The Trails of St. John: A Story of Grace, Hard Work, and Rediscovery
- St. John in the Wilderness
- Aug 1
- 4 min read
Five years ago, Fr. Josh Stephens, the Rector of St. John in the Wilderness, started a ministry called Holy Hikes of WNC, which organizes group hiking each month for a time of recreation and prayer. Shortly after that, the church began working with a member named Rivers Stone, who wanted to build an outdoor meeting space somewhere on the church property. Rivers sadly passed away unexpectedly during this time, but he very generously left resources for the church to use however the vestry discerned would be helpful. In addition, parishioners have contributed funds to purchase benches for the outdoor worship area, as well as kiosks and interpretive signs.
Over the years, there had long been talk of the old Jerusalem Path which Rev. John Grimke Drayton and C.G. Memminger developed and walked to church on in the mid-1800s. The path was mostly a distant memory, except for one small section of it that was still visible near the historic parsonage of the parish. As Holy Hikes of WNC kept growing, the idea of having trails on our own property sounded more and more interesting, including restoring the historic Jerusalem Path so people could walk from the church to the Carl Sandburg National Historic Site. The Trail Subcommittee of Holy Hikes of WNC began to work on planning a trail system that would include narrower single-track trails and a wider gravel path which would be called “The New Jerusalem Path.” They selected Todd Branham with Long Cane Trails as a trail designer and builder. He seemed to understand how these trails were to be part of the church’s identity – the church’s story.
At the same time, an interesting conversation with Luke Hunter, who was president of Historic Flat Rock at the time, led to a meeting with John Barker, the Parish Historian, and Fr. Josh. Luke Hunter showed them lidar images of the church property which had clear evidence of structures that once existed in the same woods where the trails were being planned. They began to clear away the English ivy and thorns in several places in the woods where they found evidence that structures had once existed there. The group was solving a mystery with many clues, but it was obvious that a cabin, springhead, and a walled-in area had once been a part of the church property. An initial consultation with state archeologists confirmed that they should move ahead researching this area, so the church invested in hiring an archaeology firm to lead a dig in early 2025. Through new archaeological technology and old-fashioned careful digging, the team found ample evidence of human habitation in the church’s woods from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s. Archival evidence was discovered concurrently that referenced a “Servant’s House,” while further research indicated that it was likely built for the Parsonage, which was erected in 1853. The timing confirmed what was suspected, that the living quarters that once stood near the Parsonage were built for housing the enslaved laborers brought to Flat Rock by the clergy prior to emancipation. The archaeologists worked with John Barker to confirm that a springhouse, ice house, walled garden, and cabin once stood on the property.
About these discoveries, the Fr. Josh reflects, “We have been incredibly blessed to discover new chapters of our history that we did not know much about before. There was a lot more to the Parsonage for many, many years.”
The church is frequently visited by locals and tourists as a historical site. One of the most moving parts of the property is the African-American Burial Ground, and visitors are often curious to understand how slavery was a part of the church’s history.
“We have viewed our history as a church regarding slavery in different ways over the decades," said Fr. Josh. "Indeed, each parishioner has unique thoughts on the question. The records show that we did not always honor the full humanity of Black people at St. John, though many church members have leaned into the conversation in constructive ways. In more recent times, we have been curious to learn about the enslaved people who were members of our community even though they may have not had a choice in the matter. We know that they are a part of us and so we want to tell their story, too, since they were baptized and married in our church and were laid to rest in our churchyard.”
To that end, Fr. Josh has led efforts to connect with the descendants of early members of the church who were enslaved. The trail system honors the lives those early members who were enslaved by naming two of the trails after them and sharing their stories.
Fr. Josh often talks about how following Jesus and sharing life in Christian community is the
adventure of a lifetime. The Trails of St. John will certainly invite people to that adventure as they discover the holy ground of the church in a modern way. The hope is that our neighbors will be able to find rest and renewal through time in God’s good Creation on these trails. Devotional references may be added in the future to help people reflect and pray. A new mountain bike team is starting in August for elementary school kids who can learn to ride bikes and to pray on these trails while having fun together. Information for the team can be found here.
St. John in the Wilderness hopes the trails will be a blessing for their parishioners and for the broader community. There was a time when people in Flat Rock had to walk or ride horses to get around. It turns out that time close to the earth and moving more slowly is good for the body and good for the soul. Sometimes we realize that the best things for us are the old ways, the old paths, that we can rediscover if we are willing to set out for an adventure on the trail. We might just find ourselves on holy ground.