here is a settlement of scattered
homes, on Hunters' Fork of Sugar Creek, which eventually flows into the Tygart's
Valley River, on which Elkins, Junior and Belington are located. There had
been a log church there in years past, but it had fallen into disrepair.
Three of the more educated and concerned men of the community paid a visit
to Troy and asked him if he would come and preach a series of revival sermons,
in the school house. They explained that the community really needed the
message of Christ and if a good revival could be held perhaps something could
be done to repair the old building and regular services could again be held.
Troy's preaching resulted in a real awakening in the community. The old log
church was torn down and the logs sawed into lumber for the little chapel
which was built. Hunters' Fork was around eighteen miles from Elkins. Troy
continued to go there one or two nights a month to preach. The county assessor
told him that was the best piece of work he had ever done, because so many
of those lives and homes had been so changed, that it was hard for him to
believe that they were the same people.
The people of Hunters Fork were simple mountain people, very childlike in
their faith and in their prayers. Troy could not keep from being amused one
night during the prayer period when one of the new converts prayed, "Oh,
Lord please take that old Devil out of Hunters Fork! Take him clear up on
the side of Cheat Mountain!" There was a man in the congregation who was
slightly retarded. When he heard the prayer he immediately prayed, "Oh, God
don't do dat. Dat's where me and Dodie live!" In 1950 the little church became
a part of the Junior Circuit.
When I was writing on the decade of the sixties, I gave the background of
the building of an entirely new church in a community about two miles from
Elkins. This church was named The Wayside Church and the community soon became
known as Wayside. Troy organized the church and the building was taking place
at the same time as the one in Elkins. It later became the strongest church
on a country circuit. We still have many staunch friends in that community.
The church building has had three additions in later years.
