Free State
During the early 1800’s, the entire Cumberland River bend now known as Free State was owned by Major William Woodfolk. He also owned a large tract of land at Fort Blount; both tracts of land are presumed to have been grants. Although the land at Fort Blount was worked by slave labor, the river bend land was worked by white labor. Consequently the land was originally known as the “Free Estate” and colloquialized into the present name of Free State. Woodfolk went broke, and all of his land was sold through Federal Court circa 1877. The Free State area was divided into sixteen tracts with the following citizens purchasing land: B.H. Shepherd, W. M. Stephens, McKahan and Cox, Tommy G. Smith, Millard Lawless, C. N. “Curry” Hawkins, John Bell Dudney, J. A. “Bud” Montgomery, Jesse Heady, Jim T. Anderson, and Jonas G. Dudney.
In 1880, William Henry Harrison Dudney purchased tract 6 from B. H. Shepherd and gave the land for a community church and school. The first church building was built on the exact spot where the present building now stands; it was destroyed by a storm in March, 1912. The second church house was built during the summer and fall of 1913 at a cost of $565.27. When the land was given by “Uncle Bill” Dudney and a meeting house was built, all religions had the privilege to use the facility as they desired. The building was also used as a community school until 1950; in the early years there was one teacher for grades one through eight. A second teacher was added in the 1930’s.
Many descendants of the early residents of Free State still live in the community. The children ‘now attend the consolidated elementary school in Gainesboro, but the Church continues to meet regularly in a third building erected in 1960 on the site of the original building.
Free State Church of Christ
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