A look back: Dr. James H. Thornwell and Unity Presbyterian Church

Before the Unity Presbyterian Church was founded, the Rev. Joseph McRea, pastor of Steele Creek Presbyterian Church in Mecklenburg County visited the area and recognized the need for a house of worship. In fact, the residents all were of Presbyterian heritage so there was not a question that the organization of a church was needed.

The first building, a log structure, was erected in 1788 and remained in use until 1804 when it was destroyed by fire. It was built on a hill overlooking Steel Creek. A cemetery was started there, and in it is buried Andrew Spratt, who passed away in 1804.

The next church was built one mile southwest of the first church. This church was used from 1805 to 1838. A cemetery was also established at the church's new location. It is now known as the Old Unity Cemetery. It is located today near the corner of Unity and Marshall Streets. According to Cynthia C. Faris of the Columbia Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, in 1963 she copied the names of those buried there and stated, ". . . to my knowledge, there is no [other] written record of the graves in Old Unity Cemetery."

The Old Unity Cemetery is in a neighborhood of homes. It is a quiet setting, surrounded by a wall of stone. At the entrance is a plaque that states, "This marks the site of Unity Presbyterian Church and Graveyard, 1788, erected by Kanawha Chapter DAR."

The third church building was built in 1838 and was a frame, clapboard structure with a steeple and belfry. The church was presented with a wooden cabinet by a nearby cabinet and casket maker. It is still in use in the vestibule of the current church. In 1877, a church bell was cast, delivered and hung. It also is still in use. In 1880, this building was destroyed by fire and the cabinet and the bell were the only items saved.

Construction on the fourth church building started in 1881. During the planning, it was decided to build a brick church. It is believed that the first service was held in late October of 1881 while Rev. F. L. Leeper was pastor. The 1881 sanctuary is still in use today.

Dr. James H. Thornwell was pastor for 25 years at the Unity Presbyterian Church from 1882 to 1907. During his pastorate he recorded church activities in three Pastor's Registers. Each one lists Communicants Received, a Register of Marriages, a Register of Funerals, a Register of Baptisms, a listing of visits, listings of sermons preached and an annual summary of church contributions by year. These Pastor's Registers also listed the same activities for Ebenezer Church in Rock Hill. He was pastor of both churches.

In Dr. Thornwell's Pastor's Register #2, he entered the marriage of Col. Leroy Springs, son of Andrew Baxter Springs, and Grace A. White, daughter of Capt. Samuel E. White, the wealthiest and most prominent citizen in Fort Mill, on Dec. 28, 1892. The witnesses, he said, were the family and 400 people. According to his Marriage Register, Dr. Thornwell was paid $100.00 for the service. The Charlotte Observer described the wedding in a lengthy front page article as "an assemblage of gallant men and beautiful women." A train was provided to bring visitors to the wedding from Charlotte.

Pastor Thornwell performed many weddings but for one on May 22, 1884, he was paid one dollar. The ceremony was performed for Lee Peeler, who lived on A. G. Springs' plantation. He did not record the name of the bride. There were two witnesses, and the ceremony was performed at Thornwell's residence.

Thornwell's Pastor's Register also included an annual summary of contributions of church giving as $1,167.66 for his first year at Unity Church in 1882 and $1,650.00 for his last year at the church in 1907. In between the annual offerings varied from a low of $1,019.00 in 1886 to a high of $2,153.00 in 1885. This plaque was placed on the wall in the hallway and steps leading to the balcony inside the Unity Church.

Located on Confederate Street in Fort Mill, the Thornwell-Elliott House was built in the late Victorian style. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. The house is one story with weatherboard siding built about 1877.

This was the home of Rev. James H. Thornwell, the pastor of Unity Presbyterian Church, from 1877 to 1907. The house remained in the Thornwell and related Elliott families until 1970. Thornwell's son-in-law, Dr. James B. Elliott, lived in the house until then. He was a leading physician in the community.

Thornwell came from a very prominent family within the Presbyterian denomination.

"Thornwell's father, of the same name [as his son], had been president of Southern Carolina College , now the University of South Carolina and [was] the South's pre-Civil War leader in giving theological justification for the institution of slavery," according to "The Springs Story, Our First Hundred Years, A Pictorial History."

Rev. Thornwell was one of the original investors in the Fort Mill Manufacturing Company (the predecessor of Springs Industries). On April 26, 1887, he signed the original agreement as J. H. Thornwell. He purchased five shares of $100 each. The Stock Subscription List stated that 10 percent had to be paid on June 1, 50 percent on Oct. 1 and the balance on Nov. 15.

Sorrow and gloom came over the entire Fort Mill community on Dec. 30, 1907. The word spread throughout the village that Thornwell had passed away of heart failure. He had faithfully served the Fort Mill and Ebenezer Presbyterian churches for 25 years until his death.

His obituary appeared in the Fort Mill Times on Jan. 2, 1908. It told of him preaching his last sermon on Dec. 22. It was said he delivered an "eloquent and highly interesting discourse of the birth of Christ and the origin of the Christmastide."

By the following Wednesday he fell "unwell." The doctor was not called until Saturday and after Dr. Elliott came Thornwell was improved. On Sunday Thornwell complained of chest pains. He was given an opiate and seemed to improve. At about 3 p.m. he was given another dose of opiate. By 4 p.m. he had passed away of sudden heart failure.

Dr. Thornwell had an interesting life. After reading law in Yorkville and practicing in Louisville, Ky., he decided to enter the ministry.

His obituary described his Civil War service thusly: "Dr. Thornwell was a gallant Confederate soldier, serving his country in the Fourth Reserves and was later a member of Bolton's cavalry company."

Sources

"A History of Unity Presbyterian Church, Fort Mill, SC, 1788 - 1988," Researched and written by William R. Bradford, Jr.; "Unity: Its History, June 8, 2004," www.unityfort mill.org by William R. Bradford, Jr.; "Pastor's Registers for 1882 to 1905," Books 1, 2, 3. Selected entries by Dr. James H. Thornwell, York County Library, Rock Hill, SC, copied Sept. 6, 2006; "National Preservation of Historic Places Registration Form," Submitted by Paul M. Gettys, Paul M. Gettys Associates, Catawba Sept. 28, 1990; "The Springs Story, Our First Hundred Years, A Pictorial History" by Louise Pettus and Assisted by Martha Bishop, Published by Springs Industries, Inc., 1987; Rev. Dr. J. H. Thornwell Obituary, printed in the Fort Mill Times on Jan. 2, 1908.

This story was originally published September 9, 2008 at 3:13 PM with the headline "A look back: Dr. James H. Thornwell and Unity Presbyterian Church."