The Mt. Zion Church, now shortened to just Zion Church, was built on land deeded by James W. McIlvain. According to a deed on record dated Nov. 1, 1873: “James W. McIlvain to The Trustees of Mt. Zion M. E. Church — This Indenture witnessed that James W. McIlvain and Louisa V. McIlvain his wife of Brown County, in the state of Indiana convey and warrant to the Trustees of Mount Zion Methodist Episcopal Church and their successors of Hamblen Township for the sum of one dollar the following real estate … for the perpetual property of said church. (signed) James W. McIlvain, (before) James M. Groves, a Justice of the Peace. Recorded on the 6th day of February 1874.” (Brown County Recorder’s office)

The church has been dated as being built in 1862 by James McIlvain, his sons, Milton, James E. and Leander McIlvain, also neighbors Uriah Ford, James Grove and John Mead. With the start of the Civil War, the building was delayed. The McIlvain brothers and Uriah Ford served in the war. The church was finally finished in 1868. The cemetery behind the church was expanded with donations of land by Uriah Ford and John Mead. Many of these families are now buried here.

Another family with ties to the church has a history about the church bell as told by the James Groves family. “James M. Groves bought land here in 1866 and moved his family, a wife and 12 children, from Ohio the following year. He built a house at the corner of now Upper Salt Creek Road and Sprunica Ridge Road. The Groves family attended the Mt. Zion Church. It is said that the bell in the church was delivered to Columbus by railroad, but the local men were too busy to go pick it up. Two of James Groves’ daughters, Becky and Anne, took a wagon and team to Columbus, picked up the bell and brought it back to the church.” (From a family history by David Groves, 1980)

With the church in such bad shape now, the bell was recently taken down to preserve it from the final demise of the building. The Zion Church Bell is being mounted on a stand and will be available for viewing soon at the Brown County Historical Society. And the legacy of Pinehurst will live on in our history.
<p style="text-align: right"><em>Submitted by Pauline Hoover, Brown County Historical Society</em></p>
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This church bell is on display at the Brown County History Center on Gould Street, in Nashville. You may visit the bell Tuesdays, Fridays or Saturdays between the hours of 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

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