In many ways, the story of how Zion Presbyterian Church and Cemetery in Columbia came to be is the story of Tennessee. There was a time when Tennessee was a wilderness, filled with fearsome things like bears and Indians. But for people who were seeking a new start, and place they could call their own and forge into something special, those challenges were more than worth it. The US was becoming a new nation, and the people who would start the Zion congregation weren't daunted by the wilderness. It was a place they felt led to, and 200+ years later it's an amazing story to tell, spanning from the Revolutionary War to the present. (The information here comes from a book written by the church, Grace Will Lead Us Home: A Bicentennial History of Zion Presbyterian Church 1807-2007.)
In the 1732 a community of Scotch and Scots-Irish immigrated to South Carolina from Ulster, Ireland, seeking religious and economic freedom, as did the Puritans and Pilgrims before them. They settled in Kingstree, but in 1805 the Bible-believing descendants of these immigrants chose to leave South Carolina after the new minister of their church denied the deity of Christ. Four families and their slaves made the difficult journey to Tennessee, settling near Frankin where they rented a farm while they looked for a permanent home. The following year another ten families came, and together they formed a "Society" of daily prayer and worship. After much deliberation for the perfect land, they decided to ask the heirs of General Nathaniel Greene to sell part of the 25,000 acres he received in Tennessee for his service in the Revolutionary War. So in 1807 the Society bought eight square miles of land - land that until that very year had not been open for settlement until the government purchased it from the Cherokee. (Hmmm, was Greene given land by the US prior to the treaty or after?) The first building that was erected was a log cabin which would be their church, then they divided the land among the families for homesteads.
The name chosen for their church and community was Zion, named after Mount Zion, the place where God dwells with his people. For a congregation driven by their religious beliefs this was the perfect name to reflect the home they were led to. There have been three churches total built on the land: the log structure giving way to a brick church when a bigger building was needed, and then in 1849 the present brick church replaced the one that was falling apart. Built in the Greek Revival style, the history of the current building is evident from the moment you walk in. Even with beautiful renovations you can still see the elements of time, such as the original oil lamps and chandeliers, columns hewn from cedar logs from the property, stained glass which is believed to be Tiffany, a section with the original brick wall, and a pipe organ that dates to 1899.
One of the most striking things to me about this church is its history with the slaves of the congregation. Standing in the church you are surrounded by a balcony (called a "gallery") that was constructed for the black congregation. Since this was a community that came from a heavily segregated society, allowing blacks to be in the same church at all was progressive for its time. It seems that around 1810 the slaves who had been taught the Scriptures and doctrines declared themselves believers, and the Society voted to allow them to become members of the church and to "partake of the Lord's Supper." Soon more and more of the slaves were admitted. The Society had a crisis of consciousness, realizing that their slaves deserved to be educated and to have proper treatment, and although they were still considered property, their status as fellow members of the congregation set precedent. This was written in their records in 1812:
"To our shame, we have to confess, that the education of these people had, hitherto been criminally neglected - a great number of them had been the companions, and nurses, in our infantile years. They had been doomed to hard slavery in order to secure our education and let us live in ease; and yet we had not taken what pains and trouble which we ought to have done, in teach them a proper knowledge of that God who made them..."
Slavery is slavery, there is nothing pretty about it, but I do think that for the times the Zion community showed themselves to be progressive and repentant. The slaves remained slaves until they were freed by emancipation, but they were educated despite the laws of the time, and a member of the community was even tried for beating his slave. Thier names are written into the registration logs rather than just a description of age and sex as other documents show during those years. There is even a monument erected to the slave population that reads:
"This tablet is erected in memory and appreciation of the loyalty and service of the slaves owned by the early settlers of Zion Community buried here. Among them is Daddy Ben, a Son Royal, Prince of Africa, owned by Col. Scott. His loyalty to his master won for him the award of golden eagle from a British officer. He was hung three times. Still he refused to tell where he had hidden his master."
Eventually the black population outnumbered the white population and created their own church in 1872. Here in Zion Cemetery, the slaves are laid to rest separately as was the custom. To the East of the gates there is a stand of trees where some slaves were buried without permanent markers, and to the North where some stone markers can still be seen. Here, too, another marker acknowledges their service and hard work.
There are two famous figures from the Zion community: James Knox Polk, who went to school there and would later become the 11th president of the United States; and Sam Watkins. Sam was a Confederate soldier who kept a memoir of his four years in service and published it as a book called Co. Aytch in 1882. This is still in print today and was used by Ken Burns for The Civil War documentary as a primary Confederate resource!
Let's talk about the cemetery, which is quite beautiful and strikingly set against the backdrop of the church. There are approximately 2000 people buried here: the original founders of the church as well as decedents; beloved members of the community; and those who fought in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Seminole War of 1836, Civil War as Confederate soldiers, WWI and WWII, Korean and Vietnam wars. It's truly amazing reading the headstones with such old dates, knowing the hardship and dedication that must have gone into creating this community and their roles in our nation's wars.
The cemetery is open throughout the week, but the church normally stays closed except for services. Please contact the office if you wish to come outside of this time to see if you can arrange a visit.
For more information on the church or to donate, visit the website at www.zioncolumbia.org.
If you'd like to visit another cemetery while in Columbia, you might consider Cedar Hills Pet Cemetery. Not your average cemetery tour, but very moving to see. The address is 2467 Nashville Hwy, Columbia, TN 38401.
For a post on another historic church and cemetery, see Beech Cumberland Presbyterian Church and Historic Beech Cemetery.
For another post on a historic African American cemetery and related Black history, see Historic Greenwood Cemetery.
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