It began in the depth (and debts) of the Great Depression, or an autumn Sunday in 1930. The country church at the crossroads needed to raise funds to pay bills and keep the doors open.
The year before, or October of 1929, the Great Depression began and rural churches as Old Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church were highly dependent upon the farmer members. 1929 also saw the price per pound of cotton drop from 40 cents to 5 cents.
The Rev. G. F. Kirkpatrick of Old Laurel Hill learned of a plan used by Carolina Presbyterian Church which is located across the state line between Clio and Little Rock, South Carolina. They held a dinner on the grounds after a Sunday worship and fed everyone and invited guests. Additionally, an auction was held for items donated from “God’s Acre” on their farms.
The first “gathering in” or Ingathering at Old Laurel Hill was held in the autumn of 1930.
There arose some opposition from within the congregation to hosting auctions on church grounds, so the Rev. Kirkpatrick suggested that the church adopt a plan used by Antioch Presbyterian Church: sales of barbecue plates.
The idea stuck.
Many area rural churches and former churches followed the autumn “Harvest Days” or “Ingatherings,” holding most of their events on selected Thursday’s: Centre Church near Maxton began on the first Thursday in October and most recently they ended with Snead’s Grove Church on the second Thursday of November. In between were the old Smyrna Church, Caledonia Church, St. John’s Church, Antioch Church, and Midway Church which held their former barbecue plate sale the same day as Old Laurel Hill – one being at lunch and the other being at supper.
On Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Old Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church will hold its 91st annual Ingathering with another major change: barbecue plates and pounds of barbecue will be sold and delivered to vehicles at two takeout lines. Nineteen large hogs will be cooked on the church’s grounds in the two days beforehand,
We have discussed our plans for sanitation and safe practices, and even practiced it during a barbecue giveaway in June. All food handlers will wear masks, latex gloves, hair nets, or caps, and safe distancing will be practiced. Plates will be placed in vehicles as they present their tickets.
Barbecue plates, which include about a pound of pork barbecue, sweet potatoes, coleslaw, and a roll are $10 each, and pounds of the freshly prepared barbecue are $8.
If you’re planning on coming from Laurinburg or areas to the south of 15301 McFarland Road, please try to arrive by bearing left onto Plant Road (across the railroad on Aberdeen Road) and following it to its deadened onto Laurel Hill Church Road. Follow that to its intersection at McFarland Road. Scotland County Deputies will be there directing traffic onto and out of the church grounds.
Once you are on the large church grounds, simply follow the directional signs to the ticket tent and chose one of the two lines to get served.
A bridge over Juniper Creek to the north of the church is being replaced, and traffic from the nearby Old Wire Road is being diverted to McFarland Road.
We will miss the excitement of having lunch on the grounds or in the fellowship hall for the first time, but perhaps next year!
Beacham McDougald is a member of Old Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church, Scotland County historian and Laurinburg resident.
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