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April 18, 1998
Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church
to celebrate 100th anniversary
by PEGGY MAY, Senior Staff Writer,
The Northwest Florida Daily News, April 18, 1998

On April 26, 1998 the Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church, the oldest Presbyterian church in continuous ministry in Okaloosa County, will observe its 100th anniversary. 

The centennial celebration will commemorate the April 25, 1898 organization of the church with 11 charter members. 

Morning worship at 11 will be led by the pastor, the Rev. Robert Inman, with the Rev. Harvey Jenkins of Panama City bringing greetings from the Presbytery. 

Guest soloist will be Cathy Powell, daughter-in-law of former member Catherine C. Powell. 

A catered "dinner on the grounds" will be served at 12:30 p.m. 

During an afternoon session, from 2-3 p.m., a time of remembrance will be held with descendants of charter members recognized. 

Margaret Neal, the Rev. Donnie Cadenhead, and W.C. Hurston will express what the church has meant to them. 

Special music will be provided by a men's quartet. 

One room has been set aside to display memorabilia, including photos of former ministers, of Sunday school classes and other people and events. 

"This room also is a must-see for its antique refinished furnishings," says McDonald Campbell, publicity chairman for the centennial and clerk of church Session, its governing body. She also is moderator for the church's Presbyterian Women organization and was church pianist for many years. 

Campbell has belonged to the church all her life. 

"I was baptized there as a very young infant," she says. 

"Since that time, my spiritual life has been nurtured by Christian teachers and my parents. 

"Through their teachings, I have come to love the Lord and my fellow man. In the church, I have made life-long friends who are with me in joy and sorrow. 

"The church has given me the opportunity of teaching youth about Jesus and his love," Campbell says. 

Longtime Okaloosa County educator Mabel Jean Morrison is another prominent member of Laurel Hill Presbyterian. 

'My childhood memories of the church are very positive. I was fortunate to have been reared in a Christian home with parents who were role models for my brother and me. 

"Our parents went with us to Sunday school and church. The teachings and teachers have been a great influence on my life. We memorized the Catechisms, the books of the Bible and a great deal of scripture that remains with a person for life," Morrison recalls. 

All who worship at Laurel Hill Presbyterian aren't lifetime members. 

Newcomers, too, feel a sense of devotion to the church as it approaches its 100th year. 

George and Hope Wittmer have attended for less than a year and have been members for only a few weeks. 

They and their daughters, Erin and Jordan, came to north Okaloosa County early last summer from Boca Raton. 

"Life in the rural setting of our present home is refreshing. Our daughters enjoy quality education within the Laurel Hill school system, and the entire family enjoys the small population of direct and unpretentious citizens. 

"But, more important in both the short and the long run, is our relationship with Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church," Wittmer says. 

He explains that he went on a "church scouting mission" in June of 1997, liked what he saw, and the family has been attending ever since. 

"What best reveals the character of the church, we believe, is the simple elegance and quiet dignity of the church's combination of place, people, and ministry. 

"Of course, few people would be insensate enough to overlook the church building itself -- steeped in history, designed with the last century's appreciation of Protestant worship, and maintained with pride," Wittmer wrote in a letter to Campbell. 

He went on to praise the 19-pipe organ, the "dedicated, scholastic, and articulate" minister, and the appreciation and welcome shown to newcomers. 

"The congregation has preserved a place and assembled themselves in such a manner as to quite literally embody what most churches only strive toward -- a unity of fellowship and equality which comes through respect and relationships of the highest calibre," he wrote. 

"We look forward to spending a portion of the second century of Laurel Hill Presbyterian as active members engaged in the preservation and vitality of our new church home." 

Each person leaving the centennial celebration will be presented with an extensive history of the church written by Mark C. Curenton. 

Curenton is the son, grandson, and great-grandson of members of the church. He was born in Crestview on April 2, 1963, and his family moved to Laurel Hill in October 1973. He joined the Presbyterian church in 1977. A graduate of Crestview High School and the University of Florida, he currently lives in Apalachicola where he works as the assistant county planner. 

The information which follows is excerpted from Curenton's history of the church. 

Several of the charter members were affiliated with the Yellow River Railroad. Another was a merchant who had come from Pensacola to manage a new business. Another was an immigrant from Scotland who owned a store in the new town. The merchant, Murdoch Morrison, and the immigrant, Duncan Finlayson, were elected as the first elders, but tragedy struck in 1900, when Morrison died suddenly while traveling by train to Pensacola. 

The church first met in a Masonic Hall, but a building was soon in the planning stages. 

By 1901, it was ready for use. It cost a total of $730, and was debt-free. 

As the area's fortunes changed, so did the church, with membership reaching 60 in the early 1930s, necessitating enlarging the building. Today, membership stands at 18. 

The 50th anniversary was celebrated on April 25, 1948. In the 1950s, renovations began. 

The 75th anniversary was not as elaborate as the 50th, but on that occasion, two memorials were dedicated -- amber glass windows and outside lights beside the front door. 

The new pipe organ was first played in 1995. 

A church restoration took place in 1991, and in 1995, Inman became temporary supply pastor, replacing the retiring pastor, Charles Glaize, a former Air Force chaplain who had served the church for almost 20 years. 

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