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NC Barbecue in Harnett County: The Other Story

When most people think of North Carolina Barbecue they see images of pork smoked with either a tomato or vinegar based sauce. North Carolinians have long argued which style is better. Those from the Eastern part of the state usually prefer the vinegar based and those in the Western mountains are known for the tomato based pork barbecue. For many, Barbecue is a lifestyle, but looking at the church you may wonder what religion has to do with Barbecue.

Harnett County is in the heart of North Carolina and has a Barbecue Creek, a Barbecue township and a Barbecue church. This church is older than our great country and was founded in 1757. This part of North Carolina was settled by Scots from Jura and Skye in Scotland. These Scots were Presbyterians and founded a church. The first language of the church was Gaelic.

The current sanctuary is the third building and was built in 1896. It has been remodeled and added on to countless times since then. The church has almost dissolved several times but is going strong today. The sign in front of the church has a saying on it - “Ceud mille failte”, which is Gaelic for “A Hundred Thousand Welcomes”. It seems appropriate that this church originally founded by Scots still uses this Gaelic saying to welcome the community today.

The cemetary behind the church bears many names of many local families such as Buie, McLean, Brafford, Cameron, Holder, and Rosser. The history of this church is intertwined with the history of the local community. The next time you hear Barbecue just think of all the history Barbecue has in this part of North Carolina.

Barbecue Church Harnett County Historical sign

To find out more about homes in Harnett County, visit the Harnett County Real Estate page on my website. Contact me today to help you find the right home for you.

You can also visit my Sanford NC Homes website for more information about homes in Sanford, Lee County, or Harnett County in North Carolina.

Rita Taylor

Sanford NC Real Estate

“Taylored” For You!

Posted by Rita Taylor | Sanford NC Real Estate & Homes for Sale in Sanford North Carolina on 10/14/2007 12:10 PM

Comments (21)

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This post has been included in North Carolina Information Harnett County, NC Information

21 Comments on NC Barbecue in Harnett County: The Other Story

OCT

2007

We argue over bar-b-que in my home town of Ky too. My experience is people are partial to the way they grew up. Of course this post wasn't really about bar-b-que but I wanted to throw my comment in.

Missy,

I don't like Barbecue. My husband and son love it though. Barbecue is a big deal in this part of the country. I love all the fixin's that go with it like hush puppies, cole slaw, potato salad, and sweet tea.

Rita, What a great history. I had no idea many Scots settled in North Carolina.

Mana,

We have a lot of old Presbyterian churches in the area that were founded by Scottish settlers. One of the local colleges, Campbell University, has a Scottish theme at its homecoming every year. Last year they had caper tossing and some cool Scottish traditions.

Rita, we were amazed at how different barbecue was in the east than in the west.

I love the steeple. As I was helping our daughter move from TX to NY we couldn't believe how many steeples we saw crossing the country. We don't have a lot of steeples here in TX. We also don't have many churches that are as old as that church.

Marchel,

We have several old historical churches in the area. This may sound unusual but I like to look at the old gravestones. You can learn a lot just by reading the epitaphs on old tombstones. I need to blog about more of these.

Rita, I don't find that unusual at all. We must be kindred spirits; I love to read the old gravestones. We are originally from Kansas and there are a lot of old graveyards there. You are right you can learn so much.

Rita- I love this story. What a rich history. I love Scottish highlander history too. Reading this made me think of Braveheart. My fathers side of the family is Irish and Scottish. What a wonderful monument for the Scottish people. I had no idea that they settled in North Carolina. Katerina

Ok OK ok, I grew up in NE and I am use to tomoto base bar-a-que sause not vinegar. My taste buds are looking for the taste that I was brought up with.

Katerina,

I love the history of our area - I have always loved Scottish history.

Susan,

I don't like BBQ myself. My son and my husband like both kinds. I like the church and the history a lot more myself.

I love the name = but in all seriousness - I love how the churches of the east have these signs giving a little history of who and when they were formed... you do not see that here

OCT

2007

You are crackin' me up! How about BBQ? It reduces the writing time too! LOL

This is a GREAT PIECE!! It's always really interesting to see what families have beein a town with so much history. We were in Cades Cove in TN this summer and my sons were both intrigued by the history these churches offered.

Rita - you had me going with the Barbeque - guilty - I was thinking smoky ribs :-) Love it!

OCT

2007

Rita, I LOVE this, and I love that Gaelic welcome on the church. What a neat snapshot of history.

I do like Barbecue, but Barbecue Church? LOL!! That has some implications I'd rather not explore! hee hee

OCT

2007

Thesa,

We have a lot of historical marker signs in the area. I need to write about more of them.

Susie,

Cades Cove is a neat place. Ever notice that those old churches have two entry doors? The men and women had separate entrances and the strict churches made them sit on different sides.

Cyndee,

We have lots of barbecue here if you are looking for it.

Karen,

I hadn't thought of some of the double meanings of Barbecue church.

OCT

2007

Fascinating and beautiful story of Barbecue Church, Rita.
Perhaps you would consider joining the Heritage Properties, Historic Sites and Antiques group and reposting this article including it in the group. I'd love to feature it there....

Beautiful pictures too....I enjoy reading historical renditions like this so much...

((-:

OCT

2007

Jo,

I am thinking about turning this into kind of a series of posts about the historical markers in our area. I love old historical buildings like this church.

FEB

2008

Rita, I enjoyed reading the comments in your site. I was born in North Carolina (1931) and lived in Sanford NC for many years. I was christened in Barbecue Church. My grandparents and several other relatives are buried in Barbecue Cemetary.