{"nrhp_refnum":"80002863","name":"Centre Presbyterian Church, Session House and Cemeteries","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"SR 1245","address_restricted":false,"city":"Mount Mourne","county":"Iredell County","state":"NC","lat":35.551946592000036,"lon":-80.85460110620377,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-11-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A rural Presbyterian church complex near Mount Mourne in southern Iredell County, North Carolina, with an 1854 brick Greek Revival church, a contemporary frame session house, and cemeteries including the relocated Baker Cemetery.","why_significant":"The congregation, established in 1765, is one of the oldest in the county, and the Synod of the Carolinas was formed here in 1788. The 1854 brick church and matching session house are well-preserved examples of Piedmont Greek Revival church architecture. The walled cemetery has carved tombstones and ironwork gates similar to those at two other nearby churches.","narrative":"Centre Presbyterian Church sits on both sides of a country road just outside Mount Mourne in southern Iredell County. The complex includes an 1854 brick church, a tiny frame session house of the same period, and an old cemetery enclosed by a dry-laid stone wall with wrought-iron gates. Baker Cemetery, moved in 1961 from a site now under Lake Norman, lies in the southeastern corner. The congregation was established in 1765 and served Scotch-Irish settlers; it became known as the \"Mother of Churches\" because several other congregations drew their original members from it. The Synod of the Carolinas was formed here in 1788, and Concord Presbytery held its first regular meeting here in 1798. The church is a temple-like Greek Revival building with a pedimented gable front, large triple-hung windows and a granite foundation. The cemetery holds several hundred stones, the oldest dated 1776, and graves of Revolutionary War patriots. The church remains active.","period_of_significance":"1854","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Excellent condition; the church has an active congregation of around 300 members and the complex is well preserved.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:57.251001-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/90/7180/47718090/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/80002863.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002863/e0ca33b661-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002863/e0ca33b661-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Cdtew at English Wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Centre_Presbyterian_Church_Mount_Mourne.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Cdtew at English Wikipedia</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Centre_Presbyterian_Church_Mount_Mourne.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47718090","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_Presbyterian_Church,_Session_House_and_Cemeteries","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5062303"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/iredell-county/centre-presbyterian-church-session-house-and-cemeteries-80002863/"}