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March 14, 2012 

A Rich History

Church Drawing in Pencil

Artist rendering of Carrollton Presbyterian Church

The Carrollton Presbyterian Church on Maple Street in Downtown Carrollton is one of the oldest structures in Carroll County. Built in 1902, its neo-gothic style architecture reflects the Scottish heritage that was principal in the formation of the early Presbyterian denomination. On the front of the church, you can see two towers of different sizes. The right tower is higher than the left. This represents the Reformed church, our constant and never ending journey to strive toward Godliness, and our certainty that we, as humans, can’t attain it.

The sanctuary has been preserved in an almost pristine original state, with handsome millwork railing, rafters & trim, and plaster columns adorned with acanthus leaf details. In 2011 we underwent an extensive renovation of the stained glass windows to return them to their original condition.

Although the current brick structure was completed in 1902, the actual organized church is older still. In 1841, two decades before the Civil War began; West Georgia was a frontier community bordering the unknown wilds of Alabama. It was that year that individuals who lived in the area made a request of the Flint River Presbytery, in session at West Point Georgia, to be constituted as a church known as the Carrollton Presbyterian church. In response, the Presbytery directed two of its members to repair to Carrollton and organize a church. This makes Carrollton Presbyterian the oldest organized church in Carroll County.

In 1952, Westminster Hall, the three-story addition to the original church, was completed and has since then been renovated several times over. This space houses Sunday school rooms, meeting rooms and the Fellowship Hall.

When the church was built in 1902, an article in the Carroll County Times – Feb. 13, 1902, read:
“The present elegant and lasting edifice is the outcome of studious investigation, extending over several years past by members and friends of the Church, with a view of originating a building plan, not too expensive for the means of the Congregation, and yet one which, while meeting every requirement of taste and comfort in its interior appointments, would insure a structure creditable in the estimation of the community and responsive to civic pride in our growing and ever progressive City.”

A very interesting feature of the church is that the founders chose not to put their names on a cornerstone, preferring instead to dedicate the building solely to the glory of God.

HISTORICAL FACTS
• New Church constructed between July 1901 and February 1902
• Architects: Butt & Morrin, Atlanta
• Contractor: J.A. Pierce, Gainesville.
- Bids $10,000.00 up to $17,000.00.
- Raised Low Bid
- $1,000.00 to cover a mistake on the Stone Work.
- Total Contract Amount = $11,000.00
• Pastor: Rev. William Edwin Dozier (1894-1915)
• Building Committee:
- L.C. Mandeville
- Mrs. Mary Aycock
- Abner A. Simonton

 


November 1, 2011 

Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans

Kirkin' o' the Tartans on the Square in Carrollton

Kirkin' o' the Tartans on the Square in Carrollton

In the swirl of pipes and the beating of the drum, CPC brings a time-honored Scottish tradition to town- the “Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans.”

The Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans is a ceremony based on Scottish history and legend. After Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Scottish forces were defeated by the English at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, a British act was passed that forbade the Scots from wearing tartan. In fact, orders were given for British troops to shoot, on sight, any person dressed in Highland garb.

Tartan was the hand woven plaid material that was worn by the occupants of that rugged country. It not only provided warmth, its different designs and colors represented the wearer’s family connections. Forbidding the display of the tartan was like cutting them off from their community. But the stubborn Scotts prevailed, secretly carrying a scrap of the cloth hidden in their clothing when they went to Kirk (church). The minister slipped a blessing (a Kirkin’) into the service for those tartans and the families they represented.

After fifty years, the Act was repealed, and the Church of Scotland celebrated with a Service of Family Covenant, where the tartan of each family was offered as a covenant expression for the Lord’s blessing.

Every October, Carrollton’s own Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans recalls that tradition, beginning at the Square and continuing to Carrollton Presbyterian Church, where the actual service takes place under the gothic arches of the historic sanctuary.

Jan Stewart Tolbert, the pastor at Carrollton Presbyterian Church says this about the Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan, “This part of the country was settled in great part by people from the British Isles . . .Scotland, Ireland, England. This service is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate that heritage that so many of us here share.”


June 12, 2008 

CPC Preserves History

The Manse adjacent to Carrollton Presbyterian Church

The Manse

Carrollton Presbyterian Church celebrates historical preservation in Carroll County by refurbishing the original Thomasson Family home that stands next to the church on Maple Street.

The house was built in 1897 and named “Magnolia Terrace” by the original owner.

According to the book, Carroll County Heritage, the owner J.J. Thomasson returned to Carrollton and purchased the newspaper “The Carroll County Times.”  He also had various leadership roles in establishing West Georgia University and Carroll County’s public schools.

Mr. Thomasson enjoyed regional celebrity during his lifetime.  On his 90th birthday, the Atlanta Constitution wrote, “He rose at 5 o’clock after an Edisonian sleep of six hours, and he needed no alarm clock.  He has instinctively come within five minutes of that mark for years.  He fed and milked his cow, attended his chickens, donned his long-cuffed canvas gloves and tied up the lot, ate breakfast and reached the office by 8 am.

As the hour hand edges toward 5 in the afternoon, Editor Thomasson will arise and pronounce whimsically, “Well, if there is nothing else for me to do around here, I think I’ll go home. “ About an hour later, clad in overalls and gloves, his face ruddy from barnyard chores, he will appear to hand a quart of milk through the door to his son, Frank Thomasson, tireless publisher of the Times.”

The historic house has been in possession of the church since 1983 when they purchased it from the Thomasson family.  For the past 20 years, the building has served as the church manse (“manse is a Scottish name for “the home where the minister lives.”), as well as for Sunday school classes, youth center, and now as our administrative offices.

Karen Hartley, a professional interior designer and Elder here at CPC orchestrated the handsome new look www.decdens.com/khartley. Bobby McMillian’s company R&R Enterprises http://www.rrenterprises.net/about-us.shtml were the contractors that brought Magnolia Terrace back to its full glory.