I was driving through North Carolina last year and saw a church with a large graveyard. It is a brick building, and set under a canopy of giant trees. I stopped and took a photo of the sign, and then went on my way thinking to do a little research later. What I discovered was this small church was built in 1860, with services held here since 1753. For perspective, George Washington was 21 years old at that time. The church is a type of Gothic revival, so it tells me the builders wanted it to stand out for the community. The name Thyatira is mentioned in the Bible as one of the 7 churches of Asia. The temptress , Jezebel from the Bible led the people away from the church. It is thought that the church committee wanted the name to be a warning not to turn away from the teachings of the pastors.
The church as it appears today with brick pavers in front
The church and the adjacent cemetery were added to the National registry in 1984. The cemetery‘s oldest grave gives the date of the oldest buried person as John Nesbit, 11/19/ 1755. I was visited by a retired local photographer yesterday and we were looking at some of my photos of another cemetery. He told me that he had heard that there were three pirates buried at Thyatira. He was surprised when I told him that I had a photograph of it, and I would forward it to him, as well as some of the older markers.
The 3 pirates of Thyatira
Grave markers long faded by the weather
The cemetery is surrounded by a hand built rock wall.
Different shots showing the features of the Gothic Revival Style
It was a nice visit on a hot June morning to find the history of the small church. I hope to return with my new photography friend to try out his collection of vintage cameras.