A HISTORY OF KEMPER HEIGHTS
Joseph Avenue, Past...Kemper Heights, Present


This history is dedicated to sister Louise Terry who furnished much of the information. Sister Terry celebrated her 95th birthday on December 7, 2004. She taught the little children for many years and remains a source of inspiration to us even today.

In the year 1905, the work of establishing a congregation of disciples in the Joseph Avenue area was begun. The work was started by about twelve members.

Before the small building was completed a storm wrecked it. These few brethren, full of determination, courage, faith and zeal, removed the demolished structure and began their work anew. The building was soon ready to be used as a house of worship.

This building stood on the southwest corner of Joseph Avenue and Scott Street (later renamed Richardson Street). Richardson Street, at that time was a dirt road. Sis. Louise Terry said that a big mud puddle was created in the street when the baptistery was drained. There was a hitching post in front of the modest house of worship.

During the following years the congregation continued to grow and much good was accomplished in preaching the gospel in the community. The first building became too small to accommodate the large number of people who regularly attended, so in 1921 the work of erecting a new building was begun. It was completed in 1922. Bro. Charles Crabtree once said he played in the basement of the building along with Louise Terry and Pauline Slate (Crabtree) before it was completed. This building would stand on the northeast corner of Joseph Avenue, which was a more desirable location. This is the building in which many of us worshipped until 1973. It was at that time we moved to the Bellshire School building for the next 14 months.

Many meetings were held between the years of 1905 and 1922. They were conducted by such men as Joe McPherson, a mailman and the father of a great opera singer. Joe Mcpherson, Jr., C.E. Dorris, R.H. Boll, Charles Pullias, Granville Cullum, Dr. J.S. Ward, H.L. Calhoun and many others.

Bro. Maud Wilkes labored with the church in the capacity of an elder from the time the congregation was started in 1905 until 1922. He lived just long enough to see the new building completed, which was a dream he long hoped for. He died in 1922.

Joseph Avenue Church of Christ had many preachers through its 51 years in the new building. For many years a different preacher preached each Sunday. Some of those who preached regularly for the congregation were: Everest Sweeney, Ed Craddock, Paul Hutton, H.C. Green, Dabney Phillips, Clinton Hamilton, Clifton Trimble, Paul Hutcheson, Paul Mills, Warren Rainwater, R.C. Williams, Bill O'Neal, Bill Tuggle, Walter Essary, Roger Smith, Harris Dark and Larry McKee.

Some of the song leaders who have led singing in the past are: Tom Simpkins, Jimmy Goad, Dan Woodroof, Leamon Andrews, Don Gregory, David Carter, Louis Nunley, Jesse Wakefield, Bob Floyd, Bill Cox, Harold Stone, Jerry Warren, David Baize, Sam Garrison, Dale Laird, Steve Clark, Kevin Thomas, Landon Osborne, Ron Hinton, Johnny Claibourne, Mark Claypool, Vernon Allen, Lee Smith, Foy Short and Keith Hagewood.

It was decided in 1972 that we should move to a new location since the Joseph Avenue area was declining and many of the families were moving out into the new subdivisions. We decided to locate in the Bellshire area. Property was acquired on Marydale Drive, which intersected with Hickory Terrace. This was just behind the Bellshire Elementary School. Bro. Larry McKee had just recently replaced Bro. Harris Dark as the regular preacher.

On February 11, 1973, we held our last service at the Joseph Avenue building. It was a 2:00 p.m. service which included 10 songs led by Vernon Allen, announcements by Harry Compton, remarks by Charles Crabtree (concerning the past) and Roger Smith (concerning the future) and prayers by Bill O'Neal and Harris Dark. Larry McKee preached the final sermon. The elders at the time we moved were: Charles Crabtree, Harry Compton, Bill Jones and Roger Smith. Larry McKee was the preacher and Vernon Allen was the regular song leader.

On Wednesday, February 14, 1973 we held our first service in the Bellshire Elementary School on Bell Grimes Lane in the Bellshire community. The congregation took on the name, Hickory Terrace Church of Christ. The congregation numbered about 125 members.

After moving to the school house, we began making plans for our new building. However after some time we learned that the property was not on sewers and would not support septic tanks for a church building. We were able to get our money back that we had paid for the land and then were able to acquire the property (6 acres) on which our present building is located in the Kemper Heights Subdivision.

