Moultrie Archives - To Die for Images

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.

A life-sized baby elephant named Nancy sits atop the grave of William Duggan (1899-1950) in the cemetery of Pleasant Grove Primitive Baptist Church in Moultrie, Georgia. While Primitive Baptists are known for unadorned churches and cemeteries, this is one of a handful of cemeteries in Georgia where there is a one-of-a-kind sculpture honoring someone.

Duggan grew up working around circuses. He had a special love for elephants. He fulfilled a lifelong dream of owning a circus, but he passed away before being able to travel with it. His son had this life-sized monument made of Nancy, the elephant.

I found two references to a Nancy, the elephant, in the newspapers. One was in a Florida parade and another that lived in a Chicago zoo. My assumption is that the one in Florida is this Nancy based on date and location. I am sharing the one from Chicago, too.

To Die for Images

Tag Archives: Moultrie

Mother Easter Baptist Church – Moultrie, Georgia

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Nancy, the Elephant-Moultrie, Georgia

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Mostly Southern Back Roads and Cemeteries

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Mostly Southern Back Roads and Cemeteries