Honoring Dr. King’s legacy of community service Boy Scout Troop 771 contributes new tables to Long Street Presbyterian Church

By CourtesyJanuary 25, 2023

Honoring Dr. King’s legacy of community service Boy Scout Troop 771 contributes new tables to Long Street Presbyterian Church
1 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – On Jan. 16, 2023, nationally recognized as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, members of Boy Scout Troop 771 installed new wooden picnic tables at Long Street Presbyterian Church, Fort Bragg’s oldest standing structure (built 1847), located on Long Street. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and represents two hundred years of history. (U.S. Army photo courtesy Fort Bragg Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division) (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL
Honoring Dr. King’s legacy of community service Boy Scout Troop 771 contributes new tables to Long Street Presbyterian Church
2 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – On Jan. 16, 2023, nationally recognized as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, members of Boy Scout Troop 771 installed new wooden picnic tables at Long Street Presbyterian Church, Fort Bragg’s oldest standing structure (built 1847), located on Long Street. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and represents two hundred years of history. (U.S. Army photo courtesy Fort Bragg Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division) (Photo Credit: Jacqueline Hill) VIEW ORIGINAL
Honoring Dr. King’s legacy of community service Boy Scout Troop 771 contributes new tables to Long Street Presbyterian Church
3 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – On Jan. 16, 2023, nationally recognized as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, members of Boy Scout Troop 771 installed new wooden picnic tables at Long Street Presbyterian Church, Fort Bragg’s oldest standing structure (built 1847), located on Long Street. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and represents two hundred years of history. (U.S. Army photo courtesy Fort Bragg Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division) (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL
Honoring Dr. King’s legacy of community service Boy Scout Troop 771 contributes new tables to Long Street Presbyterian Church
4 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – On Jan. 16, 2023, nationally recognized as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, members of Boy Scout Troop 771 installed new wooden picnic tables at Long Street Presbyterian Church, Fort Bragg’s oldest standing structure (built 1847), located on Long Street. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and represents two hundred years of history. (U.S. Army photo courtesy Fort Bragg Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division) (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL
Honoring Dr. King’s legacy of community service Boy Scout Troop 771 contributes new tables to Long Street Presbyterian Church
5 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – On Jan. 16, 2023, nationally recognized as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, members of Boy Scout Troop 771 installed new wooden picnic tables at Long Street Presbyterian Church, Fort Bragg’s oldest standing structure (built 1847), located on Long Street. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and represents two hundred years of history. (U.S. Army photo courtesy Fort Bragg Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division) (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL
Honoring Dr. King’s legacy of community service Boy Scout Troop 771 contributes new tables to Long Street Presbyterian Church
6 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – On Jan. 16, 2023, nationally recognized as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, members of Boy Scout Troop 771 installed new wooden picnic tables at Long Street Presbyterian Church, Fort Bragg’s oldest standing structure (built 1847), located on Long Street. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and represents two hundred years of history. (U.S. Army photo courtesy Fort Bragg Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division) (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - On Jan. 16, 2023, nationally recognized as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, members of Boy Scout Troop 771 installed new wooden picnic tables at Long Street Presbyterian Church, Fort Bragg’s oldest standing structure (built 1847), located on Long Street.

The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and represents two hundred years of history.

The church and surrounding community, alternately known as Munroe, Long Street and Argyle, began in the mid-1700s. The community was composed of settlers from the highlands and western islands of Scotland and later African-Americans.

They lived here until the War Department began the establishment of Camp Bragg in 1918, with the purchase of the church, graveyard and six acres occurring soon afterwards in 1923.

Members of the Long Street Church descendant congregation meet annually on the last Sunday in June for a special service, followed by a potluck picnic on the grounds. The event is supported by the Directorate of Public Works Cultural Resources Management Program team and the Religious Support Office.

Answering recent requests from descendants of the original congregation, new tables were needed to replace the older wooden tables, which had collapsed after many years of picnics.

Working as a liaison with the descendant group and local scout groups, a member of Fort Bragg’s CRMP reached out to Bill Kern, a retiree from the base, who is active with the scout group.

Kern then contacted the scoutmaster of Troop 771, Tony Garcia, and conveyed the request. Action was soon underway to design, build and install new tables as the troop’s community service project. And what better day to convene and perform the final part of this valuable contribution than MLK Day!

One descendant, William Chan Roberts, noted that “the old tables were so unstable because the wood was weak, and the wire top was starting to fall out.” He further stated, “we don’t want delicious food falling to the ground for the ants to eat—rather we would much prefer to enjoy the food ourselves.”

Another descendant of the McFayden family, one of the oldest families in the region, who was on-hand Monday to lend her support, was Liz Mollett. She stated, “we need to keep this community going for future generations to appreciate this local history and early settlement. My grandson there, should be able to tell his cousins what he did today and what it means for the future, and that he got to help.”

Scoutmaster Garcia said it was important for young adults “to have an opportunity to do community service which provides them a sense of giving-back to their families, veterans, and local areas, and a sense of belonging to a greater purpose.”

He thinks projects, such as this one, give the scouts a hands-on, up-front lesson in history by working on a site like this old church, and he said it takes them away from all the video games and electronics that occupy their normal day. In addition, it provides a chance for them to be “un-hooked” and outdoors.

The three wooden tables, each 10 feet long and 42 inches tall, were built off-site on successive weekends over the fall and winter. Once transported to the church, the installation required more physical labor, like digging post-holes, sawing off extra wood, and mixing and pouring secrete into the holes to backfill.

Scout Anthony Diaz worked with his co-scouts to perform the labor needed to complete the job. Diaz said what he liked best was “learning new skills like building and installing the tables, mixing the concrete, and leveling them.” He also stated, “the donuts were good too!”

Following the hard work, the scouts were invited into the church to learn more about the history of early settlers, the beginning of the church where the congregation came to worship in the Gaelic language and sat segregated by race and gender.

As was customary during pre-emancipation era, white members sat downstairs, and Black members sat upstairs in the galley area; women and girls on the left, and men and boys on the right.

Following the Civil War, Black congregants gained their freedom and eventually established their own churches in nearby communities.

The day concluded with a walking tour of the adjacent cemetery and learning more about these special places and how they reflect on the past.

Scout members on hand Monday were Anthony Diaz, Connor O’Herron, Tomas Lindon, and Alex Klassy. Parents and other supporters included Norman and Terry Lindon, Liz Mollett, Leo Klassy, Nicholas O’Herron, Dave Abbott, Dave Peterson, and Bill Kern.

Story by Linda Carnes-McNaughton, Fort Bragg Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division program archaeologist and curator