HOPEWELL ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN (ARP) CHURCH & CEMETERY-MAURY COUNTY TENNESSEE

Located south of Columbia Tennessee about 8 miles. Turn west going south on Pulaski Highway and go 1/4 of a mile. The Cemetery is on the east side of the Church.

A recent photo of the historic Hopewell A. R. P. Church.

HOPEWELL A. P. R. PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CEMETERY COMPLETE LISTING

HOPEWELL CEMETERY PHOTO VIEWS
   
LOCATION MAP OF THE CEMETERY

This church existence is among the earliest in the county and it is necessary to embark upon a short history to get a flavor of its unique place in county church history. Many of the early Hopewell settlers in Maury County were originally of Scottish & Irish descent. Most of these settlers were fervent Presbyterians. Early dissatisfaction (mid 1600's) with the way the church in Scotland was conducted caused them to immigrate to Ireland then most later on to America. Upon immigrating to a new area one of the first task was to organized a church. The settlers that made up this church started coming in the county before it was Maury County during 1806, at that time a part of Williamson County. Among them were the Matthews, the Hanna and Baldridge families. In 1810 the Scotts and others also to joined them. These families were known as "Seceders" though it might have been several generations since they or their ancestors had lived in Scotland. This was known in formal history as the "Second Reformation". Their belief came about because of their protesting the relationship of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland with the Scottish Government. They took the name of Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church to disassociate with this past but continued in some ways to be a part of the church in Scotland, independent from its governing by-laws.
Services were initially held in the homes of the members because there was no time or resources to erect the necessary buildings. During 1820 the church was officially organized here and thereafter a log cabin was built to serve as a place of worship. This structure was later replaced with a frame one. In 1854 the present building was erected, making it likely to be the oldest church building in the county in continuous use from the time of its construction to the today. Today it is the only representative of its denomination in Maury County. 
It is written that the current building was the third structure and that the first one was of log construction. Also these records state that the three buildings were all near the current building. One question in my archeological mind is why many of what appears to be the early members of this church were buried in the old Matthews Cemetery located three miles north west of the current building. Was this because the original building of log construction was located the three miles north west of the current building or next to Matthews Cemetery and that record is lost? I don't know of any records to prove this one way or another. If my theory is correct the first building would have been erected prior to 1820 near Matthews Cemetery. We should however leave this theory out of the records until more evidence is found.  
The cemetery presented here, which occupies the space just east of the Church building, was first used about 1916. The first dated tombstone is that of Mr. John E. Walker interred during 1916.
Sources for this historical article: History of the Churches of Maury County. Article written by Virginia C. Hindman. Her sources were "Sesquintenial History of he A.R.P Church". Other info from Maury County Cemetery Records, by Fred Hawkins and cemetery research by this site author. For more information on this church see the above mentioned sources. Memories by Jack Dugger.