Tag Archives: Churches of Talbot County GA

Elizabeth Evelyn Wright (1872-1906) & Greater Saint Phillip Methodist Church, 1875, Talbotton

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According to Voorhees University: “Elizabeth Evelyn Wright (1872-1906) was an African-American educator, social reformer, and founder of Voorhees College in Denmark, South Carolina. She was born [one of 27 children of a carpenter father and a mother who may have been full-blooded Cherokee] on April 3, 1872, in [the Smith Hill neighborhood] Talbotton, Georgia, during a time of racial segregation and limited educational opportunities for African Americans.

Wright was raised in poverty but was determined to receive an education. At the age of 16, she left home and traveled to Tuskegee, Alabama, where she enrolled at the Tuskegee Institute. She worked as a domestic servant to support herself while pursuing her studies.

Inspired by the educational philosophy of Booker T. Washington, the founder of Tuskegee Institute, Wright believed in the transformative power of education for African Americans. After completing her studies at Tuskegee, she returned to South Carolina and started teaching at the Macedonia School in Denmark.

Realizing the need for higher education opportunities for African Americans in the region, Wright embarked on a mission to establish a college. She started by raising funds and gathering support from local communities, churches, and philanthropists. In 1897, she founded Denmark Industrial School, which later became known as Voorhees Industrial School and eventually Voorhees College.

Voorhees College provided vocational training and academic education to African-American students, focusing on agriculture, carpentry, home economics, and other practical skills. Wright believed that education should not only prepare students for employment but also instill character, discipline, and moral values.

Elizabeth Evelyn Wright’s dedication to education and her tireless efforts to establish Voorhees College played a significant role in expanding educational opportunities for African Americans in South Carolina. She passed away on December 14, 1906, but her legacy lives on through Voorhees College, which continues to educate students to this day.“

The church was originally known as St. Phillips A. M. E. Church, but later changed its affiliation to Methodist. It was organized by freedmen on 15 April 1870. The original building was destroyed by a storm in 1875 but under the guidance of Rev. A. S. Grangin, was rebuilt later that same year. Part of Jefferson Street which runs beside the church, was renamed Elizabeth Wright Avenue in her memory.

Powell Baptist Church & Cemetery, Talbot County

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The Powell Baptist Church is an historic Freedmen’s congregation founded in 1879. It is located between Talbotton and Waverly Hall, north of the historic Olive Branch community. According to the church cornerstone, Rev. J. Bowell was the first pastor. Tax records indicate an 1879 construction date, but the present building was constructed much later, during the pastorate of W. W. Walker. It is possible that the original structure was incorporated into the modern version, but confirming that would require more research. The nicely maintained churchyard opens into a large cemetery containing a variety of memorials, with a few notable vernacular examples, shared below.

George Bunkley (25 December 1887-23 November 1951)

Though it has been updated with a modern marker, the original memorial for George Bunkley has been saved. It has some interesting elements, notably the scored “O” in the word “born”.

Rosa W. Bunkley (21 July 1906-6 March 1981)

Mrs. Bunkley’s memorial is also a common form. The poured rounded concrete form with stenciled data is widespread, especially in this part of the state. Most markers of this type simply feature names and dates, though some examples, like Mrs. Bunkley’s, feature crosses or other symbols.

Betty Joe Beach (6 November 1954-17 July 1966)

The marker for Betty Joe Beach is another good example of the rounded concrete variety, in the plainer style. Miss Beach’s name is misspelled on the memorial.

Cora Walker (Birth and death dates unknown)

The simple memorial for Cora Walker is a beautiful in its simplicity. Further research will likely determine her birth and death dates.

Mrs. Luella Owens (Birth and death dates unknown)

This memorial was created by the prolific artist Eldren Bailey, whose work can be found in African-American cemeteries throughout the state. This one was handled by the Haugabrooks Funeral Home in Atlanta.

Eddie F. Leonard (27 March 1950-20 December 1981)


The Leonard memorials, though somewhat recent, are among the most unique vernacular markers in the Powell cemetery.

Leon Leonard (4 March 1939-1 August 1967)

Leon Leonard’s memorial may be the most interesting in the entire cemetery. Featuring an open cross, as well as the crosses at the base and handwritten data present on the Eddie Leonard memorial, it is fine example of vernacular funerary art.

