Mt. Olive Primitive Baptist Church, near Manor, is the 14th Crawfordite meeting house I have documented in Georgia, the culmination of work that began well over a decade ago.
In that time, I’ve come to consider them an architectural and cultural treasure and admire them as landmarks of vernacular architecture.
As I’ve said before, they inspire even those without religion in their simplicity and practicality, and architecturally, are examples of sound construction and periodic restoration in the traditional sense.
The churches are all isolated but form a collective resource nonetheless.
Some are still in use while others are not, but in one way or another, they are all watched over by the families with connections to the congregations.
The Crawfordites, whom I’ve already discussed at length elsewhere on this website, were/are a subset of the Primitive Baptists who began forming congregations in the 1860s and 1870s, according to historian Dr. John G. Crowley.
All of the Crawfordite meeting houses have a similar style, most notable in their primitive board-and-batten architecture, but each has distinct elements. Enon is a very “long” church, when taking its layout into consideration. It overlooks a beautiful piece of farmland and has expansive views of the surrounding area. It is still an active congregation. Thanks to member Brittany Mixon Ragan for sharing.
Though this congregation no longer holds regular services, their meeting house and cemetery are well-maintained.
I still hope that these important resources will one day be collectively added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The interiors of these wonderful structures are just as “plain” as their exteriors.
Though I’ve photographed nearly a dozen of these meeting houses, it always impresses me to see that the emphasis isn’t on decoration but on creating a place where the service is the primary focus.
Wayfair Primitive Baptist Church is the only representative congregation of the Alabaha Association Crawfordites in McIntosh County. It was established in 1873 but little else is known about it. It is no longer active but the cemetery is still used for burials.
Like all of the Crawfordite meeting houses, Wayfair is free of ornament and any modern creature comforts.
Members of this faith believed that such enhancements distracted from worship.
The carpentry skills of the members are on full display in each of these meeting houses, and Wayfair is no exception.
These photographs were made in 2012; they were originally posted on Vanishing South Georgia.
Though some sources give dates for the Alabaha/Crawfordite churches, there is really no way to determine this as they do not keep the type records which would validate these dates. Since this congregation dates to 1882, it is assumed that the church was constructed around that time.
The memorial pictured above is unique, so far, among these meeting houses. It states that the church was chartered in 1882 and first members were: Henry & Jane Prescott; James J. & Nancy Hendrix; David R. & Millie Wasdin; James & Ester Johns; and Sarah O’Berry. LeAnne Oliveira writes, in part: “The memorial sign was made by my daddy, John Prescott. After his retirement he returned to Charlton County and became very active in the upkeep of Corinth. The Prescotts on the sign were his paternal great-grandparents and the Wasdins were maternal great-grandparents. A board was formed to oversee the upkeep of the cemetery. Because the land was deeded by my great great grandfather to “the members” of Corinth Church the last two surviving members had to sign a quit claim deed in order to legally deed the land and church to the board. My father was buried here in November 2011 at the feet of his father. In order to be buried here today a person must have ancestors or blood relations buried there already. I have a plot marked off for myself and my husband, at the feet of my father. No meetings are held in the church any longer, but the Prescott family holds our reunion on the grounds every April. This church has always been a large part of my life and it sure makes my family tree easier to trace as I can cover half of it back four generations right in that cemetery.“
The interior is plain as are those of all the Alabaha/Crawfordite churches. Since this one has glass windows under the wooden shutters, I presume it is still an active congregation. There’s a privy on the grounds, as is emblematic of these churchyards, but there’s also a nice pump house.
The meeting house and a rather large historic cemetery can be found at the end of a dirt driveway. This is the view when you’re leaving or arriving.
In his fascinating thesis, The “Gold Standard” of the Wiregrass Primitive Baptists of Georgia: A History of the Crawford Faction of the Alabaha River Primitive Baptist Association, 1842-2007, (Valdosta State University, 2009), Michael Holt makes special note of the architectural distinctions of the Crawfordites: “[An] aspect of the Crawfordite tradition that remains today is the construction style of the meeting houses. While other Primitive Baptist Churches, including those in the Bennettite faction of the Alabaha Association, have begun to use brick, mortar, carpet, and other modern construction techniques, Crawfordite churches remain exactly as they would have appeared over a century ago. They are still fashioned from unfinished pine, with no electricity, carpet, or running water…this austere architecture helps keep the connection with the past strong. It should be noted that in recent years, One part of the church grounds has adopted more modern conveniences. The outhouses that adorned the grounds of all the churches in the association have now been replaced with outdoor restroom facilities with running water, though this change was made primarily to bring the restroom facilities in line with public health regulations. However, this addition has not encroached on the overall intended affect of the architecture…”
The Crawfordites are named for Elder Reuben Crawford. Dr. John G. Crowley, the leading authority on the history of Primitive Baptists notes in his article “The Sacred Harp Controversy in the Original Alabaha Primitive Baptist Association,” Baptist Studies Bulletin July 2004 “[they] emerged as a subset of the Primitive Baptists in the 1860s and 1870s. During the Twentieth Century the “Crawfordites” became the most austere and conservative Primitive Baptists in Georgia, eschewing radio, television, neckties, painted and heated meetinghouses.” Michael Holt further notes in his thesis: “Whereas every other Primitive Baptist association has altered somewhat from the original tenets of the denomination, the Crawford Faction of the Alabaha has remained unchanged since the time of its founding in 1842…“
Dr. Crowley’s article can be accessed here. Just scroll down to Primitive Baptists.
PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTE: This is not a complete photographic record, as there are more Crawfordite churches in the area I’ve not yet visited. They will be added as they are documented.
Sardis is the oldest congregation in Charlton County, founded 7 January 1821, and possibly as early as 1819. It moved to its present location around Long Branch around 1840. Some sources incorrectly note that this church was built in 1821, but that is not the case, as it didn’t even locate here until 1840.
The pulpit is said to be from the original church (circa 1821) and to contain a bullet hole from an overexcited soldier defending the meeting house during the Indian Wars.
The interior is typically unadorned, as are all the Crawfordite churches. I love the worn floorboards seen in the photograph of the entrance below.
The next image shows a detail of one of the holes in the floor. These are found in some of the Crawfordite churches and are used for spitting tobacco.
The support buttresses below the beams are unique (in my travels so far) to Sardis.
As the weather was unsettled while I was photographing Sardis, I didn’t have time to fully explore the cemetery, which is quite large and the final resting place of many Charlton County pioneers. I was drawn, though, to the statuary of the Lowther plot.
To the left of the children’s memorials are the graves of Edwin P. Lowther (19 May 1867-19 August 1913) and Avey E. Robinson Lowther (4 September 1861-21 December 1903). I believe an infant and another wife, named Birdie, are buried here, as well.
Organized in 1833, Shiloh’s earliest members are some of the first settlers of this section of Georgia.
The congregation is still active today; storm windows have been placed inside to give some protection against weather, and new restrooms with modern plumbing are adjacent to the church.
Shiloh’s large cemetery suggests an old and active congregation.
Private Isham Peacock, North Carolina Militia, Revolutionary War (8 October 1742 – 1851)
Isham Peacock was one of the most influential early Baptists in Georgia, and certainly the most influential of the Primitive Baptists. After first joining Lott’s Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Bulloch County around 1802, he went on to establish Black Creek, Beard’s Creek, Salem, and most notably, High Bluff at Schlatterville. As to Peacock’s theology, it was decidedly Calvinistic. Historian Michael Holt notes that he was quick to speak out against the proper “discipline” of the Baptist faith. “In 1830, he was able to get Beard’s Creek Church to adopt a resolution forbidding Missionary and temperance speakers from taking the pulpit there. However, they rescinded the resolution as soon as he moved to Pierce County. Though he was alleged to be sober, he was known to demonstrate his aversion to temperance societies by carrying a cane full of whisky he used to refresh himself while preaching…The disgust Peacock showed toward organized attempts to regulate public morality was typical of frontier Baptists.”–Michael Holt, [Thesis: The “Gold Standard” of the Wiregrass Primitive Baptists of Georgia: A History of the Crawford Faction of the Alabaha River Primitive Baptist Association, 1842-2007, Valdosta State University, 2009]. In addition to these activities, Peacock founded the first Baptist church in present-day Florida in 1821 [Pigeon Creek Primitive Baptist Church near present-day Boulogne]. It represented an extension of Baptist theology into a foreign territory, as this was still part of Spanish Florida at the time and therefore was technically against the laws of Spain regarding the establishment of non-Catholic churches. Elder Peacock’s last church was Providence Primitive Baptist in Ware County, where he was preaching at age 101; blindness ultimately ended his life of preaching and he moved to the Jacksonville area. On a trip to visit family members in Pierce County in 1851, at the age of 107, Peacock died and was buried at Shiloh.
Originating on a high bluff of the Satilla River near Raybon in 1819, this congregation is one of the oldest and most historic in Brantley County. Mrs. Martha Mizell Puckett’s history of the church highlights much more information. There is no consensus as to why these early settlers left Raybon, but Judge Folks Huxford, South Georgia’s best-known genealogist, suggested they came to the Schlatterville area around 1822 to escape a cholera outbreak.
For a time, the congregation was known as Big Creek, but restored the name of High Bluff Church between 1878-80. High Bluff is still very active and is the largest congregation in the Alabaha Primitive Baptist Church Association.
Seat cushions and funeral home fans are the only “modern conveniences” to be found at High Bluff.
What moved me the most at this location was the magnificent cemetery, one of the largest in the area and the final resting place of many pioneers of South Georgia. I think of it as a sort of rural Bonaventure and could spend countless hours wandering its historic lots. A comprehensive guide to interments has been compiled for researchers and those with an interest in locating ancestors.
Stone-Crews Burial Plot
In a lot near the front of the church can be found the burial place of Lydia A. Stone (27 June 1864 – 4 January 1938), who was known as the Queen of the Okefenokee for her vast land holdings and business successes. Also buried here are her first husband, D. G. Stone (19 October 1878 – 18 August 1926), her second husband and heir, John Melton Crews (17 August 1906 – 7 January 1970), as well as his second wife, Kissie (8 September 1913 – 15 November 1947), and Mrs. Stone’s parents.
Adjacent to the Stone plot are two picketed enclosures retaining what appears to be the original woodwork, quite a rarity in the coastal climate of Brantley County.
John Ammons, NC & GA Militias Revolutionary War (1760 – 1852) One of Marion’s Men
This headstone, placed by the Sons of the American Revolution, honors a member of General Francis Marion’s command. Marion was known as the Swamp Fox.
Daniel F. Gill, Sr. (15 September 1905 – 18 December 1981)
This memorial suggests that Mr. Gill was involved in the circus, perhaps Ringling Brothers.
