Earliest Triangle church site found in Johnston County

Submitted by JOHNSTON COUNTY PUBLIC INFORMATION

CLAYTON — A new historical marker was unveiled recently at C3 Church near Clayton to commemorate the Triangle area’s earliest known church.

Local Baptists built Three Creeks Meeting House prior to 1757 in the aftermath of the First Great Awakening. Worshippers came from farms scattered along Black, Middle, and Swift creeks and the congregation flourished through the second half of the 18th century.

By the early 19th century they appear to have disbanded. The name Three Creeks soon faded from the area’s collective memory, and its location was lost. That is until recently discovered documents pointed local historians from the Johnston County Heritage Center to a forgotten forest knoll next to a new subdivision in the County’s Cleveland Township.

“For a long time local historians believed the old Three Creeks Church was somewhere in the Panther Branch area of Wake County,” said Heritage Center director Todd Johnson. “However, land records and meeting minutes of the Kehukee Baptist Association in the 1770s place it near the mouth of Wood’s Branch where it flows into Swift Creek in western Johnston County. After finding some overlooked sources, there was this ‘Eureka’ moment.”

Johnson shared his findings with local resident David Yeargan, who had spent time exploring Swift Creek. “David found this prominent hilltop on Wood’s Branch with what appears to be old foundation stones scattered around. He was convinced it had to be the long-forgotten meeting house site,” Johnson said. “When he took me there, I was also convinced.”

From left, C3 Church staff Nate Fairfield, Anisa Larson, Sarah Culotta, Pastor Matt Fry, Caleb Fry and Caroline Fry with Johnston County Heritage Center director Todd Johnson at the Three Creeks Meeting House site near the Jordan Ridge Subdivision in Cleveland Township.

The site was part of a 640- acre land grant William Wood received from Lord Granville in 1753. Wood had a gristmill with a large millpond, and he also operated a tavern or public house at his home. Britt’s Bridge was built nearby to allow travelers to cross Swift Creek. Elder Thomas Tully, one of hundreds of new settlers, was credited as the first pastor of this pioneer congregation. His kinsman Hardy Sanders was a leading church member and also sheriff of Wake County and commander of the Wake militia during the Revolutionary War.

For more information, call the Johnston County Heritage Center at 919-934-2836 or visit www.johnstonnc.com, or stay updated on some of the great exhibits and events happening at the Heritage Center by following their Facebook page.