Documenting the American South

Monument Name

Calvary Episcopal Church Memorial, Fletcher

Type

Marker

Subjects

Local History

Civil War, 1861-1865

Religious Institutions

City

Fletcher

County

Henderson

Description

The Calvary Episcopal Church memorial consists of two simple plaques attached to an irregular shaped granite shaft. The upper plaque gives the history of the church to include its use as a Confederate barracks in the Civil War and the lower plaque is to a long time member of the church whose family sponsored the memorial.

Images: Upper plaque | Lower plaque | Calvary Episcopal Church Memorial | View of the memorials at "Westminster Abbey of the South" before they were removed in October 2020 | View of the lawn where granite boulders stood

Inscription

Church Plaque, top: CALVARY EPISCOPAL CHURCH / FLETCHER N.C.

ONE OF THE OLDEST CHURCHES IN / WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA / ORGANIZED 1857 – BUILT 1859 / CONSECRATED BY THE RT. REV. THOS. ATKINSON / BISHOP OF NORTH CAROLINA / AUGUST 21, 1859

DURING THE CIVIL WAR THIS CHURCH WAS USED AS / BARRACKS BY CONFEDERATE TROOPS

ERECTED AUGUST 21, 1927. THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE / CONSECRATION OF THIS CHURCH

Lower Plaque: THE BOYHOOD CHURCH AND HOME OF / PHILIP LAFAYETTE LANCE / BORN OCTOBER 25, 1852 / DIED NOVEMBER 26, 1926 / “HE LOVED THY ROCKS AND HILLS / THY WOODS AND TEMPLED HILLS. “ / ERECTED IN LOVING MEMORY / AUGUST 21, 1927 / BY HIS DAUGHTER / MARY LANCE VAN EVERY

Custodian

Calvary Episcopal Church

Dedication Date

August 21, 1927

Decade

1920s

Geographic Coordinates

35.443180 , -82.504200 View in Geobrowse

Supporting Sources

"Westminster Abbey of South," Spartanburg Herald Journal (Spartanburg, SC) September 24, 1939, Link

Calvary Episcopal Church. "Reconsidering 'The Outdoor Abbey of the South'," in Monuments at Clavary, www.calvaryfletcher.org, (accessed February 24, 2023) Link

Ellisont, Jon. "Confederates at Calvary," Mountain Express (Asheville, NC), September 16, 2019, mountainx.com, (accessed February 24, 2023) Link

Hicklin, J.B. “Elaborate Abbey to Immortalize South’s Leaders,” Forest City Courier (Forest City, NC), September 24, 1931, (accessed May 27, 2016) Link

Jenkins, Mark. “Historical Sketch of Calvary Episcopal Church,” (Calvary Parish, Fletcher, 1959) Link

“Calvary Church, Fletcher, N.C. Between Asheville and Hendersonville,” in Durwood Barbour Collection of North Carolina Postcards (PO77), North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Link

“Fletcher Markers,” The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org, (accessed May 25, 2016) Link

Public Site

Yes

Materials & Techniques

Bronze, stone

Sponsors

Mary Lance Van Every

Location

Calvary Episcopal Church is located at 2840 Hendersonville Road at its intersection with Old Airport Road in Fletcher. The marker is near the front entrance of the church.
One memorial to Bill Nye is in the church cemetery and the second memorial to Bill Nye is on the front lawn of the church.

Landscape

The marker stands right in front of the Calvary Episcopal Church.