The Crawford Baptist Church, built in 1885 near the Crawford Depot, is notable for the carved details above the Gothic Revival stained glass windows.
Crawford Baptist Church-Crawford, Georgia
Tag Archives: Baptist Church
Raytown, Georgia’s Sardis Baptist Church
The congregation of Sardis Baptist Church Began in 1814. The modest Carpenter Gothic church was built in 1899. Based on the Eldren Bailey headstones and Ancestry searches, I know the people buried here are African American, so I believe this to be a historic Black congregation.
The 1814 date on the sign makes me believe the congregation began as white, and local planters brought the people they enslaved to the church. A handful of Black churches throughout Georgia began before the Civil War, like the Strawberry Chapel AME in Laurens County. Still, I am not aware of any that started that early. I suspect this church became a separate Black congregation after the Civil War. Unfortunately, there are so many Sardis Baptist Churches that it’s been challenging to tease out the history from online searches, and the church does not seem to have a web presence. There also doesn’t seem to be a separate book written about Taliaferro (pronounced Tolliver) County.
I will update the post if I get more information.
Note: While the sign does say Sharon, this church is much closer to the community of Raytown.
The Abandoned Young’s Chapel Baptist Church in Wilkes County, Georgia
While this church sits abandoned in the woods, a newer church is on the property. The congregation was established in 1885, and tax records indicate the church was built in the same year.
Based on the death certificates on a findagrave and the obituaries I located, this is a historic Black congregation.
Below are three of the obituaries I located online at the Atlanta Constitution.
Durham’s Chapel Baptist Church of Bethpage, Tennessee
The Durham’s Chapel community was formed by freedmen and women after the conclusion of the Civil War. It is now a part of the town of Bethpage. The church was founded in 1866 by Reverend Peter Vertrees. Vertrees is noted for his work in founding many Black churches and schools in the Middle Tennessee area. The Freedmen’s Bureau supported funding for the building of the first church.
Durham’s Chapel is one of the few communities that still have a Rosenwald School. The building was restored and is used for church events.
Powell Baptist Church and Cemetery of Talbot County, Georgia
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.
Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church of Waynesville, North Carolina
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.
