Smithwick Creek Primitive Baptist Church

Smithwick Creek Primitive Baptist Church. Built 1897. The present church building is actually the third to be built on or near this identical spot. The Smithwick Creek Primitive Baptist Church congregation was organized in 1803 following three successful years of missionary visits by Elder Joseph Biggs. The first meeting house on this site was built in 1804 and completed by June 8th of that year. The first building was replaced by a much larger building in 1874. The second building burned in December of 1896 and was quickly replaced by the present structure. It was finished intime for the next meeting on February 27th of 1897., The interior remains basically unchanged with beaded boards on the walls and ceiling. The pews are homemade benches with backs. There is a raised chancel which has a modest lectern for the minister with a couple of chairs behind the lectern., The standard of the day for the Primitive Baptist was for the church to have two doors; men on one side and women on the other. A new church, Smithwick Creek Church, was established in 2001 and continues to be very active in the community., The baptismal house structure shown below is the only one known to still exist in North Carolina. It was constructed in 1892 and was originally placed at a place called “The Dipping hole”. It was for changing back into dry clothes after being baptized. (Men on one side, women on the other). A contribution from the Skewarkey congregation of Williamston of $31.30 helped finance the building cost of the baptismal.