---
title: 'Edward Mack on the Samuel Morris Reading Room'
type: post
author: 'R. Andrew Myers'
date: 2025-08-21
url: https://confessional.org/blog/2025-edward-mack-on-the-samuel-morris-reading-room
---

# Edward Mack on the Samuel Morris Reading Room

“That is a strange and beautiful story, but too well known to need repetition. Only a few high points of interest can here be touched. Samuel Morris, a carpenter at Pole Green, and other men of his community, dissenting from the dull formality and want of faith and piety in the Established Church and its clergy, absented themselves from the unspiritual services. This they had done without the knowledge of each other’s actions until summoned before the magistrate to be fined for failure to attend the parish church.

Brave and true men that they were, they did the right thing, refusing to bow to ecclesiastical oppression. Their consciences stood upright. Paying honestly the fine for non-attendance, so many pounds of tobacco, they now gathered regularly each Sabbath in the home of Morris for Bible Reading, and to hear read what good books might be available. Whitefield’s sermons and Luther’s Commentary on Galatians were among their selections. Soon the home of Morris was too small for the increasing numbers, who came to hear and learn. Then came the erection of the first dissenting Meeting House, to be known as Morris’ Reading House, because it was built on the land of Mr. Morris. This building, too, was soon found to be too small for the roused and seeking throngs, and another larger building, and after that a still larger, succeeded it. Finally in 1757 the Pole Green Church, under the ministry of Samuel Davies, was built on the site which we mark today.” — [**Edward Mack**](/authors/edward-mack-sr), *Samuel Davies in Hanover County* (1930)