Zion Presbyterian Church (Columbia, Tennessee)

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name =Zion Presbyterian Church
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location = 6.3 mi. W of Columbia off TN 99
nearest_city = Columbia, Tennessee
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built =1849
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added = June 13, 1972
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refnum = 72001245
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Zion Presbyterian Church is a historic church in Maury County, Tennessee constructed in Greek Revival style. The original building was constructed in 1807. Although the original building has been replaced, the original site remains the home of the oldest active congegration in Maury County. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

History

In the early 1800s, a group of Scots-Irish families from South Carolina moved to Maury County. In 1807, they organized and built a log church on five thousand acres (20 km²) of land purchased from heirs of the 25,000 acre (100 km²) land grant of American Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene. The log church was replaced with a small brick structure in 1813.

In 1847, the present-day church was constructed in Greek Revival style by church members and slaves using brick, limestone, and timber. The architectural styling features stepped gables and a recessed open vestibule. A slave gallery was provided for the African-American members of the congregation. In 1880, stained glass produced by Tiffany was added to the church.

Cemetery

Containing over 1500 graves, the cemetery of Zion Presbyterian Church is also of historical significance. In addition to many of the church's founding members, soldiers from the American Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the American Civil War are interred there. The cemetery contains a monument to "Daddy Ben," a slave who survived three hanging attempts by the British for refusing to reveal the hiding place of his master.

References

* [http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/imagegallery.php?EntryID=Z002 Zion Presbyterian Church entry in The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture]
* [http://www.wnpt.net/worship/popups/zion.html Zion Presbyterian Church entry in Designed for Worship, A History of Nashville's Sacred Places]