1871 - Empire
The area known as Empire is located four miles south of Mascotte.
During the 1800s there were few established roads.
Houses were built in isolated areas, sometimes several miles apart.
This sometimes makes it difficult to establish definite boundaries for settlements and to place certain families in specifically named areas.
John Knight I, was an ironmaster in England and played a role in creating the family's wealth through the Bringewood Ironworks.
His son, John Knight II (1765-1850), the son of an ironmaster from a family with a strong industrial background, was himself a prominent agricultural pioneer who was known for his significant contributions to land reclamation in England.
He was born in Lea Castle, Wolverley, and later became the owner of Simonsbath
House in Exmoor, Somerset. His most notable achievement was the reclamation of the Exmoor Forest, which he purchased in 1818. This project was the largest single land reclamation effort in England at the time, transforming barren moorland into productive agricultural land.
John Knight II's legacy includes, not only his agricultural advancements, but also his
involvement in legal disputes, such as the notable Knight v Knight case in 1840, which revolved around inheritance issues.
He married twice, first to Helen Charlotte Hope, and then to Hon. Jane Elizabeth Allanson-Winn, with whom he had several children, including Colonel Sir Frederick Winn Knight, who continued his father's work in Exmoor.
The Knight family, particularly through John Knight Il, was quite wealthy, primarily due to their involvement in
agriculture and ironworks. John Knight Il's reclamation of land in Exmoor not only increased his wealth but
also established him as a significant landowner in the region. His ventures in agriculture and land
management were lucrative, contributing to the family's financial stability.
One of his sons was James Henry Knight. The family lineage suggests that James Henry Knight likely inherited a legacy of industriousness and land management from his father and grandfather.
The Knight family was involved in various industries, including agriculture and ironworks, which shaped their social and economic standing in society.
While specific details about James Henry Knight's life and contributions are not readily available, it can be inferred that he was influenced by the pioneering spirit of his father and grandfather, who were both significant figures in their respective fields.
It is known that James Henry Knight settled south of what is now Mascotte, about 1871, in an area that would be called Empire.
In 1871, a church was established there with Rev. Joel Swain as the first pastor from 1871 until 1876. It became known as Empire Church and was the first one built in South Lake County.
It is known that land was purchased from the government by James Henry Knight and would later be deeded for the erecting of a church building and for a graveyard.
The charter members and their families of this congregation came from various communities, including:
George W. Dukes (Taylorville),
Jesse Lee (Carter's Island),
Simeon Tison (Bay Lake).
Services were held under a big oak tree in the church yard of the
present site until 1872 when a log cabin was erected. This was used until
1890 when it was torn down and a white, frame, rectangular building was
erected.
It is recorded that people came from miles around to attend service at this Primitive Baptist Church.
People arrived in ox carts, wagons, on horse back, or walked.
The Empire graveyard is one of the oldest in this area.
Although not charter members, others who joined during the 1800s were the families of:
Stephen Carlton,
John Douglas,
John Goff,
John Story (Bay Lake),
Aaron and Mose Tomlinson,
Jake Varn (from east of Taylorville),
along with others.
Around 1874, the family of James and Lavina Lee arrived in Monte Vista.
James was the brother of Jesse Lee who had already come to Monte Vista or Carter's Island around 1871.
James was a medic during the War of Northern Agression (Civil War).
Since there were no doctors in Empire, James offered medical help to the locals.
Milton Lee, one of their six children, married Idaho Swain, the granddaughter of Joel Swain, who was the first pastor of Empire Church.
The Empire graveyard, being one of the oldest in this area, has many early settlers, including James Henry Knight, buried 1888, and veterens of the War of Norther Agression (Civil War) buried there, including:
Aaron Tomlinson, buried 1886
Newton Stewart, buried 1895.
Other Confederate veterans buried there are:
Stephen S. Carlton,
Hezekiah Drawdy,
James Lee,
Jesse Lee,
John Story,
Simeon Tison.
The little church showed a spurt of growth in 1885
when James Henry Knight, as trustee, purchased an additional 40 acres
for it.
The first two buildings were made of logs. The third was
a frame construction and the fourth of cement blocks. The second framed structure was disassembled and rebuit as a house on N. Sunset Street in Mascotte.
The 40 acres were turned over to Jacob B. Varn
and John A. Douglass, as trustees, by the heirs of James
Henry Knight in 1889.
At the dedication of one of the buildings, the following from old church records was read for those assembled, said Bettye Knight Barest of Lakeland, great-granddaughter of James Henry Knight:
"In the year of 1871, these old brethren met here for the purpose of worship, and earnestly contended for the faith that was once delivered to
the saints when the wolves and panthers and bears and other wild beasts were prowling around. People came here from miles and miles around. Some on horseback. And some walked for miles and the Lord was their defense."
As time went on, 20 of the original 40 acres were
sold and the rest not needed for the church became
a cemetery where many of the original church members are
buried.
In his later years, J. Chester Lee contributed some interesting observations regarding early church life in Leesburg:
"Very few of the ministers had even a 2nd Grade education, but
they were overflowing with religion and could quote the Bible, as an
old-timer once said, 'from kiver to kiver'.
Their sermons were never less than two hours in
length - a long time for a small boy to sit still
on a hard bench.
In those days the entire family attended church and
sat together.
When the minister prayed, he would get down on his hands
and knees and crawl around on the floor, praying,
shouting and singing. There were no musical instruments or songbooks in the little log church, so the minister would read the hymn,
a verse at the time, and the congregation would sing it.
On Saturday the women folks would cook up a
lot of crowing roosters, cackling hens,
squealing pigs, lowing cows,
and pies and cakes of all kinds, which were carried to
the church on sunday.
Everyone was well filled.
After the meal there was another
long sermon, praying, shouting and singing.
There were no night services as most of the people
lived one to ten miles from church, so they had to
get home in time to attend to the stock and chickens before dark."
Simon "Tom" Brown, Jr. recounted his visits to Empire Church with his grandmother in the 1940s and 1950s:
"Grandma Lundie Hart was a member of Empire Church. Since she lived passed the north side of Mascotte, she didn't like to take the long lonely drive out there by herself. Being a young boy, I couldn't tell her "no" like the rest of the family, so a lot of the time, I ended up having to go with her.
"The church had long wooden plank pews. They were hard to sit on, but since they were Primitive Baptists, they spent most of the time standing up, so no one complained even though the sermons would last for hours."
Like many settlements, after establishing a church to build the soul, the next step was to start a school to build the mind.
Soon Empire would have its own school.
In 1900, A. S. Carter was the Supervisor and Jas. K. McClelland was a teacher.
Class of 1900:
Ollie Carter
Bessie Carter
Roalia Carter
Bertha Carter
Melvina Tomlinson
Carrie Tomlinson
Leila Knight
Ethel Knight
Elsie Knight
Clifford Varn
Loca Carter
Solomon Carter
Walter Carter
Eldred Carter
Guilford.Carter
Joe E. Carter
James Carter
Benj. Tomlinson
Vergil Tomlinson
Wesley Knight
Lemuel Knight
Lucius Tomlinson
Allen Carter
Samuel Lee
J. A. Carter
Ezekiel Varn
Alfred Tomlinson
[Contributors: Mary Helen Myers, Jason Brown, Simon T. Brown, Jr]