I visited Tennessee this week to meet with my PhD supervisor (who is based in Cleveland even though my school is Bangor University, Wales). I had decided this visit that since I was “in the neighborhood” of the origins of the “serpent handler” churches, I’d like to visit the original site: Dolly Pond Church of God With Signs Following (you know its fun when a church name is that long).
As it happens, I also do a lecture on the origin and theology of snake handling for an undergraduate course I teach every Spring–Pentecostal Heritage. In part, I do this lecture as my final lecture of the semester in order to assure students will show up on the last day of class. I also do it because…well…its just plain fascinating to me and thus a fun way to end the course.
A Brief History of the Founder
The “founder” of snake handling churches, George Hensley, had been a moonshiner who came to the Lord at special meetings held by Homer Tomlinson just north of Cleveland, TN. Hensley took to preaching himself around Owl Hollow (eventually joining the Church of God Cleveland TN for a time) and was doing so on Mark 16:17-20, but some of his former moonshining buddies thought to scare off the meeting by tossing a box of poisonous snakes into their midst. While the congregation fled in terror, Hensley snatched up the snakes “like a boy would gather stovewood in his arms to carry into the house” (Tomlinson p. 41). This was apparently the beginning of Hensley handling serpents, but appears to have created quite a sensation throughout the region gaining the attention of A. J. Tomlinson. Of note is an invitation in 1914 by A. J. Tomlinson to Hensley to the General Assembly of the Church of God (Cleveland, TN) in order to demonstrate the handling of serpents. Hensley apparently had a difficult time in life as he was married four times and went back and forth preaching and handling snakes to making moonshine even spending time jailed for both practices (Olsen p.24). A not-so-surprising end, he died on July 24, 1955 as the result of a snake bite for which he denied medical care and was declared to have committed “suicide”.
My Surprises
I set up my visit to see the site of the Dolly Pond Church of God With Signs Following (Hensley’s church which was torn down decades ago). Church of God historian Dr. David Roebuck kindly arranged the trip north a half hour to Owl Hollow and Dolly Pond. As it turned out he had asked Bishop Wade Phillips to guide us. Bishop Phillips had just published the first volume of a series on the history of the Church of God and I was familiar with his work. This was a pleasant surprise tour guide.
We arrived at the site (where now a Church of God of Prophecy stands nearby) and saw something laying on what appeared to be the foundation of the Dolly Pond church we were looking for. It was a sloughed snake skin. A delightful find indeed. Especially as it was not a live snake. 🙂
Naturally we posed with the serpent remains.
While wandering around the site, Phillips mentioned that he had been told (some 20 years prior by a nearby neighbor) that there was a small gathering of graves up on a hill near where the church had stood. We climbed the hill in search of the graves of potential members of the Dolly Pond Church of God With Signs Following and were again delighted by our find. We found a grave of one “Minnie L. Harden” (maiden name of Parker) buried near her parents Ben and Maggie Parker.
As it turned out Minnie had been pictured in Phillips’ book Quest to Restore God’s House: A Theological History of the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) Volume 1, 1886-1923, where she has a rattlesnake draped across her forehead with the sign “The Dolley [sic] Pond Church of God With Signs Following” just over her shoulder.
While I know this is not a typical trip (for anyone), it was a fun historical adventure reminding me of locating historical figures and movements in their times and contexts. It also reminds me that even when I vehemently oppose a practice I can still appreciate the sense of experiencing the stories of others and how they may have handled issues of faith and practice.
Works Cited
Olsen, Ted. “They Shall Take Up Serpents,” Christian History 17.2 (May 1998): p.24.
Phillips, Wade H. Quest to Restore God’s House: A Theological History of the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) Volume 1, 1886-1923. Cleveland, TN: CPT Press, 2014.
Tomlinson, Homer A. “It Came to Pass in Those Days”: The Shout of a King. Queens Village, N.Y.: Church of God, U.S.A. Headquarters, 1968.
W.onderful W.orld of W.adholms 
Fascinating. I knew that snake handling was practiced among some early Church of God members and leaders, while being opposed by others and eventually banned. One of my great-grandfathers was an independent Pentecostal preacher from Sand Mountain who took up the serpent. One of my wife’s great-grandfathers was a pioneer Pentecostal preacher who was present at the founding of the Assemblies of God in 1914. I cite my wife’s spiritual ancestry more often than my own.
I hate to break it to the author, but that cemetery and the Church of God of Prophecy is not near the location of the old Church of God with Signs to Follow. It was about 1.5 miles south of there, just past Gamble Rd. I have family members buried in that cemetery, one of which (my grandfather) used to catch some of the snakes for the “snake handling” church.
Do you know if they had several locations? Or just the one for their short history? I knew that the building was not precisely where we were (now was it really the foundation of the old building…thus my quotation marks in the picture description), but was told it was somewhere near there. Thank you for your comment! I was rather reliant upon Wade Phillips for my information about the church’s location.
To my knowledge, there was only one location. The building in this linked image ( https://goo.gl/maps/n2CobbYDCrK2 ) is not the original church building but it is at the approximate location of the original church.
I grew up on Dolly Pond Rd. and have a very faint memory of my Grandfather taking me to a service there when I was very young, maybe 5 or 6 years old. The church was still in operation through the late 1970s and possibly early 1980s. The Minnie Lois Parker Harden that you referenced in the article is also a relative. She was the sister of my grandmother (Lela Mae Parker Allison) who is also buried in the cemetery at the Church of God of Prophecy.
The Dolly Pond Church of God sits on land given to the church by my grandmother, Dora Swafford Young. Minnie Parker was an active leader in the church and was know to handle snakes regularly. Her daughter is married to my dad’s brother.
I must say I was pleasantly surprised to come across your article yesterday. The Minnie L. Parker that you speak of is my Great Grandmother. I was one of her pallbearers at her funeral.
Minnie was my great grandmother! I didn’t get to spend much time with her. I would have loved to hear her stories.
It is fantastic that several of her relatives (yourself included) have found my brief post. Thanks for commenting.