The Church on Broad Street........
Article # 8.
Mt. Zion, the first Presbyterian Church in Bulloch County, was dissolved in 1895 when many of its members relocated. However, a new church was organized in February of 1896 as Statesboro Presbyterian Church. Five new members (Mr. and Mrs. John McDougald, D.C. and Maggie McDougald) joined the 13 members remaining from the Mt. Zion church as charter members of the new church. Just 13 months later, the congregation moved into their new building on Broad Street. In 1898, six of those members who also had been members of the Mt. Zion Church, relocated to Daisy, Georgia. It is believed that, again, they took their church with them and possibly organized a Presbyterian Church at Daisy.
Statesboro Presbyterian Church was located on Broad Street. Statesboro was growing steadily, and although the church at first in 1897 was at the edge of town, town soon was building eastward surrounding the church. The lot had been donated by Mr. W.C. Parker, a member of the Baptist Church. It was not a large lot, and in the 30's a house was very close on the north side of the building. There was an open field on the south side. There were pecan trees on this lot which provided shade for the member's horses. One member, Col. Albert Deal, continued to ride his horse to services long after automobiles filled the streets.
The Naval Stores industry continued to have influence on the church for some time. This business opportunity had brought a number of people from North Carolina to the area. One of whom was John McDougald who arrived about 1888. He first worked for a company called Williams and Outland as a woods-rider. Then he teamed up with Outland to establish several turpentine stills. One of those stills was the site of the first field experiment of new rosin gathering methods (1901) by Charles Herty. The result of Herty's experiments provided a way to gather the rosin without destroying the trees, and this revolutionized the Naval Stores industry. The McDougald-Outland distillery was located about where Hanner Gymnasium on the University Campus is now.
Mr. John McDougald was a charter member of Statesboro Presbyterian Church and became a very prominent citizen of Bulloch County, even serving as Mayor of Statesboro. He was a very devout Presbyterian, and set a fine example for his descendants to follow--and they have done so.
There are very few people still living who attended the Church on Broad Street. Brothers Worth McDougald (retired and living in Athens) and Don McDougald (retired and living in Montreat) grandsons of John McDougald, attended the Broad Street church as boys in the 30's. Their memories of the wooden frame building are bright and clear and they share them with us.
Worth describes the building as 'dark' - dark woodwork, dark floors, dark pews-one big window on the front of the church, smaller windows on the sides, colored glass in the windows. Seating for about 100-125 people. Three sections of pews with two aisles. An addition at the rear of the structure had about eight very tiny classrooms. To reach the Sunday School rooms, one entered the front door of the church - went past the pulpit on the left side and out a door, walked on a covered walkway to reach the classrooms, which all opened to the outside. There was nothing elaborate about the building and the classrooms were sparsely furnished. In cold weather, the building was heated by a wood stove. The teen-age boys tended the stove and brought in the wood. Don remembers one time when the fire got out and set fire to the floor. The boys ran outside and gathered up hands-full of sand from the unpaved street and ran back inside to throw the sand on the fire to put it out.
Don remembers his father, W.E McDougald, talking about the finances of the church. There was very little money in the 30's during the depression. In about 1927, the church had borrowed $1000 at 6% interest. The collections were so small in the 30's that they could afford to pay only the yearly interest of $60. When the church burned in 1940, they still owed that $1000.
Both Worth and Don have vivid memories of the church members of those days. They both remember Miss Irene Arden who taught Sunday School. They said that her class room was the only one that was bright and colorful, with pictures and flowers decorating the room. They even remember exactly where she lived, and that she drove an old Model T Ford car to church and always parked it in the same place. Worth remembers that Miss Irene had a lovely operatic singing voice which reached well beyond the church walls when she sang with the choir.
Worth remembers that Colonel Albert Deal always sat in the same pew (on the right side near the back) and that he was often called upon to pray. His prayers were long, with petitions for every person and every cause. Being a lawyer, he chose his words carefully and there were sometimes long pauses in his prayers as he considered what he should say to the Lord. The boys sometimes thought he had fallen asleep - but he always continued.
In 1920, the congregation felt the need for more space and they purchased a lot on the corner of Zetterower and Savannah Avenues, and proceeded to build a manse for their minister, Rev. E. J. Hertwig. However, Mr. Hertwig died very suddenly in April of 1921. His untimely death was a great shock to the congregation and plans for a new church next to the newly constructed manse were abandoned.
Worth remembers that the congregation was small in number and very clannish (probably the Scots heritage?) He described the building as gaunt and needing a coat of paint during those depression days of the 1930's. Don remembers several weddings during the 30's: Bernard and Sydney McDougald and Ruth and Roy Beaver among them.
Then, disaster struck in 1940 when the building was hit by lightning and burned. Members tried to save what they could, but the building was a total loss for them. So the lot was sold and a new brick church was constructed on the Savannah Avenue Lot purchased 20 years before. Worth feels that this was a turning point for the church in several ways. In the new building the church became more open and welcoming. Hew people came in, many from the college, and had a great influence on the life of the church.
Nothing remains of the old church, but a house was constructed on the foundation of the old building. You can see the place where the Presbyterians worshiped for over 40 years if you ride down Broad Street and look for #112. You can see a picture of the 'Church on Broad Street' on the wall in our library.
For a complete history of our church, refer to 'A Century of Presbyterianism in Bulloch County' by Virginia Russell. Many, many thanks to Worth and Don McDougald, Virginia Russell's History of the Church, Statesboro Herald's 'Century of Progress; and 'Spirit of the People', and the Minutes of the Church on microfilm at Statesboro Regional Library for this information.
Dot Odom, FPC Historian