and were baptized. People who live in that community remember the revival and its results until this day. 42

The Lord used Wiley Conner (as He did Apollos in the New Testament) in a mighty way to continue to water the seeds of faith and help the young congregation grow. As Paul wrote, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase" (I Corinthians 3:6). Truly God was giving the increase to Zion Hill.


Endnotes for Chapter Three

1. 1880 Population Census. 1904 Associational Minutes. (Clabough's great-grandson Bill Clabough serves as our State Senator in 1998, information from Bill Clabough and his daughter, Tracy).
2. 1907 Associational Minutes.
3. Ibid. 1908 Associational Minutes. Linn, Beulah D., Evans Chapel No. 1, 1883-1933. SMHSN, Vol. XVI, No. 2, p. 32.
4. Sevier County Heritage, p. 53. 1909 Associational Minutes. History of the Chilhowee Association, p. 53.
5. Gentle Winds, 152.
6. Ibid., pp. 53-54.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. 1909 Associational Minutes.
10. Sevier County Heritage, p. 257. 1910 Associational Minutes. Letter from Misty Seagle Ward, great-granddaughter of Rev. Middleton McCarter. [Children of Rev. Middleton McCarter: Hattie Elvira married Isaac Oscar Canupp, Herbert Tyson married Ellen Estella Shultz, Isaac, Rev. Robert Arthur married Ellen Ogle, Newton, Harrison married Sarah Lee Duggan, Della, Luraine married John Williams, Dallas married Ella McKinney, and Vista married Scott Valentine. Isaac, Newton, and Della all died in infancy.]
11. Ibid. 1911 Associational Minutes. Ordination Certificate.
12. 1912 Associational Minutes. [Preacher McCarter died December 29, 1925, and was buried in Huskey Cemetery.]
13. "Old Harp" Newsletter, Spring 1998, p. 10. [Four-part harmony was taught at the singing school. The top line is treble, sung by both men and women. The second line is the alto staff, sung by women. The third line down is the tenor line, also called the lead or melody, sung by both men and women. The bottom line is the bass, sung by men. Any part can be sung one octave higher or lower. So at times, you could have six-part harmony.]

14. Atchley, p. 227; Shadow of the Smokies, p. 117. [Atchley died April 10, 1948, and is buried at Cummings Chapel.]
15. 1912 Associational Minutes.
16. Ibid., p. 10.
17. Ibid., p. 14.
18. Sevier County Heritage, p. 177. Letter from Lillian Hodges, Sidney Clark's daughter, September 15, 1989. 1913 Associational Minutes.
19. Ibid.
20. 1914 Associational Minutes.
21. Ibid.
22. 1915 Associational Minutes.
23. Montgomery's Vindicator, September 22, 1916.
24. Sevier County Heritage, p. 177. Ordination certificate. [Sidney Clark's children: Anna Belle married William Kear; Bertha Maude married Mark Wicker; Cecil Clark married Clara Parham; Angie Adiline married Oren Price, Bill Fillers; Wiley Daniel married Betty Oglesby; Theodore 20 Jan 1915-22 June 1916; Mayford married Nevada Clabough; Lillian married Pierson Hodges; Bishop Sidney 18 Feb 1922-23 Sep 1939; Nancy Juanita; Henry married Peggy Julian.]
25. Sevier County Heritage, p. 177. Lillian Hodges' letter.
26. In the Beginning, p. 141. 1915 Associational Minutes, p. 8.
27. Montgomery's Vindicator, October 4, 1916.
28. Montgomery's Vindicator.
29. Gentle Winds, p. 176; Montgomery's Vindicator, March 7, 1917; March 14, 1917, & May 9, 1917.
30. 1917 Associational Minutes.
31. Ibid.
32. Zion Hill Cemetery. In the Shadow, p. 278.
33. Soldier's New Testament.
34. Gentle Winds, pp. 45, 47, 211. Zion Hill Cemetery. [On April 1, 1946, Sidney's wife, Rachel, passed away. She was buried in the Zion Hill Cemetery. Sidney lived to be 95 years old and was only inactive from his ministry a few months before his death, June 28, 1981. He loved life but prayed to go to his heavenly home. Although legally blind and hearing impaired, his memory of the Scripture was amazing and helped to inspire younger ministers. To carry on, the Lord called his son Cecil J. To the ministry and his grandsons, James H. Clark and Stephen Clark Hodges. Sidney is buried next to his wife in the Zion Hill Cemetery.]
35. 1919 Associational Minutes.
36. Ibid.
37. History of the Chilhowee Association, pp. 54-55.
38. Ibid.
39. Ibid.
40. Ibid.
41. Ibid.
42. Ibid.

Main Menu

Tell a Friend!

Click the link below to share this site with your friends. A new window will open. (We don't collect e-mail addresses.)
For custom maps, graphics, self-publishing, and more ~~
For books and more ~~