Frontiers of Faith

Frontiers of Faith. . , Religious Dissenters , After his famed 1716 expedition to the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Governor Alexander Spotswood decided to encourage settlement of the Virginia's western frontier by religious dissenters-such as Presbyterians, German Baptists, and Mennonites. These people were dissenters for not supporting King George III's Church of England, yet they could provide a valuable buffer between the settlements east of the mountains and the Indians to the West. These "dissenters" were the majority of the earliest settlers moving into the Dayton area., Presbyterian Meetinghouse, The meeting house for Scots-Irish Presbyterians was likely built in the 1740s along the northern edge of what is now Silver Lake. The Rev. Alexander Miller, an outspoken Scots-Irish pastor, served as one of the first ministers of the church. Miller, a Tory and staunch supporter of King George III, was removed from the pastorate by the Presbytery when his parishioners objected to his ardent pro-English views. In 1780, the church was moved further, north to its current location and by that time was known as Cooks Creek Presbyterian. The old church yard and cemetery was later covered by water when the mill dam was raised to increase water power at the nearby mill. Several accounts report that the stones from the church's foundation were used to help build the mill dam., Episcopal "Chapel of Ease", While most early settlers in Dayton shared dissenter views, some did not. The Episcopal (Church of England) Chapel of Ease was built at the northern end of the Dayton cemetery on land given by Capt. Daniel Harrison and his wife about 1746. This was the earliest Episcopal Church in this section of what was still Augusta County. The church was used as a meeting place until after the Revolutionary War. It reportedly was also used by Methodists of Dayton in the early 1800s., Historian John Wayland recorded the story that "Parson" Bellmain ministered to the people at the Chapel of Ease, until he left to serve as a chaplain in the Revolutionary War. The pastor later officiated at the marriage of President James and Dolley Madison in 1794., German Baptists, German Baptists (Brethren) migrated from Pennsylvania and Maryland to northern Rockingham County, and as their families grew, came further south to the Dayton area. They often held services at Frederick Kline's home near Bowman's Mill Dam (now Silver Lake), and worshiped at Garber's Meeting House just north of Dayton. Brethren martyr John Kline recorded visits to his nephew's home and the town of Dayton., Mennonites, The early Mennonites in the Dayton area attended church at the Moyers Meeting House, later known as Pike Mennonite Church. They also held services at homes in the community. Oak Grove Church on the east side of Dayton and Pleasant View Church on the west side of Dayton were constructed in the early 1900s., Diverse Faiths, Dayton was home to many churches during the 1800s: Salem Baptist, Dunkard Brethren, Progressive Brethren, Dayton Presbyterian, Lutheran, Dayton Methodist, United Brethren, and the Christian Church., In the early 1900s, there were six thriving churches in the town.