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From:Leota Bennet (personal communication June 9 2008)
 Francis Asbury spent the better part of his adult life on horseback, spreading methodism along the eastern seaboard and inland into the backcountry. |
The Keywood Conference was hosted by two families in May 13-15, 1788.
Bishop Asbury then went to Kentucky and when he returned to the area, he
held Huffaker Conference on 1792 at the home of Michael Huffaker/Halfaker at
his Greenfield farm home. The conference was held in May and the weather
took a turn and was bitter cold. The house had only one fire place. It was
downstairs and used for cooking the meal for the gathered group. The men met
upstairs. These were the second and third conference. There had been an
earlier one at or near Pine Chapel (see also: Pine Chapel) at the French Broad Settlement with
Arabella Cunningham and her daughter Arabella C Winton's husband John Winton
being the host families.
| | In 1801 or 1802, Michael Huffaker/Halfaker gave two acres of his land to
form the Mahanim Methodist Church and Cemetery. The Church exist today and
is still has a circuit rider minister. It in on the north west section of
the farm. The church holds its annual conference locally in May.
| | Today the area is called Clinchburg to the west and Greenfields to the East
of the Stone Mill road. It has a railroad overpass going through it and
another road. The mill at one time sat on the road near the RR underpass. Of
course the Stone mill was there from the late 1700's. The mill collapsed
over the years. The large wheel was removed a few years ago and is used in a
restoration mill exhibit near the Saltville Golf Course. Most of the
Huffaker/Halfacre family move to the Seven Islands area where the French
Broad and Holston Rivers meet just east of Knoxville.
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Additional Sources
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