We were in the school building for about 14 months. We moved into our new building in April, 1974. The church was then renamed, Kemper Heights Church of Christ, after several names were submitted. If you will notice, there are two corner stones on the front of our present building. These were made from the old corner stone that was removed from the Joseph Avenue building when we moved. That stone was split in half to make the two stones which have the date the old Joseph Avenue building was erected and the date the Kemper Heights building was erected. When the cornerstone was removed it contained some old coins and a directory of the membership in 1922. The directory had badly deteriorated.

For many years the Joseph Avenue congregation published a monthly bulletin called "The Christianette." Sis Clarice Miller and Sis. Nellie Mayes were very instrumental in this effort. Sis. Miller has since passed away, but Sis. Nellie Mayes currently attends the Broadmoor congregation. We still have most of the copies of the "Christianette." It makes good reading, since it contains the history of the congregation and has news of many of our present members as they were growing up.

A weekly bulletin called the "Josephette" was published after the Christianette was discontinued. Bro. Frank Kepley, an elder at Joseph Avenue submitted the names for both The Christianette and The Josephette. After moving to the Bellshire School the bulletin was renamed "The Hickory Log." After learning that we would be moving to Kemper Heights, the bulletin was renamed, "Kemper Klippings" which was submitted by Donald Gregory. The Kemper Klippings has been edited by several of our number over the years. For a short period of time during Frank Walton's time as editor, it was renamed the Kemper Exhorter. However it reverted back to Kemper Klippings and remains that at the present time. Bobby Franck has been the editor of the bulletin for the past several years.

We have several pieces of furniture from the old Joseph Avenue building. Sis Louise Terry (who is our oldest original member of Joseph Avenue) furnished us with the following information concerning this furniture. She was just seven (7) years old when she first began attending the Joseph Avenue congregation. She celebrated her 92nd birthday on December 7, 2001.

The pulpit stand (rostrum) from the Joseph Avenue building is now being used in the large classroom at the end of the north hall. It was built in 1905. The follow inscription was found under the bottom of the top section when it was being restored after we moved into our new building. This pulpit was made by B.C. Wilkes at No. 63 Bridge Avenue City, September, 1905 for the Church of Christ at Joseph Avenue and Scott Street. May God's blessing attend every sermon preached and every exhortation delivered over this sacred board. God bless every child of God at Joseph Ave. and crown their every (effort) for the advancement of the cause of Christ made by them in harmony with His will. This the prayer of an humble child of God. B.C. Wilkes, Sept. 25th, 1905. Sis. Terry states that the old stand has had a lot of Bibles on it, and preachers have preached a lot of sermons standing there.

There is an old library table that was used for the Lord's Supper table at the Joseph Avenue building. It was used here at Kemper Heights to prepare the Lord's Supper in the men's baptismal room at the front of the auditorium. This piece is being refinished and is to be used in our library.

An old wash stand which has been in the ladies' baptismal room is also in the process of being refinished. It will be placed in the foyer when finished. It was donated along with the library table by Sis. Scott, who was a faithful member and Bible school teacher. She lived on Joseph Avenue.

The two large chairs on the podium are from a judges chamber in the courthouse. They were given to the church by Bro. Lynn Peel, who worked at the courthouse.

We have had many fine elders over the years. Brothers Simpkins, Gower, Fagan, Kepley, Warren, Carrington, Arrington, Crabtree, Mayes, Oakley, Simmons, Compton, Smith, Jones, Allen, Perry, Short and Young are among those we can recall.

We have had four preachers since we moved from the Joseph Avenue location. Also we are fortunate to have several of our number who are able to preach when needed. Larry McKee was the preacher from 1973 to 1980. Frank Chumley came next and stayed until 1990. Frank Walton was here from 1990 to 1994. After Frank left for Arizona, Ken Green came to us as our regular minister in June of 1994 and remains as our present minister.

We hope that this history will help to preserve this information though the years to come. Kemper Heights is now a mixture of many congregations and is blessed in so many ways. We have a fine and talented group of young people.

Members of the Old Joseph Ave. Congregation. 

Click on picture to enlarge.