Revival on Nubbin Hill

If determined townspeople hadn’t pulled together, this little schoolhouse church would have been forsaken.

Terry Tuell, Fort Smith, Arkansas

Four miles up a dirt road outside the small town of Leslie, Arkansas, you’ll find Nubbin Hill Community Church.

Arriving at this century-old building is like traveling back in time. The front door opens into a single room that was once the only schoolhouse for residents within a four-mile radius.

The original Nubbin Hill schoolhouse was about a mile north of here. After a fire destroyed the building, a local resident, Jesse Caid, donated land for a new school. The school remained active from 1909 until 1949, when the Nubbin Hill community became part of the Leslie School District.

The doors reopened only on special occasions, such as pie suppers to benefit a family in need, funerals and Decoration Day.       

For years this lonely little structure housed only a few student desks and a wooden pew, leftovers from a time gone by. By 1982, the building had deteriorated to a dangerous condition. The floor and ceiling had dropped, the windows were falling out and the doors needed extensive repairs.

Many people in the town of Leslie have long family histories here, including second, third and fourth generations. To them, this was more than a building; it housed several generations of memories. Nubbin Hill Cemetery sits next to the schoolhouse church. Many of their ancestors were laid to rest there, and the thought of seeing a part of their shared history disappear brought the like-minded group together.

Out of that commitment grew plans to repair the old school building and convert it into a church. Money was raised for pews, a piano and the needed repairs. Residents’ time, talents and treasures paid off: The first service was held on June 27, 1982, with 47 people in attendance.

Today, more than 25 years later, the tiny church continues with thriving Bible study classes, preaching from the pulpit and baptisms in the nearby river. Though the crowd that meets on Sunday morning is small compared with many congregations, members are deeply devoted to one another and their little church. The congregation treasures fellowship as much as the peace and quiet of country living. 

A recent annex to house Sunday school classes is small.  The parking lot is still just gravel and dirt. Yet the tiny Nubbin Hill church remains a huge part of this country community.