One of Fitzgerald’s oldest and most beautiful churches, this is now home to the congregation of Faith Baptist. It is sided with stone veneer from the Fitzgerald Granitoid Works.
South Main Street-South Lee Street Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Before it was known as Arp, this community on the Irwin-Ben Hill County line was known as Isaac. The name was changed sometime between 1910 and 1915, and judging by the burial dates in the adjoining cemetery, I would estimate that this church dates to about 1910.
Since there was already an Isaac Baptist Church, the small African-American community here named their church Mount Isaac, to distinguish it from the the white church. And though Arp is located in Irwin County, the church and cemetery are just over the county line in Ben Hill.
The adjacent cemetery has several vernacular headstones and many of the hand-stenciled variety.
This hand-drawn bird is likely a dove. It’s a particularly nice example.
Many thanks to Laura Wiggins Norris for bringing it to my attention, and to Dale Bledsoe for the history.
This is hallowed ground to me, my favorite place in my home county, and I’ve been photographing and visiting for many years. Many of my photographer friends have driven from all over Georgia and even Florida to document it themselves. It’s in a horrible state of disrepair, and may well be gone if nothing is done to stabilize it. I know some of the family members who have a connection to the place, but I’ve never been able to track down much information, until now. My friend Sherri Butler, the feature editor of the Fitzgerald Herald-Leader, dug up an article she wrote about it in 1995. A synopsis follows: Young’s Chapel Methodist Church started in a brush arbor around 1875 and finally closed in 1974 when the congregation was too small to support it. Once a part of the long vanished Ashley community, the church is located near Rebecca. This structure was built on the site of the brush arbor where its organizers first gathered, but the congregation later moved it about three miles to the present site. This land was donated to the church by John Thomas Young, grandfather of Marsha McWhorter of Fitzgerald and Travis Biggers. Johnny Young, who grew up in the church, suggests it was built around 1876. The chapel was named for the Youngs since so many members of that family were a part of the congregation over the years: Martin Young, who was a state senator and county commissioner; Clyde Young, a state representative; J. R. F. Young, a member of the Ben Hill County school board; and S. S. Young, Sr., Wilcox County Tax Collector. S. B. Young was treasurer and Emma Young was the longtime pianist. Other known members were: Sammy Young, Wiley Young, Able Young, Tommy Young, Hazel Snow, Helen Brooks, and Minnie Brown. Services were held every third Sunday.
The last major renovations were done in 1971 by its few remaining members in an effort to keep it open. There were only eight members left when it closed in 1974. The historical background was supplied to the Herald-Leader in 1965 by Wiley T. Young and Mrs. R. C. Gilmore.
Source: Sherri Butler, Fitzgerald Herald-Leader, 16 August 1995
Note the severe damage to the ceiling at top right…
When Sherri wrote this article, Fitzgerald’s Main Street director was attempting to have the church listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and minor repairs were done at that time. However, its condition is now critical to say the least. I’m hoping to get a grassroots group together in the future to do the work to stabilize Young’s Chapel. Instead of waiting for the local government to do something, which is unlikely in the current economy, it’s time concerned citizens step up to the plate…I don’t want this to be a “committee” group, concerned with all that entails. I’d rather it be, in the near future, akin to the work of Habitat for Humanity where people come together and share talents and time to accomplish the goal.
The cornerstone of this historic church near the Williamson’s Mill community notes that it was constituted in 1876, and the present structure built in 1924. Deacons at the time were J. T. Young, W. B. White, J. B. Jones, A. L. Reeves, Alfred Gibbs, and J. O. Livingtson. J. F. Crow was the pastor. The stone veneer that gives the building its distinct look was likely manufactured by the Fitzgerald Granitoid Works. In recent years the facade has been altered with the addition of a lift for elderly members.
George Williamson (1822-1901), who was the first known settler in the area, is credited with establishing the congregation.
Thanks to Robert Deen for the identification; this was the longtime home of his grandparents, Preston and Orleans Seanor. This was also the third home of the Fitzgerald First Baptist Church. It was first located somewhere on Main Street, I believe. The congregation first met in a furniture store, from December 1895 until erecting a small slab building which they used from 1896-1898. This is thought to be the first frame church, used by the congregation from 1898 until 1912. A bell tower was originally part of the structure, but was likely demolished before it was moved. The bell tower was built to hold the bell given the Baptists by Governor William J. Northen for being the first congregation in Fitzgerald to build a permanent church. (The bell is located on the front lawn at the present Fitzgerald First Baptist Church.) The side dormers were obviously added to give the structure a more acceptable residential appearance; take them and the covered front porch away and you can see the faint outline of a typical vernacular church.
Update: As of late 2023, this structure has been demolished.
Here’s one from my personal collection. I recently acquired this image of my father’s church, as it looked in the mid-1950s. What I’m most amazed by is all the ladies in their hats. Pine Level was constituted in 1889, and though it’s been bricked in, it’s still in its same location. The lady third from left, facing left, with the black hat and shawl, is my great-grandmother, Mattie Leila Doggett Brown (1876 – 1977), who lived to be nearly 101.
Abba has been one of my favorite places since I began rambling the backroads near my hometown twenty years ago. I have always loved this church, with its asymmetrical steeples, and its place at the edge of some of the most beautiful farmland in South Georgia. Its cemetery is one of the most peaceful places I know. A few of my ancestors are buried here. –An interesting geographical note- though the congregation is historically associated with Irwin County, the church building itself is actually located in Ben Hill County, due to boundary changes in 1906.
The church began as Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in 1889, with M. L. Stone as first pastor, and O. D. Mulky as his assistant. Soon thereafter, Reverend Mulky changed the name to New Mt. Zion at Abba. In 1904, the original structure, a simple frame building, was moved across the road toward the railroad track and used as the Abba School for some time. In 1907, the present structure was built during the pastorate of J. R. Ballenger on land donated by J. M. Bussell. In 1955, the name of the church was changed to Abba Missionary Baptist Church. By this time, the village of Abba was in danger of disappearing from the map, so the new name was christened to ensure it would live through the ages. At some point, Missionary was dropped and it became simply Abba Baptist Church. (This history was compiled by longtime church secretary Mrs. J. W. C. Brown.)
I’ve always been told by folks from the area that the name Abba originates from the Atlanta Birmingham & Atlantic, or A. B. & A Railroad, which ran through the area and made whistlestops there in the late 1800s, but I believe it was actually a nod to the biblical term “abba”, which was a transliteration of the old Aramaic for father.
Many thanks again to Mike Kitchens for sharing this fascinating story. I was grateful to get these vintage photographs and a great history of the church from Mike Kitchens. His father, Howard, served as pastor of Abba for 40 years.
Note: This replaces and expands a post originally published on 6 June 2008.
Westwood is an historic unincorporated African-American community located west of Fitzgerald. Most of its residents originally worked in the nearby Atlantic Coastline Railroad shops. I believe this was a fundamentalist church, either Holiness Baptist or Apostolic. It has been abandoned for many years.
Though the present structure dates to 1913, Bethlehem Church has been active for nearly 175 years. The historic marker reads: Ozias Primitive Baptist Church was constituted July 14, 1832. Elders Wilson Conner and John Martial were the Presbytery. Members were John McDonald, Randall McDonald, Elijah Hunter, Penelope Hunter, Catherine McCall, Mary McDonald, Elizabeth McDonald. The Rev. Randall McDonald was pastor, and Redding Hunter was clerk. On March 11, 1854, it was agreed to change the name to Bethlehem Church. The Rev. Hardy McGlawn and the Rev. W.F. Willis served as first pastors after Bethlehem Church was constituted.
