Located on a long dirt road in Wilkes County, Georgia, the Jones Chapel is an abandoned church that used to serve the spiritual needs for the Black community in the surrounding community.
Historic Rural Churches of Georgia believes that it likely started as a white church and switched to a Black church in the early 1900s.
Ezekiel Congregational Methodist Church has captured the imagination of many photographers curious about abandoned structures. It was struck by lightning which adds to the already fascinating details of it’s Gothic Revival facade.
It sits outside of Waycross near an area called Waltertown. I’ve seen two dates for this church, 1874 and 1899. I believe the congregation was established in 1874 and built in 1899. Manning Thigpen built it. The church was named for Manning and Miriam Thigpen’s son, Ezekiel, who died at the age of 12 in 1889.
The Old Ruskin Church was built to be part of a community named Ruskin. While the community only lasted a few years, the church has lasted over a hundred years. For a very thorough history, please read this report issued by Georgia’s Department of Transportation.
The Cumorah Church is a rare rural church for practitioners of the Mormon Faith. The Hill Cumorah is where Joseph Smith found the golden plates, hence the name Cumorah Church. Founded in 1907, Mormons, by and large, were not welcome to the state of Georgia. Despite this, the congregation met in this building until the 1970s. It is located just outside of Douglas, Georgia.
Update: The church is no longer standing after Hurricane Helene in September 2024.
Built in 1896, the Salem Methodist Church has ties to the Salem community that once existed here.
