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1930 Big Springs Baptist Church Reunion
Lone Mountain Road, Springdale, Tennessee

The Big Springs Baptist Church is located at Springdale, Claiborne County, Tennessee about four miles southeast of Tazewell and south of U.S. Highway 25E.    The church was finished building in 1796, the pine logs being hewn by Drew Harrell, a Deacon of the Church, with the help of The Reverend Tidence Lane.  The first pastor was the The Reverend Jessie Dodson in 1800.

Log structures as large and as finely made as the Big Spring Church were not built as temporary places of worship, or any other temporary use.  This type of architecture reflects a social distinction of pride which was in operation on the frontier.  There were many settlers who constructed rough log cabins in which to live or worship or hold court.  They were clearly makeshift buildings without apologies.   Upon first viewing the Big Spring Church, the first impression is of the considerable effort and skill brought to bear in logs so neatly hewn and worked.  The impression is one of permanence.  Building with logs is not a second best alternative.  The origin of the log structure is one lost in mysteries of prehistory.   Some archaeologists believe that it developed during the Bronze Age and had become a tradition, especially in Scandinavia by A.D. 800 to 1000.  In any case, we owe our heritage of building with logs to some unknown ancient genius who first had the idea of saddle-notching logs and criss-crossing their ends to form a house or a place of worship.

Untouched by the destruction of the Civil War, the church is kept in perfect condition by its members.  The Big Spring Baptist Church is one of the oldest churches actively in use in Tennessee.- Written by: William H.P. Nevils.