The following info was taken directly from The History of State-Line Baptist Church 1794-1994.  Although it has no official copyright, please give them their due when quoting this.  The book can be purchased from the State-Line Baptist Church in Spartanburg South Carolina for $15.  The address is as follows:

State Line Baptist Church
1353 State Line Church Road
Gaffney, South Carolina 29341
(803) 461-8942

LOCATION AND EARLY HISTORY OF FIRST CHURCH

  Barnett states In the History of the Broad River Association that State Line Baptist Church was constituted in the year 1794.  Our committee has done much research in the hope of finding authentic records of the organization, and the identity of the Charter members.  Although we have been unable to gain this information, our efforts have proven very rewarding.  We have put bits of information together, and have concluded that the first church building was located just across the North and South Carolina boundary on what is now called Durham Road (Island Ford), a crossing place on Broad River at that time.  This property, now grown up with trees, has been in the Camp family for many years.  From the Heritage of Rutherford County, NC Vol. I we found this article:

  "Joel Blackwell and his brother Isaiah settled in Old Tryon County, NC (later Rutherford Co.) near the Broad River Ca 1768.  Joel was born co 1749, in Virginia, and died 1821.  He is buried on his own land.  He was married three times.  His first wife was Henrietta Byers; second wile was Rebecca Watkins Blackwell, and third wife was Sara Ann Dogett Blackwell, widow of William Dogett.   Blackwell and his first two wives had eleven children.  There were none with his third wife.  Joel Blackwell was a lay Baptist minister, founded the State Line Church, built out of logs on his own property.  One writer said that later he was charged by the Church with drunkenness and was enraged to the extent that he tore the Church down, log by log, and destroyed it.  Another writer says in The Heritage of Rutherford County that "In Joel Blackwell`s will, he Ieft his property to his son, Daniel, who was charged by the church for making whiskey.  The members then moved the Church.  We don't know which story is true, but we do know that the church was disbanded in 1819 for a number of years. Joel Blackwell was a private in the American Revolution from Rutherford County, NC.  Rutherford County deeds show that Blackwell sold his property in 1819.

  We have recently been informed by a decedent of Joel and Zacheriah Blackwell, who lives in Orlando, Florida, that the latter story is correct. Joel`s son Daniel, received the reprimand from the church.

From Logans` South Carolina Baptist, 1670-1850, we find this report from the Bethel Association, our first affiliation with Baptist History:

  "In 1797, State Line Church sent two messengers to the association meeting.  They were William Turner and Joel Blackwell, reporting a membership of 31. In 1798, the messengers were William Turner and Zacheriah Blackwell, reporting a membership 32. In 1799. the messengers were the same, William Turner and Zacheriah Blackwell, with a membership 3l.  In 1800, the messengers were William Turner, Zacheriah Blackwell, and John Turner, reporting a membership of 34. In 1800, the Broad River Association was formed, and after a period of years State Line Church became a member of this association-- more about that later.

  From the few records that we have, we believe that the church was united and active at the original location for about 24 years.  During this period of its history this church produced five ministerial sons, who became prominent ministers throughout the early years of the Broad River Association. We shall name them later.

  The cemetery that was used by the original church remains as a landmark, even to this day.  It is now grown up in briars and trees, but one can still see the old field rocks that were used to mark the graves. Both white and black people were buried there, as it was slavery time.  The black people continued to use this cemetery after the church was relocated, and it came to be known as the 'Black Cemetery".

  We do not have a list of the Charter members, but old deeds, land papers, etc. reveal names taken from 1700 census.  Some of these people, no doubt, were Charter members.  From the 1790 census of Rutherford County, NC. we find these names: John Blackwell, Joel Blackwell, James Blackwell, Clabron Blanton, John Thomas Camp Sr., Daniel Camp, William Camp, William Dobbins, James Dobbins, Jacob Davis, Abner Davis, William Durham, Richard Scruggs, Edward Williams, William Wood, David Watkins, Peter Watkins.

From the 1790 Census of Spartanburg County, SC. we find these names:

  Zacheriah Blackwell, Jessie Connell, George Connell, John Durham, Nathaniel Davis, George Devine, John Moore, Benjo Peck, Andrew Ray, Joseph Turner, Henry Wood, Michael Wood, and several Williams.

  From Deed books we find John Blackwell 1787, Zacheriah Blackwell 1795, Clabron Blanton 1836, James T. Camp 1827,
George Camp 1827, Robert M. Davis 1827, Joseph Davis, Richard Hicks 1812, Berryman Hicks 1812, Jacob of Phillips and James Phillips.

  You will find some of these names on our earliest State Line Church Roll in our minutes, which was made sometime before 1846. (Male)

David Amos Ex 1842
Zacheriah Blackwell (Elder) - dismissed by letter 1837
....

