Cherokee Methodist Church

1958 to Present

Location

 1904 Jamestown Rd., (at the intersection of Triangle and Jamestown Rds, off Cherokee Rd), Johnson City, TN 37604

History

Cherokee Methodist Church grew out of the consolidation of Speedwell, College Heights and Miller’s Chapel Churches. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held on 17 Aug 1958. A parsonage was purchased in 1967 with Taylor’s Memorial Methodist Church. In 1969 the mortgage on the church was paid. The church was remodeled and dedicated on May 17, 1970. On Nov. 1, 1981 a groundbreaking ceremony took place for the multi-purpose Family Christian Center which was added to the rear of the sanctuary.

Activities

In October 1960, members of the Church worked hard to pay off the mortgage. They raised an acre of sugar cane on the land near the church. E.S. Taylor plowed the ground and 12 women planted the seed. In the Fall and after regular working hours, the men stripped leaves and tops from the cane and cut it. An old-time molasses evaporator and a large galvanized pan were borrowed from Spencer Barnett, a Baptist friend. They also borrowed a two-roller cane grinder from Joe Huffine. Work lasted about a week. No recipe for making the molasses was necessary, because most of the people were born and raised knowing the process. L.D. Dishner furnished the tractor to grind the cane. As the cane stalks were fed into the grinder, the juice was squeezed into a tub covered with a coarse cloth for straining. The juice was strained again before being poured into the pan for boiling. During the boiling process, men and women skimmed the molasses with long-handled ladles with seive-like paddles. About three hours were needed for one boiling. The pan neld nearly 50 gallons of juice which boiled down to approximately 7 gallons of sorghum. Women worked in the church kitchen pouring sorghum into jars and making it ready for sale. The women also prepared meals for all the workers. The cane patch yielded 75 gallons of delicious molasses. Members made molasses for the next four years.

 Charter Members

Pastors