Old Providence Methodist Church -- Preachin' Days are Over Here. More history about this now-gone part of Chatham history.

In this photo from the Chatham County Historical Association collection, one man is holding carpenter's tools, so perhaps the church had just been finished. Also notice the woman in the window.

It is believed that this photo shows the Old Providence Church that was located on what is now the Gum Springs Church Road. Though the church is gone, the cemetery remains, and the earliest burial recorded--that of Henrietta Womble--occurred in 1883. Family names in the cemetery include Bland, Clark, Cole, Copeland, Gunter, Harward, Johnson, Marks, Stedman, and Womble.

You can find information about the Providence Church cemetery in CCHA's cemetery records on CemeteryCensus.com: http://cemeterycensus.com/nc/chat/cem352.htm

There are numerous references to Providence Church activities in Chatham newspapers from 1890. According to a 1973 article in the Chatham Record, the old church was torn down in July 1973 because of vandalism. 

If you have additional photos or info about the church or the area, please share.

#ChathamHistory #ChathamNC #ProvidenceChurch #CCHAcollection #church #cemetery #HawRiverBoys