Smithfield Church of Christ This congregation can trace its history to October 25, 1888, when J. E. and Mary E. Turner deeded two lots of land in the new railroad town of Smithfield to Christian Church trustees Uriah French, Lewis Jones and Thomas Garrett. A one-room building was constructed on the property for worship services. Known as the Smithfield Church of Christ after a doctrinal split in the early 1900s, the congregation purchased property on this site in 1956, across the street from its original location, and completed a new building in 1960. Programs of study, worship and outreach continue to keep the Smithfield Church of Christ a significant part of the community's heritage.