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Faulkner, Grant, Sherman Walked The Isles of Oxford, Mississippi’s College Hill Church

Historic College Hill Church in Oxford, Mississippi / Photo By HottyToddy.com

William Faulkner recited martial vows in the shadow of where both General Grant and General Sherman once stood.

And the local chapter of Campus Crusades For Christ, a world-wide ministry with 25,000 fulltime ministers and 225,000 volunteers, has its roots here.

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College Hill Presbyterian Church is recognized as the oldest church in Lafayette County and for its rich history of serving the Oxford and Ole Miss family.

“We had just 15 members when Jack Oakes became our pastor in 1967. He made a special effort to involve students from Ole Miss, and soon, we had to put chairs in the isles to accommodate the large numbers,” said Sydney Johnson, long-time elder of the historic church founded in 1835.

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“We had so many students that Jack’s wife, Kelly, suggested we do something for the students, so we began holding an annual Sunday dinner on the grounds to honor our students,” Mr. Johnson said.

Century old cedar trees line the south side of the iconic Greek Revival building, and frame the small cemetery behind the church. Both Confederate and un-named Union troops lay buried there along with church members who have died.

College Hill Church still holds an annual dinner to honor Ole Miss students / Photo By HottyToddy.com

“We still have the fall dinner on the grounds to honor our students. Several years ago, we added a spring event that is held each year on the last Sunday before exams,” Johnson said.

“On the 175th Anniversary of the church (held in 2010), we had in attendance that Sunday 15 of the first student members of Campus Crusades,” he said.

Mr. Johnson said that Ric Cannada, retired Chancellor of the Reform Theology Seminary, who now resides in Jackson, was a student at Vanderbilt in the mid 1960s.

“He frequently visited College Hill Church to date Rachel, who he later married,” Mr. Johnson said.

While at Vanderbilt, Dr. Cannada founded Campus Crusade For Christ, which today is perhaps the largest Christian college ministry in the world. Dr. Cannada’s frequent visits to the College Hill Church encouraged Ms. Kelly Oakes to organize 15 students to form the Ole Miss chapter of Campus Crusade.

One of those students was Mrs. Rachel Cannada.

“She was among the 15 original Crusade organizers who attended the 175th Anniversary service and dinner on the grounds,” Mr. Johnson said.

Dr. Cannada’s father founded the Reform Theological Seminary. and a brother, Barry, a prominent Jackson attorney, serves on the Board of Crusade. Barry was president of the Associated Student Body at Ole Miss, graduated top in his law class and was active in Campus Crusade as a student at Ole Miss. He maintains his relationship with College Hill Church as an associate member.

The church is located four miles northwest of Oxford on County Road 102 (College Hill Road). Across the road is College Hill Store, another historic structure now serving as a meeting place for various events. The church continues to serve a diverse group of local members and Ole Miss students.

The church building was constructed in 1846 during the period when laborers were constructing the Lyceum Building which would establish The University of Mississippi. Ole Miss welcomed its first freshman class in 1848. Both the Lyceum and College Hill Presbyterian Church are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

According to the website, Wikipedia, Union troops of General Grant and General Sherman camped on the grounds of College Hill Church, and it was in this church that William Faulkner was married.

The structure is the oldest Presbyterian facility in North Mississippi and the oldest church building of any denomination in the area. Constructed of bricks fired on site, the building was completed in 1846 at a total cost of $2,809.

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The church’s pulpit, pews and pew gates are the original furnishings.

Minutes of the first organizational meeting held in 1835 are secured in the vault of First National Bank on the Square in Oxford. Just west of the bank is the historic office of the late Phil Stone, now the office of attorney Tommy Freeland. It was attorney Stone who encouraged Faulkner to write.

Across the Square from the bank was located Gathright-Reed Drugstore, when Faulkner’s early manuscripts were packaged in brown wrapping paper by the late Mr. Mac Reed and sent to Mr. Faulkner’s publisher. Gathright-Reed Drugstore is now Old Venice Restaurant, and east of the building is what locals call “Faulkner’s Ally”, a back-way path to the Square that allowed Mr.Faulkner to reach Gathright-Reed descretely.

When Mr. Faulkner died in 1962, the Square closed for the funeral and a black hearse carrying his body slowly circled the Square made famous as the capital of his mythical Yoknapatawpha County.

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College Hill Presbyterian Church is thought to be a setting used by Mr. Faulkner in novels. Union Gen. Sherman burned much of Oxford. Untouched was College Hill Church and the courthouse where Union troops camped. –– Jim Roberts, HottyToddy.com staff writer

Email Jim Roberts at hottytoddynews@gmail.com

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