The brickwork around the front door has a more Gothic revival appearance than the rest of the church building. I believe it is a tribute to the church’s earlier design.

Matthew’s Chapel Methodist Church, Circa 1864, Talbot County

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Matthew’s Chapel was built circa 1864, a few miles southwest of Woodland. The church is of the gable front vernacular Greek Revival style common throughout Talbot County. In A Rockaway in Talbot: Travels in an Old Georgia County, Vol. II, William H. Davidson suggests a probable connection to the family of Charles Henry Matthews (1828-1900), who owned a large plantation in the vicinity. Charles likely gave the land to the congregation, but was a member of Collinsworth Methodist Church.

Horeb Primitive Baptist Church, Talbot County

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Horeb was constituted in 1835 and built a house of worship before 1841. It’s possible that this structure dates to that time, but my resources aren’t sufficient to confirm at this time.

Collinsworth United Methodist Church, 1834, Talbot County

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The South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church notes: Collinsworth was organized prior to 1830, by a band of Methodists meeting at the home of George Menifee. The first church was a log cabin called Menifee’s Meeting House. They built the present structure in 1834 and named it for Reverend John Collinsworth, a former pastor. The dedication service, by Reverend Lovick Pierce, wasn’t held until 1859.

Collinsworth is a fine example of a vernacular Greek Revival church, evident in the locally executed Ionic capitals [above]. The builder was Urban Cooper Tigner, owner of a nearby plantation and a self-taught architect/contractor. Tigner also built the Lumsden House.

Corinth Methodist Church, 1869, Prattsburg

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Corinth Methodist Church was organized by Reverend James Stockdale and Josiah Matthews in 1828. The congregation met at varied locations over their first four decades. This vernacular Greek Revival structure was dedicated by Reverend R. J. Corley on 24 October 1869. The congregation consolidated with the nearby Collinsworth Methodist Church in 1965.

Talbotton Baptist Church, 1924

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This lot has been reserved since Talbotton’s founding in 1828 for the Baptist Church. The present structure is an unusual style (Spanish Colonial Revival, stripped-down) for Georgia churches. The church appears so “modern” that I was surprised to learn it’s over 90 years old.

Zion Episcopal Church, 1848, Talbotton

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Talbotton’s Episcopal community never numbered more than twelve families, but their Tudor Gothic church stands as a wonderful testament to them nearly 170 years after its construction. The church retains its original slave galleries and boxed pews. A Pilcher organ, installed in 1850, is the oldest of its variety still in continuous use in the United States. Quarterly services are held here and all are welcome to attend. Find out more about the schedule on the Zion Episcopal Church Facebook page.

Jeff Liipfert recalls: I used to hand pump the pipe organ during services here many years ago when I was a little boy. The priest from Fort Valley would go to Talbotton one Sunday afternoon a month to hold services. My mother was the church organist in Fort Valley. She and the choir from Fort Valley would go along also. That’s how I ended up pumping the organ. I could see my mother from where I pumped the organ, so a choir member sitting at the corner of the organ had to give me a signal to start pumping and fill the bellows before my mother started playing. They had to keep that lead weight above a certain mark to assure that there was enough air in the organ.

National Register of Historic Places

Talbotton United Methodist Church, 1857

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From the Historical Marker placed by the South Georgia Conference of the Methodist Church in 1978: As Methodism moved across Georgia, in 1830 Jesse Sinclair and Henry W. Hilliard were sent by the South Carolina Methodist Conference to the Flint River Mission of which Talbot Co. was a part. In 1831 this circuit became a part of the newly formed Georgia Conference and by 1834 Talbotton became a separate Charge. Upon the incorporation of Talbotton on 20 December 1828 a lot was set aside for a Methodist Church and deed to it on 25 June 1831. Soon a substantial wooden church was erected. In 1857 this building was replaced by the present handmade brick church constructed by Miranda Fort. Among the oldest original brick churches of the South Georgia Conference, it is an outstanding example of Greek Revival Temple Architecture.

Oak Grove Baptist Church, Talbot County

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