Thanks to our North Carolina Community Contributors partners, we have added a new batch of materials to the First Presbyterian Church of Mount Holly digital exhibit. Founded in 1894, Mount Holly has a long, well-documented history that visitors to the site can research on DigitalNC. This newest addition includes session and Board of Deacons meeting minutes dating from 1948 to 2011. In Presbyterianism, a session is “composed of a pastor and a body of elders elected by the members of a particular church, and having the care of matters pertaining to the religious interests of the church, as the admission and dismission of members, discipline, etc” (“Church session“). As such, these records provide insight into the governance and administrative concerns of the church throughout the decades, with discussed topics including baptisms, membership, elections and committee appointments, repairs, finances, and more. A poignant note from a 1971 meeting memorializes Willis F. Holland, or “Mr. Willis,” a clerk of the session who took minutes for over 55 years. It’s thanks to dedicated recordkeepers like Mr. Willis that these documents exist and today survive as part of history.

View these minutes and many more materials from the First Presbyterian Church of Mount Holly at the exhibit page here. To explore more materials from North Carolina Community Contributors, visit their contributor page here.