In the News
1886 Sevier Church on Endangered List
Staff Report. A church building in Sevier County is on the East Tennessee Preservation Alliance's list of endangered historic building and places in the 16-county region.
Volunteers Restore Church
by Greg Wilkerson
October 20, 2002. SEVIERVILLE - An old church started to get a new look this weekend.
A group of restorationists began work on New Salem Baptist Church at 601 Eastgate Road Saturday. The 116 year old church has recently been nominated for the National Register of Historic Places and will be up for review in January 2003.
Renovations to Historic Baptist Church Approved
by Jeff Farrell
August 9, 2011.
SEVIERVILLE - The county's oldest church is past the latest hurdle in ongoing plans to restore the structure.
New Salem Baptist Church was constructed i 1886 by noted builder Isaac Dockery. The church is believed to be in the county's oldest surviving building and is the county's only historically black church.
Supporters of Historic Church Hope to Raise $500,000 for Repairs, Restoration
by Derek Hodges
August 12, 2012. Community News - When she looks at the New Salem Baptist Church, a building constructed in 1886 where the windows are not shuttered by wooden planks and the interior is filled with toxic black mold, Alverrene Bridgforth sees hope and a beautiful monument for the future.
History on Critical List
by John Shearer
Among the properties on the endangered list again this year are the former Tennessee Military Institute campus in Sweetwater, the 200-year-old Stonecipher-Kelly-McCartt home in Morgan County,....the 1886 New Salem Baptist Church in Serierville, and Oak Grove School in Union County.
New Salem Church is a Treasure Worth Saving
by Carroll McMahan
The Mountain Press - December 27, 2015. For African-Americans, few places associated with community history and identity are more important than churches. These structures, particularly those in small towns and rural areas, are valuable places to study and document culture and heritage. Over 20 rural African-American churches in Tennessee have achieved the distinction of being listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the nation's honor roll of buildings worthy of preservation. One of those landmarks is located in Sevierville.
Sevierville's New Salem Church is a Treasure Worth Saving
by Carroll McMahan
January 2016. Located in a Bend of Middle Creek along East Gate Road, the humble, picturesque New Salem Church is Sevierville's oldest surving public building and the only historic African-American church in the county. Like the congregations who worshiped there, the Old building has weathered many storms. For generations, sounds of haunting spirituals flowed from the open windows as “Amen” echoed in unison from the pews.
Church, Downtown Dandridge on Endangered List
The Mountain Press. April 16, 2016. Sevierville's New Salem Baptist Church has again made the East Tennessee Preservation Alliance list of endangered heritage sites in the region.
Dinner Fundraiser to Preserve Sevier Building
Daybreak. June 10, 2016. A Thanksgiving dinner in June will be held Sunday to raise money to preserve Isaac Dockery's masterpiece - the oldest standing building in Sevierville.
Annual Isaac Dockery Day Dinner, Silent Auction
June 12, 2016. The fifth Annual Isaac Dockery Day Dinner and Silent Auction will be held at the Sevierville Civic Center, 200 Gary Wade Boulevard in Sevierville on Sunday, June 12, at 3 p.m.
Family and friends will be celebrating the legacy of Isaac Dockery.
Dockery Day Event Seeks To Preserve History
The Mountain Press. June 12, 2016. Sevierville - The 5th Annual Isaac Dockery Day Dinner and Silent Auction is coming to the Sevierville Civic Center, 200 Gary Wade Blvd., Sevierville today at 3 p.m. Family and friends will celebrate the legacy of Isaac Dockery.
In the mid and late 1800's Isaac was instrumental in establishing the brick masonry tradition throughout Sevier, Cocke, Jefferson, and Hamblen counties of East Tennessee.
A Forgotten Gem of Sevier
"Church Builder's Descendants Behind Restoration Effort"
by John Shearer
Sevierville - Located on Eastgate Road near downtown Sevierville, is the historic, red brick New Salem Baptist Church.
With its postcard location on a low grassy lot by a bend on Middle Creek, the structure appears frozen in time and contrast sharply to the constantly changing Highway 411 a short distance away.
The 1886 building - which is the oldest surviving structure in Sevierville - may soon change as well, but only cosmetically. After years of slow deterioration after being closed and boarded up, the building could soon be renovated.