Frierson Chapel Church

In 1943, a tornado came through Robertson County and both the church and the school sustained heavy damages.  The congregation rallied together once again to save their place of worship and rebuilt the church in 1946. The congregation voted to rename the church Frierson Chapel after then pastor, Reverend W. D. Frierson.

Membership in the church dwindled throughout the years due to death and assimilation of members to other nearby congregations and in 1996 the church was closed. It was believed that over fifty parishioners were interned in the cemetery located behind the church, including Reverend Frierson.

Several times during the intervening years, previous members and the children of previous members attempted to preserve the church by keeping the grounds mowed and the church closed-up to the elements. However, the church and the school have been ravaged by the elements, vandalism and wild animals. The school has collapsed and is completely destroyed, but the church remained in good condition. 

In May of 2013, in an effort to better preserve the church and grounds, the last members of the church persuaded the United Methodist Church to donate it to the Town of Coopertown. Since that time, members of the Coopertown Commission for Culture, History and Art have worked together to clean-up the site. Various fundraisers and clean-up days over the year have been conducted.

In 2018, the Town successfully applied for church to be recognized as a “Ten in Tennessee” for the Tennessee Preservation Trust’s program for Endangered Properties program for garnering awareness for Tennessee's threatened historic properties. Many of the sites listed have received grants from the Tennessee Historical Commission (THC) and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), protecting these resources for generations to come. Listing on the Ten in Tennessee Endangered List raises awareness of the property's historic value, gives credibility to restoring the building, and draws the much needed attention of the public. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places for Robertson County, TN.

The church register was found and returned several years ago to the United Methodist Church in Clarksville. It is believed that this record will provide information as to whom is buried in the cemetery, who the church members were throughout the years, and other important historical data with regard to the church. Unfortunately, the Town has been able to secure the register to date and asks for the public’s assistance. The hope is that the ancestral information can be used by current and former citizens and relatives of our Town and members of the church when searching for non-living family members.