Historic Tennessee Church the Site of Civil War Hospital

Blue Springs Lutheran Church | Greene County, Tennessee | Organized c. 1811

This church was constructed in 1893, but the congregation and cemetery were established many years earlier, in 1811 by German Lutherans who settled in the village of Mosheim. Mosheim was one of the earliest villages in
Greene County. Located on an old stagecoach route, Mosheim later grew and gained importance as a railroad stop when tracks for the Virginia-East Tennessee Rail Line were placed directly through the small town in 1858. In 1872, Lutherans established Mosheim College (Institute) in this area, named after German theologian Johann Lorenz Mosheim (1693-1755). The “Old College,” built around 1870, was a massive two-story brick building located north of the big spring that was purchased for the Lutheran school. Originally known as “Blue Springs,” after a local water source that contributed to the settling of this area, the town was renamed Mosheim in 1870 to reflect the college’s success.

Early records indicate that when it was founded (sometime before 1811), this church was originally called Patterson’s Church, organized by Rev. Charles Zacharius Schmidt. The original building was a log structure, erected on the same site where the church stands today. By 1820, its name had changed to Golden Springs Church, and then sometime between 1825 and 1830, the church changed its name to Blue Spring Church. Sometime before the Civil War, the original log church was replaced with a brick one.

The Battle of Blue Springs, October 1863

In October 1863, a battle broke out about one and a half miles east of this church site. Although the Battle of Blue Springs was a comparatively small battle, there were heavy casualties, totaling 100 Union and 216 Confederate dead and wounded.

The brick building that served the church at that time was used as a hospital by Union General Ambrose Burnside. According to local legend, amputated limbs of soldiers were buried in the front portion of the cemetery and a mass grave was dug out to make space for all the bodies of the dead. A marker has been placed in the area where this mass grave is believed to be located.

1893: A New Church is Built

The current building, erected in 1893, is the third used by the church at this site and has Folk Victorian with Gothic and Revival influences. The Rev. Francis Marion Harr, pastor of the church in 1893, is recognized as the architect and builder of the church. Sheathed in weatherboards, the decorative features of the building include Italianate brackets, drip moldings, and dentils at the cornice. A three-story bell tower on the façade and pedimented windows on the side elevations are prominent exterior features.

The church disbanded in 1964 when only five members were left. Six years later, the Tennessee Synod, of which the church was part, named a committee to get rid of the church that had “become more of a burden than an asset.” This aroused interest in the church so the board of trustees of the Blue Springs Cemetery Association and the Synod agreed that the building could remain standing if it was brought up to certain physical standards. The church received a facelift in 1971. That same year, the old Lutheran church became the Mosheim Church of God under a renting arrangement. It served in this capacity until 2009. Ownership of the church eventually fell to the Blue Springs Church Association which was formed in 2015 by a group of concerned citizens and relatives of those buried in the cemetery with the goal of returning the church and grounds to its former appearance.

In 2017, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Blue Springs Lutheran Cemetery

The adjacent cemetery pre-dates the church and is an important part of its history. Blue Springs Cemetery includes the graves of soldiers from the War of 1812 through the Vietnam War. At least 32 Civil War soldiers are buried there, in addition to a mass grave containing the remains of soldiers who lost their lives during the October 1863 Battle of Blue Springs. The oldest grave in the cemetery dates to 1830.

You can find a listing of all of the known burials here on Find A Grave.

Buried at Blue Springs

While researching the people buried at Blue Springs, I was able to find a handful of portraits of them to help bring their stories to life. If you have any additional information about the lives of the people mentioned below, please feel free to email me (kelly@theforgottensouth.com) so I can add your notes.