Honoring our Heritage, Focusing on our Future.
In the early days of the twentieth century a girl, Miss Alice Hough (some articles list her name as Huff although church minutes use the name Hough), came from the North with her mother in search of health. She went to live at Pearson Drive and in this mountain region she was gradually restored in strength and spirit.
As she grew stronger Miss Hough began to take an interest in the people around her. She found a small group of persons in need of religious instruction, and organized a Sunday school which met each week in the dining room of her home.
The group grew and soon needed more space and a brush arbor was erected on the banks of the French Broad River near Woodfin. This structure was washed away in the flood of 1916. However, the group was not discouraged. O. D. Revel donated land near the spot and a small wooden structure was built.
In the meantime the Sunday School had grown and it held services each week. In 1912 Miss Hough saw that the wooden building was too small. She assisted the group in plans for a new church and consulted with an architect, who drew a small stone church in the form of a cross. The church was built in 1917 and again it became too small and had to be added to. Additions were made in 1919 and again in 1921.
Miss Hough lived to see her Sunday school grow into a thriving and active group known as the Riverside Baptist Church. She died in 1942 and is buried in a rural cemetery near Asheville.
Highlighting the importance placed on education is the Educational building which was added to the campus in 1972. The current sanctuary was completed in 2008. Today we still use the rock church built in 1917 as our fellowship hall along with the Educational building for our sunday school classes and wednesday night meals. We are committed to honoring the heritage of our property as we focus on our future. It is our belief that the church is the people, yet this property is set aside and dedicated to the Glory of God and spreading the Gospel of Christ!
