Friendship Baptist Church

Part 2

Civil War and Reconstruction Period

The land north of the Hiwassee River was ceded to the U.S. government by the Cherokee Indians in 1819. The remaining land south of the river to the state line, known as the Ocoee District, was not given up by the Cherokee Indians until 1838. Thus, the pioneer members of Friendship were able to establish the church in free territory twelve years before the rest of what is now Polk County was even part of the U.S. territory. When the church was established John Quincy Adams was the President of the U.S. (1825-1829), and such a thing as a railroad was not in existence. The settlers’ homes were all log cabins, and the Cherokee nation was just across the Hiwassee River southward. The Cherokee Baptist Church at Amohee on the Ocoee was the next one southward until 1838 when it was moved to the Indian territory in Oklahoma.

These pioneer members, having hardships hard for us to imagine, managed not only to found a church but to keep it growing. The original log building was used as a meeting house until 1856, when the second church building was constructed, mainly through the work of T.M. Lusk (1814-1904). It was a frame building north of the present one. Raised soil still indicates its site. This building was in use during the Civil War but little is known about the activities of the church and its members and how the church survived this difficult time because the church records of this period have been lost. It is known that the pastor during this period and for a period covering forty years was Rev. Calvin Denton.

One event which occurred during this period was one of the hottest church trials in this county’s history. The church had acquired to sizable farm, willed to it by John Toomey in 1870. Desiring to dispose of his property so that it would do the most good, on his deathbed he decided to leave it by will to the church. He called on some prominent men to write his will. He wished the income from his farm to be used for the poorly paid preachers. John Lusk, upon hearing of his bequeath, made a prophecy that it would be a bad thing for the church. This prophecy correct within a few years. Rev. Denton was accused by a member of misusing the funds from the farm. Another long-time minister raised in the church brought forth the accusation but Rev. Denton was exonerated. Then the accusing minister was put under charges of slander, was tried and was excluded from the church and his license to preach was taken away. But he was later readmitted to the church and his standing as a preacher restored.

This 140-acre farm was later sold for $700 and the money placed in a bank. The interest on this money is still being paid to the pastors of Friendship on an annual basis.

Another interesting event which took place during this period was the organization of the singing schools. John Lusk, a noted member of the community, traveled from church to church conducting these schools. As recorded in articles by J.D. Clemmer in 1916, John Lusk was baptized with about thirty-five others in Big Chestuee Creek and was a working Baptist for over sixty years. In 1860-1861, he taught singing schools in Friendship Church. At the outbreak of the War Between the States, after a sad farewell song service, he enlisted in the Confederate Army. After the war the singing school was resumed. It lasted usually about two weeks or longer and was the only place to acquire the art of singing at this time. Mr. Lusk held these schools at various churches near the community for many years. In 1916, the first singing school convention ever organized in this section of Tennessee met at Friendship under his direction. Once 1000 people attended. This convention was so successful that it later had to be moved to a bigger building in Athens, Tennessee.

(To be continued)