Providence Presbyterian Church and Cemetery, Presbyterian church with cemetery in Matthews, North Carolina
Providence Presbyterian Church is a rectangular structure built in Greek Revival style, standing on a stone foundation with tall windows punctuating each side of its three-bay design. The wooden building sits on spacious grounds that include a large cemetery with over a thousand burials.
Built in 1858, this structure is the oldest surviving wooden church constructed before the Civil War in the county. The site served as a gathering place for worship even before the building itself was erected.
The cemetery reflects the community's past through its distinct burial sections that reveal the social structures of different eras. Visitors can observe how different groups chose to mark and remember their dead across the generations.
The church and cemetery are easily explored on foot, with pathways connecting the different sections of the grounds. Visitors should expect uneven terrain and natural surfaces typical of historic sites that have been preserved in their original state.
A preaching rock at the cemetery entrance once served as a pulpit for outdoor sermons before the church building was constructed. This stone marks where worship gatherings took place in the open air before a permanent structure was needed.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
