New Hope at Iron Mountain. Possible connection?

In my continuing efforts to learn about the origins of Baptist work in East Texas, I spent a little time today looking at old minutes at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth. The time was far too brief, and not too many of the oldest minutes are available.

In the 1856 minutes of the Soda Lake Baptist Association, I found mention of a New Hope church at Iron Mountain post office, Rusk County, Texas. I thinking there is a possible connection to Mt. Carmel?

Here's what I know:

Iron Mountain post office -- puts it in the same vicinity of Rusk County as Mt. Carmel.

Delegates -- B. F. Stamps, A. S. Meckeborough, H. King
Britton F. Stamps attended the formation of the Mt. Zion Association the next year (1857) as a delegate from the Mt. Carmel church. I believe A. S. Meckeborough (sic) was the brother of Mary Ann Mickleborough/Micklebrough, wife of William Howerton. William and Mary Ann were both members of Mt. Carmel church. I will need to check censuses, etc. for H. King. I don't think this name is associated with Mt. Carmel, but the surname "King" is found in the general area.

Pastor -- M. M. Wallace, who seems to pastor awhile in Rusk and Nacogdoches counties and possibly move on elsewhere (Polk County area possibly)

50 members in 1856

That's about it. Not much. I need to find more information to make this tie (if it really exists). Southwestern also has an 1854 minute book of Soda Lake Association, but New Hope was not listed in it.

Pleasant Valley Association

I am adding a link on the sidebar to the Pleasant Valley Baptist Association (Georgia) history. It includes circular letters, queries, etc. There is no direct connection to the Mt. Carmel Church -- just more Baptist history.

A Mt. Carmel neighbor - Cool Springs

A neighboring and sister church to Mt. Carmel was the Cool Springs Baptist Church. Like Mt. Carmel, Cool Springs Church no longer exists. Unlike Mt. Carmel, Cool Springs survived into the twentieth century. This church met located in southern Rusk County, about 4 or miles west of Laneville, Texas.

Cool Springs Cemetery

It is not known for certain when the first burial at Cool Springs took place. The oldest marked grave is that of Elizabeth Brown, who died 23 Oct 1865. Considering the church existed in the 1850s, earlier burials seem likely. The last burial was evidently in 1938. Mr. Gerald Risinger remembers attending a funeral about that time. The church building was still standing then. According to her gravestone, Mary Annie Hodges died 11 Oct 1938.

Members of the New Salem Invicibles have led out in trying to restore this historic site and burial ground of pioneer Rusk County citizens. See also Cemetery project.

Cool Springs Baptist Church

Cool Springs was a member of the Judson Baptist Association in 1856, represented by messengers L. Newsom, J. Harmon and I. Lacy; M. M. Wallace was the pastor. Then in 1857, Cool Springs was among the original thirteen churches that met at Mt. Zion Church, Rusk County, Texas, to form the Mt. Zion Baptist Association. Mt. Zion Association met with Cool Springs 1881 and 1891. The church still meeting in 1903; My great-grandfather -- M. L. Vaughn -- pastored there 1902-03.

In the late 1800s, Cool Springs regularly sent to and received correspondents from the Smyrna Baptist Church (according to Smyrna's minutes). Names of correspondents were not often recorded in the minutes, but some mentioned were Bros. McNight, Bro. Murry, and Vince Blair. Some members of the Lacy family were connected with this church (see also Lacy-Still). A district meeting met with Cool Springs in the summer of 1879.