Cypress Church and Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Cypress Church and Cemetery out in Franklin County. Now, some stories start with a deed and a date and a handshake, and this one's no different — except it's been going strong for a long, long time. On August 28, 1851, the Associated Cypress Baptist Church was founded.

A congregation with a name, a purpose, and pretty soon, a piece of ground to call their own. The meetinghouse went up on property belonging to a man named Spencer Shearer. He let them build there, let them gather there, and then — eleven years on — in 1862, he deeded the full six-acre site to the congregation outright.

That's not nothing. That's a man putting his land where his faith was. Now, this six acres wasn't just for Sunday mornings.

It also served as a burial ground. And here's a detail that'll stay with you: the bell tower wasn't just for calling folks to worship. It was used to call neighbors to help with grave digging.

Imagine hearing that bell and knowing what it meant — not a sermon, but a shovel. Community doesn't always look the way you picture it. One of the earliest marked headstones belongs to Jane Willis Huggins, born in 1837, gone by 1854.

She was the daughter of Jonathan and Mary Huggins. That stone stands as one of the oldest witnesses on the grounds. According to local tradition, during the Civil War — 1861 to 1865 — Confederate troops trained on the church grounds.

The same earth where neighbors came to bury their dead, where a congregation raised its voice in hymn, became a drilling ground in the middle of a nation tearing itself apart. The church didn't stay small or stay still. The fellowship joined the Red River Baptist Association and became a charter member of the Rehoboth Association of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Members of the congregation helped found the Mt. Zion Church, which later gave rise to the First Baptist Church in Winnsboro. One congregation planting seeds that grew into others — that's a particular kind of legacy.

The original sanctuary served until 1953, when the present one replaced it. The very next year, another acre was donated for use as needed for interments. And this cemetery has a quiet arrangement that says something about the place: plots are not sold.

Perpetual care is financed by donations at the memorial services held each June, every year. The Cypress Cemetery Foundation was organized in 1968 to help carry that mission forward. And here's the line that lands it all: descendants of many of the early founders are still active in the congregation today.

The names on those headstones and the names in those pews — they're family. August 28, 1851, set something in motion that Franklin County is still living out.

What the marker says

On August 28, 1851, the Associated Cypress Baptist Church was founded. The congregation constructed a meetinghouse on this property which belonged to Spencer Shearer. In 1862 he deeded the six-acre site to the congregation. the site also served as a burial ground. The bell tower was used to call neighbors to help with grave digging. One of the earliest marked headstones is that of Jane Willis Huggins (1837-1854), daughter of Jonathan and Mary Huggins. According to local tradition, Confederate troops trained on the church grounds during the civil war, 1861-1865. The fellowship joined the Red River Baptist Association and was a charter member of Rehoboth Association of the Southern baptist Convention. the present sanctuary replaced the original in 1953. The next year another acre was donated to be used as needed for interments. although plots are not sold, perpetual care is financed by donations at the memorial services each year in June. The Cypress Cemetery Foundation was organized in 1968. Members of the church helped found the Mt. Zion Church which later began the First Baptist Church in Winnsboro. Descendants of many of the early founders are active in the congregation. (1979)