The Asbury United Methodist Church

In the approximate year of 1825, Asbury United Methodist Church (AUMC) was constructed upon land that Isaac Terrell Bradley lended in Otto. The building itself was built out of standard straight-off-the-tree hickory logs, and was sat on land now occupied by the church cemetery. It was used as a schoolhouse and also a general meeting place for anyone. As it grew in popularity, after a while it grew stagnant and twenty years later the church was abandoned. The first church served them until about 1876, and a new church was built out of now hand-hewn logs. Just as the frame-like structure was built, the building burnt down in 1902. The chimney flue was left unattended as services had commenced for the day. John Moore had witnessed it all under his pastorate, and he turned his mind to building anew. A new church was built under his undying faith for the church. Pastor Moore successfully built another church, but around the 1930’s the church became too small to support the growing community.

Still during the 1930’s, Pastor J.C. Swain took it upon himself to create the plans for another, larger church. The plan was to have the land commissioned by someone in the community, and Edward Roy Bradley and Bessie Rodgers Bradley donated the land to the church. The final, still standing church was built on July 6th, 1941. Inside the church, the founding names are displayed on a wall. Pastor J.C. Swain, Bishop Clare Purcell, District Superintendent W.L. Hutchins, and Reverend E.J. Coltrane celebrated at the opening ceremony. A cemetery was built on Andrew Bradley’s property that he gifted to the church. In 1925, additional property was gained from C.G. Gunter, and was used for more cemetery plots. Even more land was bought from the land owner, Mr. Bradley, and was used again for more of the cemetery. Control over what is done to the cemetery was eventually expanded to people who weren’t associated with the church in 1971.

The cemetery was built as early as 1875. When you first arrive at the site of burial, you will see new gravestones built first and old, ancient ones built when it was first established. The reason for this odd layout is because graves were built on the empty plot of land that the second church burned down on. They used different, more modern monuments to symbolize the new gravestones built. They were used as symbols for different people that fought in various different wars. Confederate, WW1, WW2, and other soldiers were buried here with their respective gravestones. In some areas in the cemetery, they have monuments for victories or achievements made by individual soldiers or civilians. Many of the founding families’ that contributed to this county greatly are buried here. The families’ gravestones are common in the cemetery because of the hundreds of years of history they have behind them. This beautiful cemetery and church have been a part of many Otto-born North Carolinians and has also been a large part of many families history over the years.

White, S Barbara. A Month of Sundays in God’s Country. Franklin, North Carolina 28734: Genealogy Publishing Service.

Henson, Ralph. Two Centuries of Otto of History; 1789 to 1999. North Carolina: s.n, 1999.

“Asbury Cemetery.” Find a Grave. Accessed May 7th, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/46746/asbury-cemetery