{"nrhp_refnum":"82003487","name":"Providence Presbyterian Church and Cemetery","other_names":["See Also:Providence Presbyterian Church and Cemetery (Bounda"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"10140 Providence Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Matthews","county":"Mecklenburg County","state":"NC","lat":35.07107567450004,"lon":-80.77101136477299,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-06-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Religion","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A rural Presbyterian church complex on Providence Road near Matthews in southeastern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, with an 1858 frame church, a cemetery across the road, and a manse on a tract of about 23.5 acres.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the oldest intact and only antebellum frame church in Mecklenburg County, a vernacular Greek Revival meeting house. It is tied to the Scotch-Irish Presbyterian settlement of the Piedmont, to Revolutionary patriots buried in its cemetery, and to ministers such as James Wallis and Jethro Rumple. Two of its pastors became the first presidents of Davidson College.","narrative":"Providence Presbyterian Church is a weatherboarded frame meeting house built in 1858 on a slight rise beside Providence Road, near Matthews in southeastern Mecklenburg County. Its most striking features are extremely tall windows with sixteen-pane sash and original louvered blinds, and a sanctuary with a second-story gallery. Mid-twentieth-century wings, a manse and a large cemetery across the road complete the property. The congregation was organized in 1767, and a grave marker dated 1764 suggests earlier worship on the site. Scotch-Irish Presbyterian settlers founded it, and it became one of the area's mother churches. Pastor James Wallis served from 1792 to 1819 and ran a classical school. Two later pastors became presidents of Davidson College, and Jethro Rumple led the congregation when the present building went up. Revolutionary patriots lie in the cemetery. The church is described as the oldest intact and only antebellum frame church in the county.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Vernacular Greek Revival meeting house","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Occupied and in active use as a church, with good condition noted and altered by mid-twentieth century wings; the congregation has maintained it carefully.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:57.48775-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/32/7213/47721332/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/82003487.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003487/393a378976-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003487/393a378976-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"AlexiusHoratius","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Providence_Presbyterian_Church.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">AlexiusHoratius</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:Providence_Presbyterian_Church.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47721332","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Providence_Presbyterian_Church_and_Cemetery","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7252462"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/mecklenburg-county/providence-presbyterian-church-and-cemetery-82003487/"}