DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way back in the early days of Wood County, before most folks had even found the place on a map, a little fellowship was already putting down roots. They called it the Holly Springs Baptist Church of Christ, and it is one of the oldest congregations in the county.
The very first meeting, now, that happened on November 18, 1853, gathered not in any grand building but at the residence of a man named J. D. J.
Davis, who also happened to be serving as the pastor. Convenient, you might say. The charter members you could count on one hand: Samuel Davis, Peter Magnus Gunstream, and Mary Alitia Gunstream.
Three names, and a whole community waiting to grow up around them. They worshipped first in a log building, the way folks did in those days, then later in a chapel over at Liberty Hill, which you'll find on modern maps as Pine Mills, about a mile and a half to the east. But they weren't done buildin'.
By 1860 a new sanctuary had gone up right here, and then in 1865 the congregation turned a page, changing the name to what it carries today: Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church. Over the years that followed, the membership came to include many of the early leaders of Wood County.
Started with three names on a charter and a pastor opening his front door. Ended up shaping a county. Not bad for a fellowship that began in somebody's living room.
What the marker says
Started as the Holly Springs Baptist Church of Christ, this fellowship is one of the oldest in Wood County. The first meeting was held on November 18, 1853, at the residence of J. D. J. Davis, who served as pastor. Charter members were Samuel Davis, Peter Magnus Gunstream, and Mary Alitia Gunstream. Early worship services were held in a log building and later in a chapel at Liberty Hill, now Pine Mills (1.5 mi. E). A new sanctuary was built here by 1860 and the church name was changed in 1865. The membership has included many early county leaders. (1981)