MARYVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- It's a little more than 20 by 30 feet. A small historic black church, with some of its founding members buried there, and a cornerstone marking its beginning a century ago.

"My grandmother, my grandfather, uncles, cousins."

Retired Pastor Stone Carr has relatives buried in the Wilders Chapel cemetery, and understands how big a significance this tiny church was to Maryville's black community.

"Much of this land in this area was owned by blacks, the Garners, the property was donated by blacks. There's a strong connection over time."

Once owned by the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Wilders Chapel is getting up-rooted, and will take up roots about 15-miles away.

This is the site of the church's new home. The Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, and when the church arrives, workers will remove any modern changes that were done, taking it back 100 years to the Wilders Chapel of 1910.

"Then we'll start looking for a pot belly stove because we can show that there was a pot belly stove in here originally," said Bob Patterson, Director of the Heritage Center.

The church's roof is already on-site, and these pews will be added, but not for a congregation to hear sermons.

"The idea being that we'll take the church and will use it to tell education programs of how a church was in the community," said Patterson.

Carr said "There are those coming up behind us who will want to know some of the history that some of us older ones won't be here to give and it will be preserved."