Our History
We are the oldest church in Mecklenburg County
“In Carolinas, he found a people remote from the seat of authority, among whom the intolerant laws of the English colonies were a dead letter…. Accordingly, Alexander Craighead had the opportunity of forming the civil and religious principles, in no measured degree, of a race of men that feared neither the labor or hardship of the pioneer’s life, nor the dangers of a frontier.”
Founded in 1755, Sugaw Creek Presbyterian (pronounced “shu-gah”) is the oldest church in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Birthed by frontier families escaping the French & Indian War, they traveled south in Conestoga wagons over the Great Wagon Road to Carolina. In 1758, shortly after building their log cabin homes and cultivating fields, they called their first pastor, Mr. Craighead. An early and ardent patriot, his influence was noted by J.D. Hanna as written here:
When the English General Banastre Tarleton grazed the small Charlotte community with raids, leaders at Sugaw and other patriots escaped deeper into the frontier until the battles subsided. As a young teenager Andrew Jackson benefited from Sugaw’s Suzy Wilson’s nurture of his destitute family. He went on to become the 7th President of the United States. When the country grew and expanded, so too did Sugaw Creek Presbyterian. Its membership rolls in 1841 recorded 237 white and 43 black members, for an impressive total of 280.
In the late 1800’s, demand for higher education resulted in a rise in subscription academies, schools, and the founding of Davidson College. The Academy for boys on the grounds of Sugaw Creek, built in 1898 and still standing, symbolizes the commitment to training for future generations.
While Mecklenburg County and the burgeoning city of Charlotte grew, Sugaw Creek Presbyterian, under the guidance of grandson Rev. Samuel Craighead Caldwell, is credited with birthing many local churches; First Presbyterian of Charlotte, Paw Creek Presbyterian, and Mallard Creek Presbyterian. Sugaw’s work with Hopewell and Second Presbyterian in the late 1800’s also cast their faith forward into the surrounding communities to meet the towns’ spiritual needs.
“Two hundred years is a long time in the history of any organization in the Piedmont section of North Carolina, but it is surely only the beginning of the history of this great, old church.”
Believed and beloved by many North Carolinians, the Mecklenburg Declarations, or “Meck Dec”, was revered as the first document to declare freedom from England, ahead of the Declaration of Independence. Shrouded in controversy, with no original to be found, its development surely reflected the frontier love of freedom so deeply cherished by many. It is believed Abraham & Hezekiah Alexander, Elders of Sugaw Creek, were original signers of this Declaration. Four US Presidents have celebrated Meck Dec Day in the area over the centuries- Presidents William Howard Taft, (1909), Woodrow Wilson (1916) Dwight D. Eisenhower (1954) & Gerald Ford (1975).
As World War I and II came and went, Sugaw Presbyterian built a Sunday School building, endured another fire, supported their young men in war while mourning their gold star heroes. Now Sugaw is into their fourth century of their mission to reach all people by “loving one person at a time into the kingdom of God.”
Sugaw Creek holds a strong history of living on the edge, pressing through fires and challenges to share the Good News to future generations.