The
original building was constructed in 1873 at a cost of around
$1,000. The church was organized by members of the Paris First
Baptist Church, where the minutes show that they were given
letters and released from membership at Paris for the express
purpose of organizing Mt. Airy.
Mt.
Airy was organized February 3, 1868 at the William Eddins
home. R. S. Duncan and G. C. Brown were moderator and clerk
from the Paris Baptist Church. Charter members were:
William
Eddins
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Malinda
Bell
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Mary
Eddins
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Mary
Horn
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Nathaniel
W. Dawson
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Bessie
Eddins
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Eliza
A. Dawson
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David
Williams
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John
W. Bell
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Rev.
W. B. Craig was the first pastor.
The
first acre of land was deeded to the church by R. W. Eddins
and wife in 1872. The church house was built the next year in
1873 at a cost of about $1,000. J. W. Simms, Samuel Reed and
L.D. Welch were trustees at that time.
100th
Anniversary of Mt. Airy on July 18, 1968 – The building of
the Mt. Airy Missionary Baptist Church southwest of Paris,
where the 100th anniversary of the organization of
the church was observed Sunday. The structure has been put in
top condition with refinished floors, new paint and
decorations and varnishing where needed. It has a full
auditorium on the first floor and a full basement and equipped
kitchen, used for church events and for Sunday School purposes
and is the original building, remodeled several times. The
cemetery surrounds it on the north and west sides.
One
of the oldest tombstones in the Mt. Airy cemetery southwest of
Paris, if not the oldest is that erected for Mary Trussell,
wife of Pendleton Trussell. She died December 12, 1873, only a
few years after the church was organized, and was 56 years, 9
months, and 11 days of age, so the inscription states.
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