The New Salem Baptist Church is located in Sevierville and Sevier County it Tennessee. This 1886 brick church stands as a fine example of vernacular Gothic detailing as interpreted by Isaac Dockery, a Black craftsman from the county. The historic church is located in a floodplain along Middle Creek. The well-maintained and little-altered place of worship has served the Black community and other congregations for nearly 125 years.
The New Salem Baptist Church, built in 1886, was originally named the New Salem Union Church. It was built for the use of Black worshippers of all denominations. Before the construction of the church building, services were held in a log house overlooking Middle Creek and also at a school near Pleasant View Cemetery. The Trustees of the church obtained land for the church from Squire Bob Henderson. Oral history states that Henderson and Isaac Dockery, the builder of the church, were good friends and neighbors. When Dockery asked the Squire for land for the future church, he cordially agreed and gave permission to use the adjoining land for the brick kiln as well. It remained New Salem Union Church for eleven years and was renamed New Salem Baptist Church on October 11,1897.
From the time of its construction, the New Salem Baptist Church has been the focal point of the Black community serving not only the community's religious needs but its social and educational needs as well. Juanita Burden Lundy, a Sevierville native and descendant of the church founders, states, "Any type of entertainment, education, worship or funeral service was located and centered around the Church." Until 1922, for example, Black children were educated either in their homes or at the New Salem Baptist Church where classes were taught for 26 years. In 1922, education stopped at the church and began at Pleasant View School, which was constructed with Rosenwald school funds. However, this church building is significant not only for its connection to Sevierville's Black community, but also for its builder, Isaac Dockery. Dockery (1832-1910) was a master brick mason who began his career in Sevier County during the 1860's. He first tried his hand at framing and chimney work on homes around the county. As the years passed and Dockery obtained more experience, he progressed to larger projects including the Murphy College Building (1891), Sevierville Masonic Lodge (1893, NRHP 2/7/80), and the Sevier County Courthouse (1896, NRHP 3/24/71). Although these and other buildings throughout the county were fashioned by his hands, the New Salem Baptist Church (1886) is regarded as his most significant work, representing the beginning of his career as well as his talent and legacy.
For all of its significance, the New Salem Baptist Church was itself added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 24, 2003. All of the information above (and much more) was found on the original documents submitted for listing consideration and can be viewed here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/49a8ae33-4c2d-47fc-bf4...
Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.
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