Category Archives: Churches and Temples

-North Carolina, Black History, Churches and Temples

Cappadocia Fire-Baptized Holiness Church-Asheville, North Carolina

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Located on the Catholic Hill in Asheville is the Cappadocia Fire-Baptized Holiness Church. The FBH church was founded in 1896. It was built on the tenets of three acts of grace: the New Birth, baptism of fire, and baptism with the Holy Ghost.

The Asheville FBH congregation was formed in 1906. By 1908, they built their first church. The current structure was constructed in 1926. The church is one of the oldest extant buildings in the historic Black neighborhood of East End. Unfortunately, the church dissolved a few years ago due to dwindling membership. It sat abandoned for a few years. It was slated for demolition, but the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County purchased it.

For a very detailed history of the area and the church, please read the history compiled on the Preservation Society‘s website.

-South Carolina, Churches and Temples, National Register of Historic Places

McBee Chapel Honors the “Father of Greenville”

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Along the Reedy River in Greenville County, South Carolina, is the mill town of Conestee, founded in the 1830s. The McBee United Methodist Church, designed by John Adams and built in 1841, is located there. Adams utilized the octagonal design to allow for more seating space. At one point, a slave gallery was built above the floor seating. It was removed after the Civil War.

The church was named after Vardy McBee and his son Alexander, who donated money and land for its construction. In 1815, Vardry McBee purchased 11,000 acres in the area now known as Greenville and built a sawmill, brickyard, and ironworks.

-North Carolina, Black History, Cemeteries, Churches and Temples, National Register of Historic Places

St. John “A” Baptist Church and South Asheville Cemetery

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Located in South Asheville, the St. John “A” Baptist Church and the South Asheville Cemetery were originally part of a Black community that was absorbed into Kenilworth. The cemetery and church were not annexed into Kenilworth.

Built in 1929, this brick Gothic Revival church is the third church for the congregation. It is located next to the South Asheville Cemetery, which began as a cemetery for the enslaved. Its first caretaker was George Avery (1844-1938). Believed to be a United States Color Troop member, he returned to Asheville after the Civil War and became the sexton to care for the cemetery.

It is estimated that over 3000 people are buried in the cemetery, which was one of the few places where Black community members of Asheville could be buried. There are only about 100 headstones in the cemetery, though.

The church is now the official steward of the cemetery. When the cemetery became overgrown, volunteers from the church took care of it. Fortunately, the church now receives help from volunteers across the city.

The church and cemetery were put on the National Register of Historic Places

-North Carolina, Black History, Churches and Temples

Jones Temple AME Zion Church-Waynesville, North Carolina

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Formed in the 1880s, the Jones Temple AME Zion Church is part of the historic Pigeon Street community. Built in 1922, the church still hosts regular services, even though church membership has dwindled.

-North Carolina, Churches and Temples

Carr’s Hill Baptist Church: A Historic Landmark in Brevard, North Carolina

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If you are south of Brevard, North Carolina, you can glimpse Carr’s Hill Baptist Church through the trees. The congregation began in 1882 as Dunn’s Rock Baptist Church, but they changed their name to honor the generosity of Carr Landreth, who donated the land to build the church in 1903.

The Transylvania County church is still active today, but services are held at a much newer church building. The church still owns and maintains the property.

-North Carolina, Churches and Temples, National Register of Historic Places

The Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville, North Carolina

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The United States has 93 basilicas, and North Carolina has three: the Basilica Shrine of St. Marys in Wilmington, the Belmont Abbey in Belmont, and the Basilica of St.Lawrence in Asheville.

Architect Rafael Guastavino, a Spanish immigrant, built and designed the church in 1905. The Spanish Renaissance church was built without steel beams and features incredible stained glass and sculpture.

As of 2024, the church is on a fundraising campaign to restore the church. You can donate to preserve by visiting their website.

The sculpture of St. Lawrence
St. Aloysius Gonzaga

From the Basilica’s Art and Architecture brochure, “The lunette over the main entrance is made of polychrome terra cotta and represents Christ giving the keys of the
kingdom to St. Peter and appointing him head of the Church. Immediately below this lunette is a stained glass window displaying the Coat of Arms of the Basilica of St. Lawrence.”