CHURCH BUILDINGS

First Church

We have been unable to find any information about the first church, other than what has already been mentioned.  It was built of logs gathered from Elder Joel Blackwell`s property.  We should remember that this was 1797.  Very few photographs were made back then.  Print shops were few and far between-not many records were kept in rural areas.  Few people could read and write We can conclude that there were very few records to he preserved.

Second Church
  Logan states in his history of the Broad River and Kings Mountain Associations that State Line Church had become disbanded previous to 1824, and in that year a reconstruction of the Church took place a short distance from where the original church was located, but this time in South Carolina. This it the site of our present church building.  This re-organized body was admitted to the Broad River Association at the session of 1824, with a membership of twenty nine, and with Zacheriah Blackwell as its pastor.  The historical sketch of this church, given in the Broad River Association minutes of 1900, stated that Rev. Zacheriah Blackwell erected this building, also, on his own land, doing most of the work himself.

  He had received a grant of 200 acres of land from the state office in January, 1795.  He sold this tract of land, including the building, to Andrew Wray in 1827.  In 1840, Andrew Wray made the church a deed to three acres of this land.  The following deed is filed in the Spartanburg County Courthouse.  "Know all-by these present that I, Andrew Wray of the district and State aforesaid, (S.C., Spartanburg Co.) do for the consideration of the sum of five dollars, in contribution to the building of a new meeting house near the present State Line Church, grant unto present officers of said church and their successors the use of water with the privilege of three acres of land, including the spring.  For the house and the spring, so long as the place is occupied by the present denomination as place of worship."

 "The officials of said church is to hold to themselves and successors free from any embarrassment or interference by any person or persons while occupied in the above named manner."

 "In witness where of I set my hand and afix my seal this twentieth day of August 1840. Attest: J.N. Covington, W.B. Godfrey."

SUMMARY OF PASTORS

Joel Blackwell                                                  1794-1797
(no pastor listed in Bethel Minutes)
Jacob Crocker                                                 1799-1802
Zacheriah Blackwell (Paschal)                          1803
Zacheriah Blackwell                                         1804-1807
Berryman Hicks                                               1808-1810
Zacheriah Blackwell                                         1811-1812
Berryman Hicks                                                  ?   -1818
Reorganization (no records)
Zachariah Blackwell                                         1824-1828
Joshua Richards                                               1829-1831
......

Joel Blackwell (1778-l839)

  As previously mentioned, tradition says that Joel Blackwell founded the State Line Baptist Church in 1794, with the help of Elder Joseph Camp from the Buffalo Baptist Church. This is verified by the Bethel Association minutes. Joel Blackwell was a messenger From State Line Church to the Bethel Association meeting in 1798. He was licensed to the ministry in 1807, and ordained in 1809. He sold his property at the early church location in 1819, and moved to the Green River Church in Wake Co., NC. He is said to have been one of the "first Baptist preachers to proclaim the Gospel East of the Blue Ridge."  He died as he had lived, expressing great love and regard for his fellowman, and beloved by all whose opportunities in life enabled them to make his acquaintance."

Zacheriah Blackwell

 Zacheriah Blackwell was born in 1758 and he died in 1843.  He is listed in the Spartanburg County census of 1790 and listed in Spartanburg County Courthouse as a land owner in 1795.

 He was possibly a charter member of State Line Church.  He was a delegate to the Bethel Association in 1793, 1799 and 1800.  He was licensed to preach by 1799 and ordained to the ministry by 1802.

 He probably pastored State Line from 1803-1807 He was also pastor of State Line from about 1811-I812, possibly longer.  He preached the introductory sermon at the Broad River Association in 1812.  He was pastor of Buck Creek from 1822-1825 and pastored State Line again from 1824-1828, he was dismissed by letter from State Line in 1837 and pastored Camp's Creek Church in 1839. Logan says, "Rev Blackwell, as a preacher had nothing of the polish of oratory about him but having made the Bible his principle study he always preached as a scribe, well instructed in the Kingdom, never being at a loss for an apt quotation of scripture in support of anything he advanced."

  MC. Barnett in hit associational sketches, says: "At the session of 1843 when the Broad River Association met at El Bethel Church, I saw Elder  Blackwell for the last time.  He was very old; but still he had not thrown off  the mantle of his calling; I remember the veneration I felt for him; when the association adjourned, he came out of the house; while standing in the yard, hat in hand, he announced he would preach at a certain place at such a time. His head was as white as cotton, his voice weak and tremulous, and his physical appearance that of a man standing on the brink of his grave."  Rev Blackwell died that year while he was a member of Mr. Ararat Church; he was buried in Isaac Peeler's family cemetery near Draytonville Mountain. In 1869 the Broad River Association erected a marker to his grave.  A group from State Line Church, in the summer of 1956, located this grave in a woodland pasture close by Draytonville Church.