Tag Archives: Churches of Webster County GA

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 1870, Webster County

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When Ernie Culpepper relocated and restored this historic church from Sumter County to Webster County in 2010, he saved more than just a building. The very existence of a Lutheran congregation in this part of Georgia was unusual. Most Georgians, being of English and Scots Irish descent, were Methodists and Baptists. According to our friends at Historic Rural Churches of Georgia (HRCGA), “St. Marks Lutheran was organized in the late 1860s by German immigrants who moved in from South Carolina...[they] were all from the Dutchforks area of South Carolina, located around what is now Newberry and Lexington counties.

The church was established in the late 1860s in the Bot(t)sford community, southwest of Plains in Sumter County.

First Lady Rosalynn Carter’s ancestors were members of St. Mark’s and the Carter family maintained a connection with the church for many years. Jimmy Carter even visited the church with Walter Mondale after securing the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 1976.

Photos of the church made by our friend Steve Robinson before it was moved and restored show sheet rock walls of a lime green color and floors and trim in a very worn condition (posted on HRCGA) .

The sanctuary is a beauty to behold today and the work and commitment to its restoration by Ernie Culpepper is nothing short of a wonder. It really proves that, where preservation is concerned, that when there’s a will, there is always a way.

Rural Hill United Methodist Church, Webster County

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This church is located south of Centerpoint. It’s a typical front gable church, with three bays. I’m identifying it as a church because structures like this are usually churches. It has obviously been abandoned for a long time.

Susan Hogan writes: Rural Hill United Methodist Church… a part of the Preston Charge along with Weston and Preston churches. The pastors were often students at Emory University coming from Atlanta to the Preston parsonage on weekends. “Preaching” took place at Preston church on 1st and 3rd Sundays at 11:00 a.m. Sunday school every Sunday. Services at Weston church at 9 a.m. (?) then Rural Hill at 11 a.m. Not sure when services stopped.. probably the 1980s-90s.

Evans Chapel C. M. E. Church, Webster County

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Evans Chapel is located in the Church Hill community, just over the Marion County line in Webster County. I believe the present structure replaced a simple wood frame chapel, but don’t know when it was built, nor any other history of the congregation.

Mrs. Geneva Hill (?-12 November 1962) – Cox Funeral Home.

There is a large well-maintained cemetery beside the church. [It’s sometimes referred to as Churchill Cemetery.] I located two memorials made by Eldren Bailey, who I believe to be Georgia’s most prolific black creator of funerary art in the 20th century. Sadly, much of his creative work has been lost, so his cemetery memorials, made to order, represent his legacy. I document them whenever I find them.

Herman Alonzo Walker (1934-1968) – Haugabrooks Funeral Home

Mr. Walker was an Army veteran. He died in Atlanta, so I’m unsure if it was related to the Vietnam War, but he also has a government headstone in addition to this one.

Freedom Tabernacle Holiness Church, Webster County

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This church is still active as far as I can tell. Though it is likely a relatively modern congregation, its whimsical chapel is as fascinating as any older church I’ve found lately. Typical of many rural Holiness churches, it’s fairly simple in design, but in its artistic facade, Freedom Tabernacle is a work of art in itself.

From the cross that spells out the church name to the hand-painted sign above the entrance, the message is clear.

The straightforward sign reads: Take Jesus for Your Saviour, and, curiously or not, Saviour is spelled in the British fashion. The stars are a common theme in Christianity, but more often associated with black congregations in my experience.

Preston United Methodist Church, 1895, Webster County

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The first church in this area, known as Lannahassee, was established before 1840 and met in a wood frame building with dirt floors. It was served by a circuit rider and met monthly. Around 1840, a wave of settlers came from South Carolina and the church became interdenominational. Theological disagreement soon arose and the Methodists began meeting in the courthouse until they moved into another frame structure, where they met until the present church was constructed in 1895.