New shingles help preserve rich history

A slave cabin, a one-room school and a strawberry patch, once held a spot of ground at 130 East Water Street in downtown Flemingsburg.

Today, on that exact piece of land, stands the Strawberry Methodist Church.

Based on the churches historical records, the cabin was home to Addie Robinson and Lottie Bolden attended the one-room school.

There is as much of a rich history that rest beneath the church as there is to the church itself.

In front of the church there is a placard that states the Primarily African-American congregation has been active since 1869 and the current building dates back to the 1890s.

A Bicentennial History of Fleming County published in 1992 tells us that the church had its beginnings in 1886 when a small dedicated number of Christians purchased the land on which the present church stands and list some of the members from the 1900s to include John Connor,Tom Day, Allie Taylor, Harvey McKee, Bob Young, Squire Brandy Allie Carr, Bob Carr, Noah Dunlap, Jesse Williams, Tom Young, Dick McKee, Charlie Dudley, John Butler, Harvey Meadows, Dave Qualls and Arthur Brown.

In 1923, a dining room was added and in 1963, under the leadership of Rev. Pauline Carr, the church was remodeled.

Sometime in the 1980s a Lewis County artisan used chunks of colored glass to create the stained-glass windows that are currently in place and a new roof was added a few years ago.

The historic structure has always been distinguished by its advanced entrance tower and lancet windows, and a stately steeple that reaches toward the heavens.

The building is a place of worship for many citizens in the community who wish to continue the upkeep of their home church.

In the near future, the shingles on the steeple will be replaced by Kirk Fillinger, owner of Roof Masters and will help preserve the rich history that is held close to the hearts of the congregation.