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Mount Prairie Presbyterian
by Mrs. Christie Menefee, data unknown
In
1946 when Mr. Bob Fry of Perry, age 90 years 9grandather of J. Mac
fry of Perry reminisces about his early life, he related that the
Civil War cam on when he was a small boy. His family lived near
and were members of the Mt. pleasant Presbyterian church. While no
major battles were fought in the area, one col. Tinker, who lived
several miles to the east, billeted soldiers in the Mt. Prairie
church one winter getting provisions from sympathizers in the
area. Col. Tinker was extremely unpopular in this southern
community and as soon as the war was over, he and his wife left
the county hastily, carrying their possessions in carpet bags and
were never heard from again. Mrs. Tinker attained everlasting
renown as the housewife who chased Mark Twain, a young Confederate
recruit, out of her house with a broom when he and some of his
friends stopped by her house hoping to be asked to dinner.
The members of Mt. Prairie church were reared in homes of
refinement by God fearing strong minded Presbyterians. There were
no Sabbath desecrations in their households, baking and Sunday
preparations were carefully done on Saturday – only the chickens
were fried when the family returned from the preaching services.
This church and another Presbyterian church south of Perry merged
to form the Perry Presbyterian Church. The old Mt. Prairie
building was sold about 1905 to Joseph B. Menefee who used to
lumber in a building on his farm nearby. Only the cemetery remains
where are found the stones of Mr. and Mrs. John Stuart, parents of
Rev. Marion Stuart; and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph B. Menefee, parents of
Christie Menefee and several other stones.
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