State

Buffalo Presbyterian Church It was started in 1756 and is one of tlie most historie churches in the state. Throughout the years it has had a most interesting existence. IN 1756 a handful of hardy pio¬ neers assembled near what is now the northern boundary of Greensboro and founded the Buffa¬ lo Presbyterian Church. This year members of the church observed the 193rd anniversary of its founding. There are few edifices in North Carolina richer in historical inter¬ est than the Buffalo church. And best of all is the fact that its mem¬ bers have preserved most of the data in connection with the estab¬ lishment and progress of their church. For example, here arc some of the sidelights brought out in the church records. Prayer for Rain Near the year 1800 there was a severe drouth in this country. Dr. David Caldwell, first pastor of the Buffalo church and one of the most distinguished preachers in the early history of North Carolina, an¬ nounced that on the next Sabbath he would make a special prayer for rain. He asked the people to be thinking about it and to be pre¬ pared to unite heartily in this prayer. Henry G.. who lived eleven miles from the church, was not a Christian, but he and several of his neighbors rode horseback to Buf¬ falo that day, largely out of curi¬ osity. The prayer was made, and at the close of the service a small cloud was seen forming in the west. Before Henry G. and his neighbors reached home a heavy rain came and they were soaking wet. He still claimed he did not believe in prayer for rain, but said the next time Dr. Caldwell was going to pray for rain he would not be caught far from his home. Falling Stars There were certain unusual things which happened in nature that should be remembered. They made a profound impression and the people talked about them for years and dated events from these happenings. During the night of November 11, 1833, the greatest meteoric shower on record took place. The e shooting meteors appeared to be as numerous as the stars in the heavens. The earth and the heavens were made bright with their light. You could even see to read by their light. Vast multitudes thought the real stars were falling and that the Judgment Day was being ushered in. The Dry Summer The summer of 1845 was the driest ever experienced in this sec¬ tion. There was no rain from March until August. The crops were al¬ most a complete failure. Horses and other farm animals died by the hundreds of starvation, and the people had but little food. There were no railroads in that day. so food could not be shipped from one section to another. The Cold Winter The winter of 1856-57 was the coldest ever experienced in this section. And in January of that winter occurred the biggest snow storm of which we have any rec¬ ord. It was so cold no one could stay out of the house more than a few minutes at a time without DOUBLE COAST LINE Extending a distance of nearly 300 miles from the Virginia line to the borders of South Carolina, the coast of North Carolina fur¬ nishes a double fishing grounds — 3,000 square miles of inland sounds and bays, plus the 300-mile strip of wave-washed beach on the Atlantic Ocean. THE FURNITURE INDUSTRY The first furniture factory in North Carolina, and probably in the South, was established at Mebane in 1881. By 1900 more than 1,700 wage earners were em¬ ployed in the 44 establishments reporting to the Census of Manu¬ facturers. At the present time there are approximately 150 furniture estab¬ lishments in the state with more than 16,000 wage earners em¬ ployed. freezing stiff. The snow drifted more than twenty feet deep in low places. The Times, an old Greens¬ boro paper, says the snow was six feet deep in the streets. The ice on the creeks and rivers was so thick that people drove their four-horse wagons across on it without any fear of breaking through. The above is a small portion of the interesting information com¬ piled by historians of the church, from the earliest down to Rev. S. M. Rankin, present church historian, whose book. History of Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Its People is one of the most in¬ teresting volumes imaginable. The early church used to disci¬ pline its members to an extent hardly realized these later years. The conduct of its members, spir¬ itual and otherwise, was at all times subject to the elders. Mem¬ bers were frequently hailed before the Church Court to answer for words or acts which leading mem¬ bers believed were inimical to the material, moral, or spiritual wel¬ fare of the Church and the com¬ munity. After the Revolutionary War, and as our Civil Courts began functioning better, there was a gradual falling off of the use of the Church Courts until today it is an almost unheard of occurrence. The present church building is the third one which has been used by the congregation, having been erected in 1826. In 1919 during the pastorate of the Rev. E. Frank Lee. a movement was started to get a Sunday school building erected. Later it was decided to add a new front to the old church, put in new pews, rework the interior and in¬ stall a modern heating plant in both buildings. All this was done and completed in the spring of 1921 at a total cost of nearly $40,000. A year or two later a pipe organ was given the church by A. M. Scales, of Greensboro. The church has at present a resident membership of more than 400 and a non-resident membership of 60. It is noted for its generous fellowship and its wel¬ come to all visitors. THE STATE. NOVEMOER 26. 1949