Lewis Chapel
Lewis Chapel is located on Lewis Chapel Mountain, Sequatchie County, Tennessee, please respect the rights and wishes of the family and the property owners. Thank you.
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Photos
by Barry and Glenda Schroeder August 22, 2009
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Several Lewis Families Were Hamilton County Pioneers
Monday, January 17, 2005 - by John Wilson
Several Lewis families were pioneers of Hamilton County.
Lewis Chapel
Thank You ~ Contributor ~ Frank Grant
Lewis Chapel Presbyterian Church
The Lewis Chapel Presbyterian Church was built in 1942. The builders of this rock building were S. Lewis and C. Mitchell. Rock was supplied by W. T. Grant, S. F. Grant and J. Johnson. Contractors were 1st Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga and B. Facutt. Pastor was J. Focule. The land was donated by J. Font. The ground was cleared by the following women: S. Lewis, J. Turnbull and E. (Lewis) Johnson. The rock masons were C. Mitchell and S. Lewis. Trustees were J. Johnson, W. T. Grant and F. Turnbull. It was financed by F. Turnbull in memory of C. L. Lewis. First Pastor was B. Rice, 1942-1950. Second Pastor was J. Waller. At one time the property and building was owned by W. T. Grant and later by his son, S. F. Grant.
Lewis Chapel – The Early Years
The first white settlers in the area were about 1805. These newcomers kept the Indian names Tennessee and Sequatchie for this area. Lewis Chapel, TN is a relatively small mountain top community located eleven miles east of Dunlap, TN. Many early settlers were farmers. The rich fertile land on Walden’s Ridge provided the perfect environment for the corn crops and gardens which were the mainstay of the settlers. Most of the early settlers in Sequatchie County Lewis Chapel, TN came from all up and down the eastern seaboard states or the counties of upper east Tennessee namely, Roane, Grainger, Anderson and Knox. Expansion was rapid in the early days of Lewis Chapel and Walden’s Ridge.
The mountain road was very treacherous during the winter. It is very steep with two large “S or W” curves. Today there is a four lane highway going across that mountain. There is definitely four seasons on that mountain top known as Lewis Chapel, Walden’s Ridge. It is over 3,000 feet high and it is part of the Cumberland Mountains and the Appalachian Plateau. During the spring, and summer it is muggy with an average temperature of 80 degrees. The fall is just beautiful with all the trees turning different colors. The winters can get very cold with the temperatures sometimes being 10-20 degrees below zero with lots of snow.
Sequatchie County is divided into three distinct areas by nature, the Cumberland Plateau, Walden's Ridge and the Sequatchie Valley. Sequatchie/Sequachee is of Cherokee origin and means "hog trough" or possibly opossum. There are conflicting accounts concerning how Walden's Ridge got its name, but it appears that it was named in the early nineteenth Century, 1805, for a John Walling. At this time a few Indians living in the valley below the mountain were the area's only inhabitants.
Prior to 1858 the now Lewis Chapel area north of Board Camp Creek, now Grey Creek, was Bledsoe County District 10 and south of Grey Creek was Marion County District 1 and 2. In 1856 these districts were joined to Hamilton County. Twenty-two months later the new County of Sequatchie was created.
From 1858-1880 the area was known as Sequatchie County District 7. From 1880-1922 it was known as Brock Sequatchie County District 7. From 1922 to present it is known as Lewis Chapel Sequatchie County District 7 and since early 1970's it has been voting District 1, Lewis Chapel, Sequatchie County, TN. The Brock Post Office and the Lewis Chapel Post offices were located near the Henson Gap Road.
Contributor ~ Frank Grant
Please send any information you might have for the Lewis Chapel Church. ~ Thank You