West End Baptist Church

In 1895 the Arcade Mill began operating in Rock Hill, South Carolina.  Many of the residents of the community preferred not to attend churches outside of the village.  As a result of this view, Mr. J.M. Ferguson, a member of First Baptist Church in Rock Hill, visited the village and organized a Union Sunday School, which met in a vacant house.  The school was opened to all denominations and met at 3 p.m. each Sunday afternoon.

This interdenominational Sunday School, met for approximately 18 months until Mr. R.T. Fewell, President of the Arcade Mill, needed the house he had provided.  As a result, the Sunday School closed for lack of needed space. 

Three years later, the Arcade Mill erected a building to be used as a kindergarten and gave permission for the Sunday School to be reorganized in it.  Several workers came from the First Baptist Church and students from Winthrop College assisted in this outreach effort.

Preaching Ministry Starts in Homes

In January,1900, Rev. W.E. Thayer,  became the Pastor of First Baptist Church, Rock Hill. He was very interested in the Arcade Sunday School and began speaking in the homes of people in the mill community.  Thus began the first preaching ministry in the area.

Brother Thayer used his influence in getting the South Carolina Baptist Mission Board to send Rev. T.A. Dabney to Rock Hill.  Rev. Dabney came on the field in Dec. 1901 and faithfully worked with the people of the mill villages for 18 months.  He preached on the streets, in people’s homes, or wherever he could find a place for people to gather.

Two years later, in May of 1904, the State Mission Board, sent Miss Emma Dowell from the state office to serve as a lady missionary in Rock Hill.  After three months on the field Miss Dowell organized a Woman’s Missionary Society in the home of Mrs. Amanda Swett on Hagins Street.  The Mission Society began with 13 members.  The following year she began a Sunbeam Band Mission group for the children in the village.  Miss Emma worked untiringly with the women and children, but she realized that the real need was for a church building located in, or near the mill village.

So earnest was her plea for help, the Corresponding Secretary of the State Mission Board went before the Woman’s Missionary State Convention, meeting in Edgefield, South Carolina in 1907 to appeal for funds. Dr. Bailey asked the ladies to take a collection for the Baptist work that had begun in the Arcade Mill community in Rock Hill, S.C. The convention agreed, and $21.15 was given in cash and $119.50 was given in pledges for this work.

On June 14, 1907, Bro. Willis, the pastor of First Baptist, appointed a “Chapel Committee” from First Baptist to solicit funds and work toward securing a lot and a building for the “Emma Dowell Chapel” at the Arcade and Victoria Mills.  A special offering was taken at First Baptist and the Ladies Aid Society of the church gave a supper and raised $94.00 for this project.

Rev. J.K. Hair Serves as Missionary Pastor

In January of 1908, the Rev. J.K. Hair came on the field in Rock Hill  from the State Mission Board to serve as missionary pastor and worked in three mill communities.  Rev. Hair began preaching in the home of  Bro. P.P. Collins every Friday night.  Mr. Collins lived on Hagins Street in the Arcade area.  In March of 1908, the President of the Arcade Mills gave the free use of a seven room house at White Hill to be use for preaching and Sunday School work.

Establishment of West End Baptist Church

On Sunday, March 22, 1908, at 3 P.M., the Rev. J.K Hair, Miss Emma Dowell, the Rev. R.T. Marsh, and several others from First Baptist Church organized a Sunday School with 42 member and 50 song books.  In November of that year after Sunday School, West End Baptist Church began with 12 members. After a prayer of dedication, the first act of business for this new church was to take an offering for world -wide evangelization. The collection amounted to $6.01 and was divided equally among state, home and foreign missions.

At the Women’s Convention meeting in Charleston in November of 1908, Miss Dowell reported on the work and presented the financial needs and the ladies gave $11.40 in cash and $243.00 in pledges toward the mission work at the Victoria/Arcade community.

After careful consideration a suitable lot was found bordering Hagins Street and Sunset Drive.  The “Chapel Committee” members believed that this body should be a fully established, independent church and not a mission of First Baptist.  The deed to the property was made to the State Mission Board until such time as the church became financially able to hold it.

With the lot secured the church began to build under the leadership of Rev. J.K. Hair.  When the building was approximately one half completed, a severe storm destroyed the building.  This was a terrible blow to the leading workers.

Small contributions came in from business leaders and churches in Rock Hill and from some churches outside the area.  Mr. W.J. Roddey, President of Victoria Mills, and Mr. R.T. Fewell, President of Arcade Mill, each gave $100.00.  The State Board also helped with a contribution.  The building was completed at a cost of approximately $2,500.00 and seated about 400 people.  Services were held in the church for the first time of May 2, 1909, the fifth anniversary of Miss Dowell coming to Rock Hill.

On July 18, 1909, at 8:30 pm in the presence of a large congregation, the West End Baptist Church of Rock Hill, S.C., was dedicated.  At this time the church had a membership of about sixty, a Sunday School of 136, a WMU and a Sun Beam Band.