Zion Baptist Church was established in 1899 and was an important part of the African-American community of lower Bryan County for half of the 20th century. It originated as a wood frame prayer house. Prayer houses, [also known as praise houses], which first appeared on plantations, were characteristic landmarks of the Gullah-Geechee communities that dominated the Georgia Coast before the Great Migration. Few have survived.

According to Eugene Harris, who attended this church in his youth, the present structure was built circa 1950. Church members who worked in the cement business chose to rebuild with cinderblock for the longevity the material would provide. By this time, however, the congregation was dwindling. This quaint little building was abandoned in the early 1960s. In 2019, Mr. Harris, who returned to Richmond Hill after service in the Air Force, decided to restore the prayer house, which was overgrown with weeds and brush and in deteriorating condition. He took on the project as a one-man job but soon got assistance from the community, who raised nearly $5000 and contributed countless hours and materials to the effort. It is a living monument to the culture it represents, ultimately a place for prayer and quite reflection. And it’s proof that one man’s vision can save a piece of overlooked history for everyone to appreciate.