Tag Archives: church

-Alabama, Cemeteries, Churches and Temples, National Register of Historic Places

Adams Grove Presbyterian Church in Dallas County, Alabama

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Located in Dallas County, Alabama, on Cahaba-Greenville Road stands one of Alabama’s remaining antebellum churches. Built around 1853, Adams Grove Presbyterian Church is an example of Greek Revival architecture. Outside the columns that typify Greek Revival architecture, the church contains separate entrances for men, women, and the enslaved. Additionally, there is a slave gallery which was typical of antebellum churches in the South. 

The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Because it is made of heart pine (an extremely hard wood from old-growth pine trees that are no longer in existence), the church remains in incredible condition.

The Slave Gallery
Pulpit
Steps to slave gallery
Slave gallery

A thank you to my friends, Victoria Lemos and Kristin Halloran, who took these photos as I was injured on our trip and couldn’t wander with them.

-South Carolina, Cemeteries, Churches and Temples

Dothan Methodist Church-Morgana Community, South Carolina

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Built in 1885 in the Morgana Community near Clarks Hill, South Carolina, the Dothan Methodist Church was active until the 1930s. For a fuller history, you can read more at the South Carolina Picture Project.

There is a small adjacent cemetery that resembles most rural Southern cemeteries. There is one headstone that stood out. It was the grave of Marjorie “Jerry” Scott, a woman who served as an ensign during World War II. She served as a codebreaker. You can read more about her in her obituary. It is estimated of the 10,000 women who served in the war, almost half helped decipher codes on behalf of the United States.

-Georgia, Black History, Cemeteries, Churches and Temples, Vernacular Headstones

Mountain Creek AME Church-Sumter County, Georgia

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Mountain Creek AME Church is located in Sunter County. The main church building was constructed in 1890. The fellowship hall was added in 1990.

This building was on the property. The abandoned piano makes me wonder if it was the old Sunday school. It could have been an old school. I don’t believe it is an old church because tar paper isn’t typically used on churches.

-Georgia, Abandoned, Black History, Churches and Temples

Mother Easter Baptist Church – Moultrie, Georgia

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Mother Easter Baptist Church was founded in 1894 in Moultrie, Georgia, by Rev. James O. Kelley and several community leaders. The church was named in honor of “Mother Easter,” believed to be Easter Smith, a widow who allowed worship services to be held in her home before the church was built. After early growth and multiple relocations due to fires in 1903 and 1905, the congregation purchased this location in 1906.

Rev. Kelley served as the first pastor, followed by a succession of leaders who guided the church through rebuilding and expansion. Notable growth occurred under Rev. J.J. Strickland from 1942 to the late 1950s, when membership increased significantly and the church was remodeled with an added annex. In 1962, Rev. Emory Harrison Hopkins became the church’s first full-time pastor. The congregation moved into their current structure in 1985.

-Georgia, Churches and Temples, National Register of Historic Places

Old Saint Teresa Catholic Church of Albany, Georgia

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The Old Saint Teresa Catholic Church is the oldest church in Albany, Georgia. Built by enslaved craftspeople, construction began in 1859 but was halted during the Civil War. It was completed in 1882. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

-Georgia, Churches and Temples

Norman College Chapel-Norman Park, Georgia

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This Space Age mid-century chapel is located on the Norman College campus in Norman Park, Georgia.

Completed in 1960, it was funded by Ada Norman Baker, a trustee of the college and the daughter of the town’s founder, who donated $15,000 toward its construction.

The architect, however, remains a mystery. I would love to get my hands on old Norman College yearbooks and local newspapers to see if the answer might be hiding there.