A group passionate about preserving a cemetery dating back to the late 1800s is planning a benefit for Saturday at the Beulah Ruritan Club building.

This is the committee of the Flat Top Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery’s second annual event. The group raised $7,500 last year, and all monies raised will go toward the upkeep of the cemetery for the next 25 to 30 years.

The benefit will feature a pinto bean supper, slaw, cornbread and desserts. Highlights will include a womanless beauty pageant, and music will be provided by Carolina Travelers. There also will be several raffle ticket drawings including $100 of gas, a Tim Bruce print, an Arvil “Shep” Sheppard print and a 50/50 drawing. The $1 raffle tickets are available from committee members and on the day of the event.

Debbie Cave, a committee member, has grandparents and a brother buried in the cemetery and plans to be buried there herself. Clarence Goings, another committee member, has a grandfather and grandmother and a great-grandmother buried in the cemetery. Goings remembers attending the church as a child.

The two committee members said there is no charge to be buried at the cemetery, so many people take advantage of that, but as attendance at the church has declined, the group saw a need to raise enough money for perpetual care of the cemetery.

Originally known as Franklin Primitive Baptist Church, it is one of the original churches in the Association of Primitive Baptist Churches, with records indicating that fellowship and services began in the early 1800s.

“Official records show the church as being established under the leadership of P.B. Cockerham. Other elders serving as pastors include Elijah Ramey, T.J. Lawson and W.H. Atkinson — all well known as community icons,” said Cave.

“The cemetery of the church currently has approximately 500 graves and is divided into two sections. Known as east-lower and west-upper, grave layout is very irregular and many gravesites have markers and monuments that have aged and deteriorated to the point of being illegible,” said Cave.

The cemetery committee encourages support from the community and especially those who have family or loved ones buried in Flat Top Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery. Gifts can be made by checks, wills, memorials or honorariums, people just need be sure to indicate the gift is for the Cemetery Trust Fund. All gifts are tax deductible and a receipt is mailed to each donor.

Flat Top Church is in the Beulah community on Haystack Road and is still a functioning sanctuary. Elder Steve Mosley is the pastor. Services are held regularly on the second Sunday of each month. June services include traditional foot washing and lunch on the grounds.

In 2001, several community members gathered and discussed the difficulty of maintaining and the need to preserve the historic cemetery. It was decided to establish a committee to organize efforts and create a Cemetery Trust Fund. After several years of working on legal issues, the Flat Top Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery Committee was formed and 17 members committed their dedication on Jan. 1, 2005. A formal trust agreement was prepared and approved by the cemetery committee.

Cave said a major milestone for the committee occurred during July 2008 when IRS approval was obtained, giving the Trust Fund exempt tax status.

All funds are managed by the committee, with trustees overseeing major financial decisions. Money received is invested, with only the interest being allowed to be utilized annually.

An annual meeting and cemetery clean-up day for the committee is held on the first Saturday of May each year.

Contact Debbie Cave at 710-4472 for questions or to make a donation. Correspondence also can be mailed to FTPBCCTF, P.O. Box 1843, Mount Airy, NC 27030.

Contact Mondee Tilley at mtilley@mtairynews.com or at 719-1930.