Picture of the day - September 27, 2007

North Fork Baptist Church

Yesterday afternoon Cheria and I visited the intriguing "Rock Barn" near the rural southwestern Virginia community of Mendota, and after we had taken a number of pictures we headed back towards Abingdon on Mendota Road. We had gone just a short distance when we came upon yet another piece of Washington County history: North Fork Baptist Church. At first I didn't pay much attention to the rather ordinary looking church as we drove by, but then I happened to catch a glimpse of the little black sign nailed to the wall. Underneath the name of the church in small print was the following: "Est. 1776". Well, since the church had apparently been "born" in the same year as our great nation, I simply had to turn the car around and go back to take a picture. You see, I have always had a keen interest in history, and whenever I happen to come across a historic structure I simply have to photograph it! North Fork Baptist Church was named after the nearby north fork of the Holston River. For many years the waters of the Holston powered a number of grist mills that put flour and corn meal on the tables of area farmers, and the church that bears the river's name has provided them with a place to worship for virtually the entire lifetime of our country. The mills are now long gone, but the river still flows among the foothills of Clinch Mountain... and North Fork Baptist Church is still alive and well, the doors open three times a week for all who wish to come inside and join in worshipping our loving, merciful God.   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!            Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"