THE DANCYVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
The deed to the Dancyville
United Methodist Church is dated April 1, 1835, and registered on June 8, 1835. The
property was sold by Byrd Link to the trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church and
states, " The property is for exclusive use for building thereon, a house of worship,
for use by members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and no other denomination
whatsoever."
The congregation was organized, and the first building, a log structure, was built in 1837.
In 1850 the log building was replaced by the one that is in use today. The present church is made of hand-hewn and hand sawed timber, cut on the grounds. The weather boarding was cut with old slash saws using the 2-man pit method.
In the early 1950's, a basement with Sunday School rooms, assembly room, bathrooms and a modern kitchen was built.
There was a Dancyville circuit until 1973 and the Parsonage was located here. The Church is now part of the Stanton, Dancyville and Spring Hill Circuit.
The Dancyville United Methodist Church survives as the oldest United Methodist in West Tennessee. It has been recognized with a State Historical Marker, and along with the Cemetery, is on the National Register of Historic Places. (Reference number 91000224, March 13, 1991.)
ADDITIONAL CHURCH FACTS AND HISTORY
The Church record book has been in use since 1896
The Sunday School Books date back to 1837
The shutters are original, as are many of the window panes
The Communion set on the table, to the left, in the Sanctuary, was purchased in the early 1890's
The Pulpit stand (lectern) is hand made and over one hundred years old
The organ was purchased from the Estey Organ Company, Brattleboro, Vermont, in the 1800's
The lamp to the upper left dates back to the 1800's
The Cross was given by the Rogers Family in memory of their parents
The picture, to the left, as you enter the vestibule, was given by Wayne & Max Hightower, in memory of their mother, Grace Moore Hightower
The Dancyville United Methodist Church is one of the rare survivors of Antebellum church architecture in the rural portions of West Tennessee.
The church is of Greek Revival style design, without columns, one story, white frame structure, with long, tall, windows and green shutters. The bell tower is octagonal-shaped, trimmed with louvered shutters. The tower is capped by a steeple that tapers into a thin stem upon which sets a simple white cross
THE CEMETERY
The fence around the Cemetery was erected circa 1908-1909 at a cost of $900 and replaced a wooden picket fence
The Monuments in the Cemetery date from 1830 to the present
Some of the burials:
1 War of 1812
13 Confederate Veterans
1 Spanish-American War Veteran
7 World War I Veterans
8 World War II Veterans
1 Ex-Slave (believed to be Solomon Shaw - buried in Plot 21)
1 Gypsy
Note: Burial indexes for the following are HERE:
Complete Graves Index For all
buried In the Dancyville United Methodist Cemetery
Dancy, Kerr, Hughes in
the Dancyville United Methodist Cemetery.
Confederate Veterans buried
in the Dancyville United Methodist Cemetery.
Other Veterans of Spanish
American, World War I and II, buried in Methodist Cemetery.
Dancy burials in Dancy-Scott Cemetery are HERE.
Article and history provided by Dorothy Moore
Miss Dorothy Moore, a retired history teacher and counselor from the Brownsville School System, continues as the historian for the United Methodist Church. The above history, church and cemetery records have been provided by Miss Dorothy. I greatly appreciate her kindness and willingness to make all her records available for this site. Be certain to see the Profile of Miss Dorothy on this site.
GO HERE FOR INFORMATION ON CHURCH RESTORATION.
GO HERE FOR
THE DANCYVILLE METHODIST CHURCH PARSONAGE ~ 1960
GO HERE FOR REV. S. PITTMAN MARBURY
