Brevard’s Chapel
Photo courtesy of Lake Norman Publications
WSOC’s Dave Faherty’s 3-14-25 coverage on Brevard’s Chapel.
This beloved historic chapel is a wonderfully intricate example of Carpenter Gothic architecture. Located in Lincoln County near the historic Rock Springs Campground, the church was built in the 1870s by the skilled hands of formerly enslaved Christians.
The chapel is an irreplaceable artifact of African American heritage and the community to which it belongs. The hands that labored in faith and love to build this chapel need the community to help honor their legacy - because once it’s gone, there’s no bringing it back.
The United Methodist Church (UMC) released a public announcement in February 2025 (see below) sharing plans for this site. Unfortunately, this plan included the demolition of the chapel. However, these plans were put on pause by the UMC on March 10, 2025. With the assistance of a collaboration of multiple preservation groups, the UMC agreed to allow for a reassessment of the chapel’s condition by preservation specialists and to create a restoration and sustainability plan.
With a multitude of experts offering assistance, the preservation of Brevard’s Chapel can become a reality. HEARTS is grateful to the UMC for their wish to be part of the preservation solution. Through joining together, the United Methodist Church Catawba Valley District, HEARTS Collaborative, Lincoln Landmarks, Lincoln County Historical Association, Preservation North Carolina, Preserve Mecklenburg, and many others, are coming together to save this important piece of history.
HEARTS will continue to update this page with new information as it becomes available and greatly appreciates the outpour of support from the community.
Historic photos courtesy of Lincoln County Historical Association.
“What better memorial to the emancipated people who built this beautiful church than to save it?”
- Abigail Jennings, HEARTS Co-Founder
Beth Yarbrough, author of Southern Voices wrote about the potential demolition of Brevard’s Chapel in a recent post, “A Place in Peril.”
HEARTS and other preservation collaborators are grateful that UMC’s plans of demolition have been paused and that a reassessment of preservation is being considered.
Above: Press release from the United Methodist Church on the plans to demolish the church for the new memorial. This plan is now on pause for preservation re-assessment.
Photo courtesy of the Catawba Valley District of the United Methodist Church.
A four page feature on Brevard Chapel in the book Legacy of Faith - Rural Methodist Churches in North Carolina authored by Laura A.W. Phillips with photography by Tim Buchman and published by the Duke Endowment.