The Chickamauga Presbyterian Church (CPC) graciously let us use their meeting space without charge, gave each of us a mug to keep with the church’s picture on it, and, best of all, let us tour the sanctuary, which CPC is faithfully maintaining. The history of the Universalist’s first meeting place, taken from One hundred years: the History of Chickamauga Presbyterian Church PCUSA 1910-2010, compiled by Church Historian Janice Maybery Westbrook 2010, pp 15-17, follows:
Presbyterian Church of Chickamauga – history
[The Universalist Church of Chickamauga building]
The church was at first called MacLemore [McLemore Presbyterian Church] for the cove or valley lying between Lookout and Pigeon Mountain or directly for the Indian Chief by that name “MacLemore”. Here we see the influence of Scottish Presbyterism, for McLemore was a half-breed, the son of an Indian mother and a Scottish father.
Our Church Building was purchased from the Universalist. From the first settlers of Walker County, in 1833, or before, a church sprang up which was known as the Universalist. In 1897, at the Chickamauga Park Hotel, the First Universalist Church of Chickamauga was organized in the presence of Rev. Shinn and funds were pledged that day for a building. Prior to a church building being constructed, the congregation of this Church held their worship services at the Abercrombie school house. It followed that, under the leadership of Evangelist, Dr. Q. H. Shinn, a location was selected about half a mile west of Crawfish Spring in Chickamauga, and in a few years the little white clapboard church with a steeple appeared – gothic, Victorian, New England style.
Quillen Hamilton Shinn, circuit rider
Records indicate that this site was in the area of Gordon Street and Clebourne Street and is believed to have stood at the corner where Joe Reed’s grocery store was built years later (across from the old Perry Taylor home). One source suggests that it was possibly on the same lot as the original Walker County Log Cabin church.
In keeping with the book, Walker County History written by J. A. Sartain, L. A. (Bud) Boss and his brother, Enoch Jackson (Uncle Jackie) Boss (from Germany), were considered to be charter members of the church. Both were carpenters, as was E.J.’s son, L. P. Boss, and all three contributed to the construction of the new Universalist church. In fact, Lankford Parks Boss was a master cabinet maker and did much of the work inside the church.
In a letter to Rev. Ed Langham in 1999, Irene Hixon Jewell wrote that her grandparents, John C. Abercrombie and his wife, Talith Boss Abercrombie (daughter of E.J. Boss), helped in building the church as well. It was considered to be one of the handsomest churches in the area. Enoch’s great-great grand-daughter, Jan’et Boss Mann (member of Chickamauga Presbyterian Church at the 100th anniversary in 2010), tells us that these same men built the old Cove Methodist Church. We also find this information to be included in Walker County Heritage 1883-1983. Since these men were of German heritage, it isn’t surprising to observe that the structure is very much parallel to those still found in Germany.
The Universalist church did well until 1907, but following the death of Dr. Q. H. Shinn, it was decided to build the Shinn Memorial Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and to consolidate the two. Thus, the little church was sold to the Presbyterians for $800. Purchased by the Home Mission Committee of Presbytery and those who constituted the membership of the church, it was moved in 1910 to the present site, which was donated by the Gordon Lee family. Moreover, the Gordon Lee family gave most of the original interior furnishings, another of the many benevolences from this family to the churches in our community.
According to Mrs. Walter (Hazel) Ivy, the only change to the structure at the time the building was moved in 1910 to its present site was the addition of the vestibule on the front. Mrs. Ivy had been a member of the Universalist Church and became a very dedicated member of the Chickamauga Presbyterian Church.
Chickamauga Presbyterian Church
700 West 7th Street
Chickamauga GA 30707