Old Providence (Virginia) provided refuge for defenders of inspired psalmody after Watts introduction

Context

This passage from the Centennial History describes Old Providence Church in Rockbridge County, Virginia. The account clarifies that while the church predates the introduction of Watts’s Psalms and Hymns (organized before 1789), it nevertheless served as a receiving congregation for those who objected to the innovation. Patrick Hall, grandfather of Cyrus McCormick (inventor of the reaper), was active in building the Stone Church in 1793.

Extract

“These churches had evidently existed for some time as they had acquired permanence and strength sufficient for the support of a minister.” Dr. Scouller. This antedated the introduction of Watt’s Psalms and Hymns, 1789, which could not have occasioned her organization. Doubtless there was secession at that marked and far-reaching innovation, but the defenders of the inspired Psalmody found a congenial home in old Providence.

Significance

This extract documents an important variant of psalmody-driven realignment: rather than a new congregation forming from a split, an existing congregation absorbed psalm-singing refugees. The phrase “defenders of the inspired Psalmody found a congenial home” suggests Old Providence’s reputation as a safe harbor for those fleeing Watts introduction. The acknowledgment that there was “doubtless…secession at that marked and far-reaching innovation” confirms that psalmody splits were expected and recognized—the author takes it for granted that people would leave congregations over the change. This Virginia case extends the geographic range of documented psalmody realignment beyond the Carolinas cluster.