Stella Church of Christ
We a looking at what was at one time the Church of Christ
but later was used by others. The facility is no longer in use.. If you know of
any history on this church please let this site administrator know and we can
post it here. It is located on the west side of the road in Stella just before
one gets to the crossroads. David Norwood's father preached her some in the
1940s/1950s.
Stella Church of Christ (history of) -
Stella, Giles County, Tennessee
In the late 1920�s a tract of land in Stella was deeded for the establishment of
a Church of Christ meeting place by Bob and Bertha Hazelwood (How are they
related to Bob and Birdie shown below)? The congregation first met in an old
store building where planks were placed on barrels for seating. The barrels were
probably nail kegs.
John David and Lorena M. "Rena" Beard Tucker donated the lumber to build the
meeting house. The building. including the smooth slat pews, was built by the
members of the congregation. The first services were held about 1930. Baptisms
were held in Shoal Creek that flowed behind the building. A long table was
constructed between the building and the creek to place food on for special
events such as all day singing and dinner on the grounds.
Some of the preachers that
preached at the Stella Church of Christ over the years were:
J. T. Harris
Tom Campbell
G. B. Derryberry
George Williams
Don Osborne
Unknown Love
D. B. Noles
Claude Thomas
M. F. Norwood, Jr.
Tom Holland (later moved on to the Creive Hall Congregation, Nashville, Tn.
(over 1,500 members & stayed there 20+ years)
Ted Kell
Richard Durham
Adrian �Junior� Merritt
Some of the families that made up
this congregation over a span of 60 years were:
Alsup, Charlie W and Selma G Pigg Alsup
Alsup, David??
Alsup, Judy??
Barnett, Winfred and Donna Jackson Barnett
Campbell, Otis and Willa Dean Surles Campbell
Campbell, Terry Campbell
Davis, Reba Mobley
Davis, Don??
Dawes, Willie and Mary Eleanor Hanna Dawes
Dawes, James Alton Dawes, Sr.
Dawes, Villard Clyde and Clara M. Hanna Dawes
Dawes, Tillman and Mivian Barnes Dawes and daughter Jill Dawes
Edmundson, Harold S and Emily (Emmie McConnico)?? Edmondson
Gooch, Alma May Kerr
Gooch, Sarah Helen
Gooch, Mozell
Gooch, William Fagan
Graves, Annie Lois Pigg
Hanna, Gilmer and Effie M. Dawes Hanna
Hanna, Joseph Fred Hanna
Hanna, James Bertrand
Hazelwood, Bob and Maggie Otilda (Birdie) Tucker Hazelwood.
Hazelwood, Carson
Hazelwood, Grady
Hendrick, Charles Dean and Sara Elizabeth Eubank Hendrick
Hendrick, Dean
Hendrick, Scott
Hendrick, Erls
Jackson, Woodrow and Lois Tucker Jackson
Jackson, Julia Ann Stovall
Jackson, Christine
Jackson, Joseph Luster and Annie Doris Appleton Jackson
Jackson, Beverly Jackson
Jackson, Joseph T �Tommy�
Jackson, Mary Ruth Dawes Jackson
Jackson, Frank "Buddy"
Jones, Mahlon and Ruby Wilkerson Jones
Jones, James Marvin
Jones, Joe
Jones, Thurman and Etha Crabb Jones
Jones, Robert Dean Jones
Jones, Joyce Gayle (Gail)?? Webb
Kimbrough, Mahlon and Mildred Hazelwood Kimbrough
Locke, Ones (check spelling) Elmore
Locke, Lois
Merritt, Adrian R and Allie Lee Reagin Merritt
Merritt, James Adrian "Junior" Merritt and Dorothy Turner Merritt
Merritt, Leona Kandt ?? (she was Junior�s first wife)
Merritt, John Marvin "Buddy" Merritt and Mabel Boyd Merritt
Merritt, Clair Dean
Mitchell, William Hershel and Ethel Tucker Mitchell
Mitchell, John David
Mitchell,??, Laura Nell Tucker (or was she a single person)??
Pigg, Jim (is this James T husband of Amber Boyd)??
Surles, Rupert Elmo "Skinner" and Rosa Mae Beard Surles
Tucker, John David and Lorena M �Rena� Beard Tucker
Tucker, David A.
Tucker, Sarah
Walls, Elbert Walls and Marie Graves Walls
Wells, W Clyde and Bertha Wells
Wells, Bertha Mae??
Wells, Son (perhaps it was Clyde Wells)??
Homecoming was always celebrated on the second Sunday in June. After the worship
service, a feast was enjoyed, followed by an afternoon of a cappella singing.
Just as soon as Amen was said at the end of the worship service, the ladies
headed out the door to load the long table with their own special recipes. Soon
the rest of the congregation followed after which the blessing was offered. The
women then stood guard with dish towels waving off those pesky flies and
steering us toward their special treats.
Very few items were store bought. Most of the food was made from scratch. There
must have been at least 8 to 10 bowls of potato salad, all the fried chicken you
could want, well seasoned beans and peas of every variety, and baked sweet
potatoes covered with marshmallows. Besides all the fried chicken, there was
plenty of roast beef, ham, fried fatback, sometimes some streak-o-lean, and
someone always brought some form of goat. An abundance of yeast rolls, cornbread
and biscuits were the bread choices. At the end of the table there was a huge
selection of desserts waiting to be explored. The homemade pies and cakes looked
like entries for the Tennessee State Fair. Each one looked like a Blue Ribbon
Winner to me. Two things I always looked for was the banana pudding and fried
pies. I always grabbed a fried pie or two and hid it in the car for a snack
after the singing. The choices were a little of this and some of that and a
smidgen or two of the rest.
Other homemade items placed randomly over the table were bread and butter
pickles, sweet pickle relish, chow chow, dill pickles, and some hot peppers. The
exceptions to the made from scratch rule would have been soft drinks for the
kids, a few loaves of bread for sandwiches, stuffed olives and sweet gherkins,
and of course the condiments.
For refreshments the # 2 washtub was full of soft drinks and iced down enough
for us to want more than one. There must have been 15 gallons of sweet tea and a
few gallons of lemonade.
After everyone had had their fill of delicious food and the tables cleared, we
headed back into the building for an afternoon of a cappella singing. The hills
and hollows around Stella must have been spiritually lifted because the rafters
of the little building on Shoal Creek literally shook to the four part harmony
for the next two hours.
The wedding on June 18th, 1971 of Donna Jackson to Winfred Barnett may have been
the last wedding in the building.
Sadly, the Stella Church of Christ no longer meets. The numbers dwindled as
families moved away or passed on to meet their Maker. The property has been
deeded back to the Hazelwood family as was stated in the original deed. Only the
memories remain. Whether it was feasting on food or Feasting on the Word of God,
the love and fellowship that we experienced at the Little White Church on Shoal
Creek in Stella, Tennessee, was second to none this side of Heaven.
I�m sure each one of us would love to go back to those events that I recall from
over 60 years ago.
Special thanks to Tillman Dawes, Robert Dean Jones, and Donna Jackson Barnett
for helping me sort all of this out.
By David Norwood (Son of M. F. Norwood Jr. & Inez Bullington Norwood) Editing
by Maryilyn Kerr Hare, added here 9 Apr 2011.