"Barbecue Presbyterian Church, Barbecue (Sanford), NC" Waymark

I couldn't resist waymarking this church because of the name. The tiny community this church is located in appears on a least one road map I have as "Barbecue". mapquest also shows the community of "Barbecue". Whether the church was named for the community or the community was named for the church, I can't say. This also got me thinking about how old the word barbecue is. Here's what I found out:

This word entered English in about 1657, which might be surprising, but it came from Spanish barbacoa `framework for roasting meat or fish.' The Spanish came from Arawak (Haitian Indian) barbakoa `tree-house,' likely referring to the image conveyed by the roasting framework which was made of sticks or poles. By 1733 the word referred to `an outdoor meal of roasted fish or meat.'

So when this church was formed in 1757, the word barbeque or barbecue was in use and had the same meaning as it does today. Why the church or the community took the name in the first place is a mystery, but it is fun nonetheless.

Anyway, Barbecue Church was formed by Scottish Highlanders who pioneered this area in the mid-1700's. This was a sister church to Bluff Church and Long Street Church, located in the Upper Cape Fear region, which were all organized by Rev. James Campbell, a pioneering Scottish Presbyterian preacher and a local historic figure in the region. The web links below will give you more background on the early Presbyterian churches in the area.

The present building at Barbecue Church is the third on the site and dates to 1895. It continues to be an active Presbyterian Church after almost 250 years.

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