STEELE CREEK NEWS
Airport Negotiating to Purchase Steele Creek Presbyterian Church Property
(February 10, 2019)
The Charlotte Douglas Airport is negotiating with the Steele Creek
Presbyterian Church to purchase the buildings and adjacent property at 7407 Steele Creek
Road just south of Byrum Drive. The church will retain ownership of
the historic cemetery. The church
has merged with Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church at 15000 York Road.
The merged church is named Steele Creek Presbyterian Church at Pleasant
Hill.
The congregations of both churches
are meeting at the original Steele Creek Presbyterian
Church building while the building at Pleasant Hill is
being renovated. Beginning April 21st, for Easter
Sunday, the new merged church will meet permanently at
Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church's campus at 15000 York
Road.
The Steele Creek
Presbyterian Church was organized in 1760 and celebrated
its 250th anniversary in 2010. The first Sanctuary was a
small log cabin located in what is the present-day
cemetery. It is the second oldest church in Mecklenburg
County and was the largest rural Presbyterian Church in
the country during the mid-twentieth century.
Five houses of worship have served the congregation. The
present Sanctuary was dedicated on April 17, 1889. Both
the Sanctuary and Cemetery are recognized on the
National Register of Historic Places.
During the
1970's the church had over 1,000 members, but most of
the nearby residential area has been purchased by the
airport or for associated purposes. Membership recently
had been reduced to under 300 people. The church has
also been significantly affected by airport noise. The
planned fourth runway will end only a short distance
from the church.
The airport
will preserve the church sanctuary and adjacent office
building for meetings and other community purposes. They
plan to renovate the newer buildings for occupation as
offices by airport staff. They also will renovate the
softball field.
Pleasant
Hill Presbyterian Church was organized in 1836 and thus
has had over 180 years of history serving the Steele
Creek community.
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