Powell Baptist Church’s congregation began in 1879. Its founding date indicates that this is a freedmen’s church, which means its founders were likely enslaved. The first minister was Reverend J. Bowell. Tax records indicate the church was built at the same time. At some point, the edifice was covered in brick. The painted brick archway adds character to the building. The church is still active.
There are many different types of headstones found here, from homemade to commercial. The most surprising find is what appears to be two separate cairns placed end to end. So far, I’ve only found this covering in historically white cemeteries in Georgia.
The vernacular marker for Eddie Leonard (1950-1981)CairnsLeon Leonard (1939-1967)Mr. Oscar Lee Beach (1900-1983)The Eldren Bailey marker for Luella OwensThe modern crowned marker and ledger stone for Rosie Lee Thomas Biggs (1932-2013)
Matthew’s Chapel, located between Waverly Hall and Woodland, Georgia, was built around the end of the Civil War. The Methodist Church showcases Greek Revival features. Additionally, the two doors provided separate entrances for men and women. The small cemetery is located to the right of the church.
Patrick Prather built the Tugaloo Church in 1856 near Cross Roads, South Carolina. In 1870, it was moved to its current location near the Tugaloo River. The Presbyterian church was active until 1968.
St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church was consecrated in 1876 after it was built on land donated by Frances Kimble Butler Leigh. Rev. James Wentworth Leigh, an Anglican minister who had moved to McIntosh County in 1873 as Frances’s husband, obtained the church’s designs. It was built to resemble an English church. The newly freedmen built the church to serve as the Black Episcopalian church. The church was named after a martyred Black saint.
Unfortunately, the church was destroyed in an 1896 hurricane. It was rebuilt and severely damaged again in the 1898 hurricane. Completed in 1901, the church is one of the most complete tabby buildings on the coast.
Halfway between Eulonia and Crescent, Georgia, is the Briar Patch Community. You will find one of the few remaining praise houses left along the coast.
Praise houses were small structures on plantations where enslaved people worshipped. They are associated with the Gullah-Geechee culture. Ty Moody (2023) writes on the South Carolina ETV website, “Praise houses were erected as a place of worship on the plantation, but the real intentions were to keep enslaved Africans from mingling with others on different plantations. Despite the controlled measures, the praise house become the center of the community for enslaved Africans and where freedom was most experienced.”
Praise houses were erected as a place of worship on the plantation, but the real intentions were to keep enslaved Africans from mingling with others on different plantations. Despite the controlled measures, the praise house become the center of the community for enslaved Africans and where freedom was most experienced.-Ty Moody
Worshippers often participated in “ring shouts,” a shuffling or stomping movement in a circle while praying and clapping hands. The McIntosh Ring Shouters was founded by community members in Briar Patch. It was believed that the practice of ring shouting was lost until the group was discovered in 1980.
Tied to the Mt Calvary Baptist Church, the Bolden Home Lodge was built in the 1920s. When my friends and I arrived to photograph the praise hoise, we met someone who shared that his great grandfather, Reverend Nathan Palmer, helped build it. Reverend Palmer was an integral member of creating the community of Briar Patch.
The town of Waynesville, North Carolina, has been devastated by flooding caused by Hurricane Helene. When I drove through a few weeks ago on a Labor Day weekend road trip, I immediately stopped to photograph the Carpenter Gothic twin towers. It’s a gorgeous church that sits on a hill. Based on its location, it may have escaped the flooding.
The church was built in 1907 and is a part of the historic Black community, Pigeon Street.
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