St. David's Lutheran Church

Text

In 1816 the Reverend Paul Henkel, a notable Lutheran minister in the valley, noted Lutheran residents of Fort Valley formed their own independent congregation. Their meeting house stood on land donated by Jacob Golladay near the mountain road.

Many of the names associated with the church's early years are still in Fort Valley. Members came from the McClanahan, Fravel, Golladay, Munch, Lichliter, Bushong, and Ritenour families among others.

The church appears to have been very successful. Paul Henkel continued to lead the congregation until 1823. It was an active member of the conservative, German based, Tennessee Synod. During the middle of the 19th century it was named St. David’s Church in pastor records and local correspondence. The original building, and all its records, was destroyed in an 1873 fire.

In February of that year the Golladay family deed two additional acres to the congregation and a new church, also named St. David’s was built. It was completed in August 1873.

However, internal strife would soon tear the congregation in two. Progressive ideology was sweeping the nation in the 1870s and members of the congregation who supported these thoughts soon broke with more conservative members. The two congregations would meet in the same building until 1896 when the more conservative members dedicated Mt. Zion Lutheran Church a half a mile away on Sibert’s Spring.

These churches would operate separately until 1965 when the efforts of Pastor Lawrence Roller facilitated their merger and the creation of the new Faith Lutheran Church. This congregation built a new structure on land donated by Carl Golladay, a descendent of Jacob Golladay, St. David’s original sponsor. It was completed in 1974.

Afterwards St. David’s Church was sold and is today a private residence.