Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church is a historic

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their na ...

church near Laurinburg,

Scotland County, North Carolina Scotland County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of North Carolina and is its smallest county by area. Its county seat is and largest city is Laurinburg. The county was formed in 1899 from part of Richmond County an ...

. The congregation was founded in 1797, and the current

meeting house A meeting house (meetinghouse, meeting-house) is a building where religious and sometimes public meetings take place. Terminology Nonconformist Protestant denominations distinguish between a * church, which is a body of people who believe in C ...

was completed in early 1856. It is a two-story, gable front

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...

style frame building. The land on which the church stands was donated by planter and politician

Duncan McFarland Duncan may refer to: People * Duncan (given name), various people * Duncan (surname), various people * Clan Duncan * Justice Duncan (disambiguation) Places * Duncan Creek (disambiguation) * Duncan River (disambiguation) * Duncan Lake (di ...

. The current building was constructed between 1853 and 1856 by black freedman Jackson Graham under contract. The church was used for a short period by Union General

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...

as his headquarters in March 1865 prior to the

Battle of Bentonville The Battle of Bentonville (March 19–21, 1865) was fought in Johnston County, North Carolina, near the village of Bentonville, as part of the Western Theater of the American Civil War. It was the last battle between the armies of Union Ma ...

. It is the oldest church building in Scotland County.Kirkpatrick, G. F. 1931. Historical sketches of Laurel Hill and Smyrna Presbyterian Churches. N.p: n.p., 6, 16 The building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 1983.

References

External links

YouTube video
Presbyterian churches in North Carolina Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Greek Revival church buildings in North Carolina Churches completed in 1856 19th-century Presbyterian church buildings in the United States Buildings and structures in Scotland County, North Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Scotland County, North Carolina Wooden churches in North Carolina {{NorthCarolina-church-stub