The following excerpt is from an article published in the April 26, 2011 edition of the Middletown Transcript.
Odessa, Delaware: With spring in full swing and June just around the corner, the Friends of Old Drawyers are hard at work preparing for one of the most prominent religious services in the area.
On the first Sunday of June each year, members of the community, local constituents and area historians gather on the grounds of Old Drawyer’s Presbyteran Church and Cemetery in Odessa to pay homage to the church’s rich history. The tradition will continue as the church celebrates its 300th anniversary Sunday, June 5, at 2 p.m.
“Anybody who has an interest in local or regional history or church history will enjoy this service,” said Doug Bennett, president of the Friends of Old Drawyer’s, which has restored and maintained the property since 1895. “The physical number of community and state leaders who have passed through these doors is very significant to the history of this area.”
Founded in 1711, the church’s original log structure was eventually replaced by the current early American colonial building in 1773 during the American Revolution. When the congregation split in 1865, the church fell into disrepair until the Friends of Old Drawyers took it over, Bennett said.
