Friends of the Restoration
Chronicling the lives of those who have impacted the Restoration Movement
Essary Springs Church Closes
January/25/2009 14:49 Filed in: West Tennessee
Another chapter in West Tennessee history closes with the recent death of Zora Berryman, one of the last members of the Essary Springs church of Christ. Earlier, the building was used by A. G. Freed when he started a school in 1892 in Essary Springs called Southern Tennessee Normal College. Later, Freed left the school and became president of West Tennessee Christian College in Henderson. The school in Essary Springs continued for several years. I. N. Rowland, father of C. P. Roland, taught in the school for several years before joining the staff at Freed-Hardeman.
The church sign says "The Birthplace of Freed-Hardeman University 1892"
Apparently, the building was later remodeled and used as public school. Leon Isom, a member of the New Hope church of Christ, remembers walking about 1 1/2 miles to the Essary Springs school in the early 1940s. He recalls that there was one, big room with four classes meeting in each corner of the room. Sometime later, the building was bought and used by the Essary Springs church of Christ. Mrs. Berryman is on the front and to the far right in the group picture of members from the Henderson church which toured the building in June 2005.
I have been to Essary Springs building several times. Each time Mrs. Berryman would come and open the building and give a guided tour. The picture at the bottom was taken around 1940.