by Roberta Macatee Earle *

The hill upon which the Presbyterian Church at Nineveh now stands has been a meeting place of God's people for more than one hundred and eighty years. We get a glimpse of those early days from the Moravian Diaries through Virginia when the first colony passed through here on their way to North Carolina, October 8 -- November 17, 1753:

"At noon we passed Frederickstown (Winchester) which consists of about sixty houses which are rather poorly built."

In this same year - 1753 - Hopewell Meeting House had probably established an indulged meeting at Crooked Run - now Nineveh - as it is spoken of in their records as much earlier than 1758.

On the 4th day of the 8th month, 1760 was entered the following:

"The friends living on Crooked Run having been for Several years past Indulged by this monthly Meeting with Liberty of holding a meeting for Worship twice a week which hath been kept up to good Satisfaction and they Lately having built a new Meeting House and Seeming to Increase both in Number and Strength they now desire This Meeting to make application to the Quarterly Meeting that their Meeting aforesaid be Established as a meeting for Worship Twice a week viz. on the frist day and fourth day and they likewise request Liberty to hold a preparative Meeting on the week aforesaid. They Living about Twenty miles distance from this meeting all which we after deliberate Consideration Submit to the Quarterly Meeting for approbation."

Deed for this first church is found in Winchester, Frederick County, Deed Book 5, 173. June 1, 1758, Thomas Branson leased unto John Painter a certain Piece of land containing Four acres more or less lying and Binding on the Lines of Alexander Ogleby and John Painter, it being for Friends' Meeting House and Burying Ground that use and no other. Situate on the South East side of Crooked Run in Frederick County in the Colony of Virginia. To Have and To Hold the said Four Acres of Land as above mentioned for and during the space of Ninety-nine years from the date Hereof, yielding and Paying During the said term one ear of Indian Corn if Demanded, and the said John Painter Doth Covenant that he will not commit waste or Destroy any of the timber growing on the said Land except for the use above mentioned such as Building, Firewood, Fencing.

I have been told that the older members of the Nineveh congregation said they remembered the log Meeting House which stood a little to the right and back of the present church.

We do not know when the last services were held at Crooked Run Meeting House, but just ten years after the lease was out, Winchester Presbytery appointed a committee from the Berryville church which had been established four years previously, to organize a church at White Post, Clarke County.

The Berryville pastor, Rev. Charles White, and their elder, Lewis F. Glass, met with the White Post congregation on Saturday, March 30th, 1867. After the sermon, seven persons presented their certificates, and Dr. William Sommerville was elected and installed as elder, he having been ordained to that office in the church at Bloomery, Hampshire County, West Virginia. This small band of seven consecrated men and women was the nucleus around which the furniture congregation of Nineveh grew.

For fourteen years the Presbyterians held their services in the old brick church belonging to the Methodists and the two held a Union Sunday School with the Presbyterian elder as Superintendant. At this time there were 66 members of the Sunday School with 8 teachers. They had also been instrumental in organizing a Sunday School at Milldale with 40 scholars and 8 teachers; and one for colored children was conducted at White Post.

In 1881 the pastoral relations with Berryville were dissolved and the White Post Church transferred to the Front Royal Church under the pastoral relation of Rev. C. W. Hollis. For the purpose of effecting a stronger and more efficient organization, a movement and suggested by some of the members of the two churches, that all the members of the Front Royal Church north of the Shenandoah River unite with the members of the White Post church and fix as a central place of meeting - Nineveh - the congregation hereafter to be known as the Nineveh Presbyterian Church. Eighteen members came from Front Royal Church and 13 from White Post. Services were held in the Zion Baptist Church until 1893 when the new Presbyterian church was built.

Nineveh was not long to enjoy her new church for on August 29, 1913, it was struck by lightning and burned to the ground, so again the congregation moved in with their Baptist brethren.

In March, 1916 we once more find her carrying on in her new church; but new difficulties arise. Front Royal found she needed a minister's full time so Nineveh is without a pastor. Nineveh has been unfortunate in not being able to stay in any one grouping for very long.