Tag Archives: Baptist Church

Zion Hill Baptist Church-Haralson County, Georgia

I was unable to find any history on the church. Based on FindAGrave, the oldest recorded burial is 1900. The church has burials in three distinct locations. The older sections were further from the church.

This marker for Grace Holcomb, 1909-1962, was my favorite find of the day. The top detail reminds me of a crown. The careful lettering and leaf etching illustrate how careful the artist was in making this. According to findagrave, there is another marker like this, but I was not successful in finding it.

On occasion, I will find Eldren Bailey markers where his markers are incorporated into other materials. Rufus and Cassie Rowe lived outside of Bremen. Rufus worked for the railroad. According to Ancestry, they had at least ten children.

Their Eldren Baikey markers were encased in concrete decorated in shells. Seashells are a common Christian symbol used in cemeteries, especially in the South, to represent a crossing over or spiritual journey. It also is believed that enslaved people utilized shells to represent that the sea brought them to this land, but the sea would also take them back to Africa.

There were also other Eldren Bailey markers in the cemetery.

Lawrence Holcomb, d. 1970
Mrs. Claudie Spear, 1909-1973

Below are a few different views of the cemetery.

Little Vine Primitive Baptist Church-Haralson County, Georgia

Little Vine Primitive Baptist Church was founded in 1875. Because some window panes were broken out, I believe this church is no longer active. I did find a reference to a sacred harp workshop being hosted by the church in 2018, so it has only become inactive in recent years.

Sacred harp singing is an American music tradition that started in New England and became very popular in the South. It derives its name from a songbook titled The Sacred Harp that utilized shape notes and musical notations to assist singing in groups, like church congregations.

Old Mountain Page Church-Henderson County, North Carolina

The congregation of Mountain Page Church was formed in 1785, and their first church was completed in 1785. The next structure was built in 1830. This structure has an unknown build date. The current structure that is closer to Saluda was built in 1930.

Greenwood Baptist Church-Lincoln County, Georgia

Organized in 1772, the Greenwood Baptist Church is one of the oldest in the state of Georgia. Originally known as Upton Creek Baptist Church, they changed their name when it was decided to move the congregation into a wooded area. The church was completed by 1812.

Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church-Glennville, Alabama

The congregation began in 1862. Unfortunately, this is the only information I could find on the church.

Mill Bethel Missionary Baptist Church-Stewart County, Georgia

While I’ve seen this church identified as an AME church, I believe it to be a Baptist Church. Based on obituaries, it was called this until as late as 2017. I can only locate obituaries that refer to this building as Mill Bethel Church or Mill Bethel Baptist Church. According to an announcement in The Ledger and Enquirer in 1980, the church was celebrating it’s 108th anniversary. While I date the building to the early 1900s, the congregation seems to have been founded in 1872.