By Colleen Nelson
I ran across this great old photo of Bristoria Presbyterian Church and I’m sure some are bound to remember when it looked like this. Like many buildings in Bristoria, the ridge above crowds the road, leaving little room for building above the flood plain of the Dunkard fork of Wheeling Creek. There’s little bottomland here but a village grew up anyway because this is where Whitethorn Run adds its waters to Wheeling Creek; this is where Kincaid built his mill.
Reverend Fred Cochran and other church historians tell us that the idea for a church in Bristoria began “about 1873” when the Presbyterians who worshiped in the Long Run Church of God along with Methodists, decided to build a church that they would call Wheeling Creek Valley Church. The congregation owned partial interest in the Long Run Church building, but when that interest was sold “the congregation held Sunday School in the building by the bridge across the road from the general store” in Bristoria.
There was agitation for a real church in town for the next thirty some years which peaked on September 6, 1911 when 25 people braved a downpour to get to Graysville’s sister church and organize the Wheeling Creek Presbyterian Church. They brought with them their petition that had been presented to the Washington Presbytery in West Alexander and been favorably received. After due consideration, Bristoria’s ruling elders were elected, ordained and installed and the congregation met at the public house in town until January 4, 1914 when the new church opened its doors.
The Presbyterians of Bristoria, Wind Ridge and Clay Lick churches split the cost of hiring a pastor and a new charge was born.
Another old record notes that on October 10, 1939 “the Bristoria Church joined with the Wind Ridge and Graysville Presbyterian churches to call the Reverend J. Nelson Jackaway as minister.” Which matches up with the almost two years that Clay Lick was closed due to “inactivity and bad weather.”
And there the story trail grows cold.
Sometime down the road, the Presbyterian Church in Bristoria took on a new mission. In time its new mission would take down the steeple and add an addition with a steeple of its own. The sign now says Bristoria Baptist Church but there is no number to call, so I’ll leave off here. Still, it’s heartening to know that this old church has found a new life and by the looks of the restorations and additions and the size of the parking lot, it’s a good one.