Carr’s Hill Baptist Church in 1993

Carr’s Hill Baptist church began in 1882. The congregation
met at various locations in its beginnings as Dunn’s Rock Baptist Church
(unrelated to the current Dunn’s Rock Baptist Church), ultimately building
their own meeting house in 1903 on land donated by Carr Landreth. To honor
Landreth’s generosity, the congregation renamed themselves as Carr’s Hill
Baptist Church, referring to the new location on a hilltop.

Passers-by on the Greenville Highway will notice the classic
look of the historic church building: white weatherboard siding with a green-gabled
roof and an entrance tower adorned with a distinctive diamond-shaped louvered
vent and topped with a pyramidal belfry. A two-story addition for Sunday School
activities was added in the 1940s and matches the style of the original
building.

In the winter, fewer leaves make the church more visible,
and it draws attention with its annual nativity scene and message of peace. One
of the oldest churches in the county, the congregation still meets today,
albeit in a more modern brick building built just down the road in 1983 with
ample parking. The congregation still owns and maintains the historic building.
This well-loved sight is part of what makes the Cedar Mountain portion of the
Greenville Highway so picturesque.

Photographs and information for this column are
provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This
article was written by Local History Librarian Laura Gardner. For more
information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at [email protected] or 828-884-1820.