By Michael Laches
Editor’s note: In our August/September issue, we introduced you to the history of tobacco farming in Apex and its connection to the Olive Chapel community. We dug deeper to bring you a more comprehensive look at the families and traditions that shaped our town’s heritage.
For those who worship at Olive Chapel Baptist Church, there is an inexorable connection between the people, their church and the land, and as they celebrate 175 years, it’s easy to see why these roots of community, faith, and farming run deep.
To tell this story, Frances Goodwin Holt graciously offered her time and shared her deep and passionate knowledge of Apex’s local history. She also introduced me to a group of Apex residents with an amazing connection all their own to the history of this area. What follows is a tribute to the church, the community and — of all things — tobacco. And, while tobacco’s reputation and status have also evolved over time (it’s hardly the beloved crop that it once was), one can’t ignore its history as it was undeniably transformational for this community in the same way it was for our nation.
Holt invited me to visit her cousin, Steve Logan, at his Apex farm. Logan, like Goodwin Holt, is descended from William Goodwin who arrived in Wake County in the 1770s, fought in the Revolutionary War, and purchased his first farm on the Chatham County side of Apex in 1789. Logan and Goodwin Holt’s ancestors, including their parents, were tobacco farmers.
Also in attendance were Ronald and Jean Copeland. The Copeland family owns and operates Apex Nurseries and Jean’s Neighborhood Market, both along Highway 751 as you head north to Durham. Like Goodwin Holt and Logan, the Copelands’ ancestors settled here in Wake and Chatham Counties in the late 1700s and were also tobacco farmers
Last, but certainly not least, I also met Sandy Olive Williams at Logan’s farm. Williams is a descendant of James Olive, who arrived in Western Wake County in the 1740s. He was the first Olive to come to the area now known as Olive Chapel. Johnson Olive, the first minister of Olive Chapel Baptist Church (known then as Olive’s Chapel) descended from James Olive. Williams’ ancestors, including her parents, were, not surprisingly, tobacco farmers.
“All of us revere our farm heritage and we believe it was perfect preparation for our life journeys,” Williams said.
The details and connections just laid out are important because Goodwin Holt, (Ronald) Copeland, and Williams are members of Olive Chapel Baptist Church’s Committee for Planning the 175th Anniversary Celebration. Williams is the Chair of the Committee. Goodwin Holt, who is a Master Gardener, originated the idea of “Remembering our Agricultural Heritage” as one way to mark the 175th anniversary. Towards this end, Goodwin Holt (who lives part of the year in Williamsburg, Virginia) reached out to Colonial Williamsburg’s Master Farmer, Edward Shultz. Shultz generously donated the two species of tobacco plants that are being used to commemorate this agricultural heritage.
Church members of the past grew bright leaf, flue-cured tobacco, which was an improved variant of tobacco grown by earlier farmers. In the 18th century, colonial farmers grew air-cured Nicotiana tabacum. The English favored this variety for recreational smoking. In the 17th and earlier centuries, Native Americans cultivated wild tobacco, Nicotiana rustica, which was used for spiritual, medicinal, and ceremonial purposes.
Logan and Copeland volunteered to be the farmers for this special commemorative activity, and each planned their approach. Logan planted his tobacco plants on his farm. Copeland opted to plant his in large containers that are on display at the church for members to behold. Both men are carefully attending to the plants while Shultz continues to provide advice and counsel on the growing and harvesting.
“Plants growing here with the larger leaves are Nicotiana tabacum and with the smaller leaves, Nicotiana rustica. At the end of the growing season, we will harvest these tobacco plants, air-cure the leaves, and ship the leaves to Native American tribes in the United States for traditional uses,” Goodwin Holt shared.
North Carolina’s tobacco story is a long and layered one, stretching from indigenous traditions to industrial empires. From sacred smoke to global commodity, tobacco has been a crop of transformation, both at the local level here in Apex, and more broadly during the earliest years of this country’s existence.
And, speaking of existence, a story about the celebration of a church that’s been here for 175 years would be incomplete without a callout of milestones and significant moments. I thank Olive Chapel Baptist Church’s senior pastor, Dr. Randy Clipp, for sharing his wonderfully detailed historical timeline. I borrowed generously from this document and present a pared down version here:
Olive Chapel Baptist Church was organized at the home of Ensley Council on Nov. 3, 1850. Local farmer, Elder Johnson Olive, became the first pastor.
The church location was between Cotton’s Crossroads (Highway 64/751) and the New Ruin Tavern.
By 1860, the congregation had grown to 214 whites and 52 slaves — all who worshipped together.
During the Civil War and the days of Southern Reconstruction, the local economy and the church struggled. Membership slowly declined until the 1880s.
In 1893, 36-year-old Rev. William Olive was called to become pastor. He served as pastor from 1893-1926.
In May 1910, Olive Chapel became the first country church and the first church in the state to achieve the “standard of excellence” among Baptist Sunday Schools.
In 1925, Wake Forest College conferred upon the retiring William Olive the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity.
On October 29, 1939, the church roof caught fire and the church burned to the ground.
Rev. William Corbitt began as pastor in January 1940 and put out a call for every able-bodied man to build a new church building.
In October 1940, congregants held their first services in the new brick sanctuary.
In 1949, the “Christian Century Magazine,” based on a poll of 100,000 Protestant ministers, named Olive Chapel one of the 12 most significant churches in the United States.
For over a century, the community surrounding Olive Chapel was made up of primarily tobacco farmers. In the latter twentieth century, the farming community began to change.
The building of Jordan Lake (loss of land), the decline of tobacco as a cash crop (loss of income) and the emergence of Research Triangle Park (influx of new/diverse population) ushered in a deep and lasting change.
Rev. Carole Jackson became the first woman pastor at Olive Chapel from 1991-1993.
In September 2022, Dr. Randy Clipp began his tenure as senior pastor of this dynamic, suburban church that values the preservation of its origins.
When I visited with this amazing group of “Apex royalty” (my word, not theirs) and listened to them wax poetic about the days, decades, and centuries gone by and the hard work required to survive and prosper on the farm, the endless growing cycle they endured, the joy they found in a simple life, their love of family (both blood and otherwise), and the support they received from this faith-based community, I was reminded of a more recent refrain, but one that applied then and applies now: It takes a village.
