Category Archives: Churches and Temples

First African Baptist Church-Darien, Georgia

Built in 1868, the First African Baptist Church in Darien is a replica of an earlier-built 1834 church on the same site. It was burned during the 1863 burning by Federal troops during the Civil War.

Circular Congregational Church Burial Ground-Charleston, South Carolina

Reverend James Parker, d. 1742

Founded in 1681, the Circular Congregational Church is one of the oldest churches in continual use in Charleston. The burial ground, also known as graveyard since it is next to the church, is the oldest one in the city. The first burial occurred in 1695.

George Hesket, 1690-1847

Many of the grave markers are made of slate and carved in New England. The tympanic markers illustrate the evolution of grave symbolism. Skull and crossbones were part of the earlier designs, but they evolved to angels and portraiture. The graveyard contains the most slate markers in a Southern state.

Reverend Guliemi Hutson, 1720-1761
Solomon Milner, 1727-1757

David Stoddard, d. 1769

Church of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin-Sharon, Georgia

Built in 1883, the Church of the Purification is tied to the oldest Catholic congregation in Georgia. Started in 1790 by several families from Maryland, the congregation began in Locust Grove in Taliaferro County. This church is the third building of the church. The church no longer hosts regular services.

Little Union Primitive Baptist Church-Roberta, Georgia

Founded on November 19, 1825, the Little Union Primitive Baptist Church sits just outside Roberta, Georgia, in what was known as the Friendship Community. The land for the church and cemetery was given by Jasper Taylor, a local farmer and enslaver. The church was built with enslaved labor. Like many white churches at the time, enslaved men and women attended the same church services as their white enslavers. Unlike many churches, there was no slave gallery, but a wall was built to separate the Black parishioners from the white ones.

Marker for siblings, Ruth (1882-1883) and Clyde (1884-1884) Hays

The church cemetery is unusual because most Primitive Baptists believe in a simple, unadorned look. This applies to their cemetery, too. This cemetery has three Victorian monuments of note, which is a rare find in the state of Georgia.

This is the marker for Mary Ann Smith Hays (1850-1904), Ruth and Clyde’s mother.
James Taylor, 1836-1913. Taylor was the son of the man who donated for the church and the cemetery. This monument is listed on the Smithsonian’s Outdoor Sculpture database.

A brief history can be found here.

Cedar Creek Baptist Cemetery-Wilcox County, Georgia

Located outside of Abbeville, Georgia, the cemetery for the Cedar Creek Baptist Church features a mixture of iron work, vernacular headstones, and Victorian influenced monuments.

John B. Mitchell (1845-1913)
Mary Mitchell, 1846-1927
Mary Dennard, 1886-1887

Georgetown United Methodist Church-Georgetown, Georgia