By Rebecca Rider

rebecca.rider@salisburypost

CLEVELAND — There’s a lot of history on the grounds of Third Creek Presbyterian Church.

The sanctuary of the small Cleveland church was built in 1835 and still has the original wood flooring and dark wood pews. The graves in the cemetery, scattered among patches of violets and wild strawberries, date back to the 1700s.

But there are two pieces of history that the church is especially proud of. One is the grave of Peter Stewart Ney, who members of the congregation and local historians believe to be Frenchman Michel Ney, one of Napoleon’s 18 marshals. The other is the old clapboard session house, whose date of construction is lost in time.

Several years ago, a brick mausoleum was built around Ney’s grave to protect and preserve it. Now, the church is trying to save the session house. The building has been on the church property for years, used mostly for storage.

“And over the years, it has begun to deteriorate, and then it began to lean,” said Pam Horne, a congregation member and chairwoman of the cemetery committee.

An insurance company said the building needed to be fixed or demolished.  Church members took a leap of faith and decided to try to preserve its history, not knowing how they would get money for repairs.

“We decided to take it on and let the Lord pay for it,” Horne said.

The renovation cost is estimated to be about $27,000, not including the roof.

“We’re paying for it out of our regular funds, hoping to be able to put it back,” Horne said.

The old house, which sits behind the church next to the cemetery, is where the church session — or ruling board — would meet each week. Horne said the building also was used for community activities and as a school for boys. Peter Ney taught there until his death in 1846. Horne said there’s some argument over where Ney died and was buried.

“There’s a lot of controversy over that,” Horne said. “France says no, he’s buried over there. We say, ‘No, he’s buried here.’”

‘There’s no mystery for us,” the Rev. Don McCann joked.

It stayed in use as the session house until the early 20th century, but Horne said no one knows exactly when the building was vacated.

“That’s not something you write down: ‘Stopped using the session house,’” she said.

Restoration has already begun. The walls have been shored up, and an buckling brick siding built by the Ney Society to protect the building has been torn down. The original wood siding has been removed. Horne said it will have to be replaced. Plans have been made to store the boards, which have weathered centuries and still contains old square-head nails.

“We’re not going to throw it out,” Horne said.

The original wood interior will remain, as will the original windows.

A carpenter has been contracted for the restoration. Horne and McCann say he’s been working diligently when he’s available. Every so often, McCann will remind the congregation about the project and take up an offering. Horne said the church has collected about $7,000 that way.

The Elizabeth Maxwell Steele Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, based in Salisbury, on Thursday donated $525 to the project. Members cited the organization’s dedication to the preservation of history as a reason to get involved.

Once it’s restored, Horne said, the church plans to use the house for session meetings again. She and McCann both look forward to the day it will be completed.

“A lot of history here,” McCann said, looking out over the quiet cemetery. “A lot of history.”

Those interested in the session house or in the restoration project can contact Third Creek Presbyterian Church at 704-278-4460.

Contact reporter Rebecca Rider at 704-797-4264.