Located adjacent to Siloam Presbyterian and across the street from Siloam Baptist, this cemetery was established on land owned by Siloam (then Smyrna) Baptist for use by the community. Granite fence posts around some of the plots are a neat feature throughout the cemetery.
Constituted in 1828, Siloam Baptist Church was organized as Smyrna Baptist. Smyrna was the original name of the church and village but when the post office department began eliminating duplicate geographical names in the late 19th century, it was changed to Siloam. Like other Greene County congregations, this church had African-American members until after the Civil War. This is the fourth house of worship built by the congregation.
This historic African-American church has been abandoned, though a sign over the entrance (The Church That Would Not Die) indicates efforts were made to preserve it at some point.
This utilitarian structure is a nice surviving example of vernacular architecture. The rear wing was used as the kitchen.
Organized in 1806, White Plains Baptist Church has a history that predates the community by 28 years. The present structure is the fourth on this site. Like the progressive congregation of White Plains Methodist Church, White Plains Baptist allowed African-American members to worship here from 1812-1869, a dynamic rarely seen in Georgia during this time.
This historic congregation dates to around 1817. It isn’t known when the first church building was constructed. Like White Plains Baptist, the Methodist church was very progressive in allowing African-Americans to attend after the Civil War, albeit with segregated services. The congregation is inactive today, but the owners of the church have plans to restore it.
This is an archival image of the church from the Library of Congress, made by Jack Delano in October 1941.
