“Southern Comfort” fundraiser for New Salem Baptist Church

Posted on Monday, April 23, 2012 at 10:27 am

On Saturday, May 19, 2012, from 4 pm- 9 pm, the New Salem Renovation Task Force will host a “Southern Comfort Food Fest and Silent Auction” at the Sevierville Middle School at 520 High Street in Sevierville.

The fundraiser will support the renovation of New Salem Baptist Church, a site listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and the oldest existing brick structure in Sevier County. The building is also listed on the East TN Preservation Alliance’s list of Endangered Historic Sites after the flood of April 2011. The structure was built in 1886 by Isaac Dockery.

The dinner is $25 for adults and $10 for children. The silent auction will run from 4-7 pm.

The fundraiser will  coincide with a city and county wide proclamation declaring May 19, 2012 “Isaac Dockery Day.”

Dockery made the bricks for several notable Sevierville landmarks, including the Murphy College building (1891), the Sevierville Masonic Lodge (1893), and the Sevier County Courthouse (1896). He also built at least two commercial buildings on the original public square which were destroyed in a 1900 fire.

The New Salem Baptist Church, built in 1886 for the local black community, remains his most significant building. This handsome Gothic Revival-style church was originally constructed as a Union Church, which welcomed all religious denominations. The New Salem Baptist Church is the oldest remaining building in Sevierville and the second oldest church building in the county.  Isaac Dockery also owned the first African American business in Cocke County, Isaac Dockery and Sons.

For more information, call  Alverrene Bridgforth at 865-919-6557

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