Kuanita Evette Murphy states in her book, The History of the Piney Grove Missionary Baptist Church: From the Brush Arbor to the Sanctuary, that the congregation dates all the way back to 1834 and began as a brush arbor church. From the era of enslavement to the present day, Piney Grove has been a spiritual resource for its members and is among the oldest black congregations in present-day Randolph County.

There’s a large historic cemetery beside the church. The following memorials are presented randomly, for their vernacular importance.

The roots of this tree look like they’re going to topple this nice old vernacular headstone.

The next two two memorials, by renowned sculptor Eldren Bailey, were purchased through the Haugabrooks Funeral Home in Atlanta.

Elijah Sturgis (spelled Stergis on the memorial) was lynched simply for being related to a fugitive and being in the path of a rabid mob. I believe these stories must be told.

On 18 September 1916, Sturgis’s cousin Peter Hudson shot and killed Randolph County Sheriff William Samuel Taylor, who was serving a warrant for Hudson’s arrest. Hudson escaped the scene and went into hiding in the nearby woods and swamps. A lynch mob formed and while tracking Hudson, encountered Elijah Sturgis, apparently killing him for no reason. Hudson was located on 20 September 1916 and shot on the spot. His lifeless body was dragged around the town square in Cuthbert before being hoisted onto an improvised gallows. It was later taken down and burned on the outskirts of town.

It’s in a beautifully secluded location, far back in the woods down hilly roads of orange-red clay. This area of northwestern Randolph County is known locally as the Upper Corner. This historic congregation is still very active.