Tag Archives: Georgia Freedmen Churches

Jones Creek Black Cemetery & Baptistry, Circa 1855, Long County

Leave a reply

In 1855, Sheldon Madison Chapman, Sr. (1829-1911), gave four acres of land for a burying ground for the enslaved members of Jones Creek Baptist Church, and a section along the creek for use as a baptistry for all members. Chapman was one of the most prominent citizens of Jones Creek, having served, like his father, as postmaster of the community. Though originally located in Liberty County, Jones Creek was the earliest and largest settlement in present-day Long County.

There are many unmarked burials in the Jones Creek Black Cemetery, most of them likely dating to the days of slavery, but in contrast, the existing monuments and memorials are of commercial manufacture, indicating a prosperous congregation at a time when that would have been unusual.

One can deduce that the site it is known as Jones Creek Black Cemetery because its earliest burials were the enslaved people who attended Jones Creek Baptist Church with their White enslavers. Since circa 1878, however, it has been the de facto burying ground for St. Thomas Missionary Baptist Church.

Rev. March Hughes (Circa 1829-1903) + Peggy Hughes (Circa 1820-death date unknown)

March Hughes was granted a letter that he may minister to a flock of his choice in the 1870s, when many Black congregations were forming their own churches. He preached his own ordination service on 24 August 1878 and established St. Thomas Baptist Church (now known as St. Thomas Missionary Baptist Church) for the freedmen of Jones Creek Baptist Church. He was licensed as a preacher on 26 January 1884. When he died in 1903, Rev. Hughes was the most influential Black man in the Jones Creek community. Those who maintain this cemetery have proposed renaming it the March Hughes Cemetery in his honor. [This history comes from plaques at the site and from Mike McCall via the late Christine Welcome, a longtime member of St. Thomas.]

F. Baker, Jr. (3 January 1897-6 September 1929)

Mr. Baker was a member of the the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. The W. W. V. initials at the bottom of the headstone stand for “World War Veteran”, World War I in this case.

Martha Snider (Birth and death dates unknown)

Little is known of Martha Snider, but she was 96 years old when she died.

A. L. Baker (9 June 1895-5 June 1929)

Mr. Baker was a World War I Veteran and Mason.

Alford Watkins (1861-5 February 1911)

Watkins was a Mason.

Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. G. H. Stokes (9 March-1920-26 October 1926)

The memorials for the two young children of Mr. and Mrs. G. H. Stokes are vernacular in design, unlike most of the other memorials in the Jones Creek Black Cemetery.

Son of Mr. & Mrs. G. H. Stokes (11 October 1925-27 July 1933)

It’s unusual that the Stokes children are not named, but simply listed as “daughter” and “son”.

Jasper Baggs (August 1873-15 February 1925)

Jasper Baggs was a laborer, according to his death certificate.

Patsy Baggs (15 October 1947-31 May 1931)

Patsy Baggs’s death certificate listed her occupation as “house work” and “keeping house”. This was a common form of employment for Black women in the Jim Crow era.

The Baggs family was quite prolific and many members are buried in this enclosure near the back of the cemetery.

Roy E. Baggs (4 April 1888-28 April 1911)

The initials F.L.T. (Friendship, Truth, and Love) at the top of the marker indicate that Mr. Baggs was a member of the Odd Fellows.

James E. Baggs, Sr. (22 October 1892-17 November 1963)

Mr. Baggs was one of several members of St. Thomas who served in World War I. He was a corporal in the Army. I hope to learn more about his service.

Coda L. Baggs (1852-1935)

I presume the name to be Coda.

Fraulein Baggs Smith (1905-1923)

Fraulein is an unusual name. It’s my favorite in this cemetery.

This open lane follows the bank of Jones Creek and is adjacent to the traditional site of baptisms for Black congregants. A reconstruction of the old dressing room for baptisms is visible at right. In the distance is the White cemetery and the historic Jones Creek Baptist Church.

Immersion baptism was common among churches of both races in the rural South well into the 20th century, and is still practiced by some.

According to church records, “the last time we used the water of Jones Creek was April 23, 1995…”

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

Leave a reply

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

1 Reply

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.

Second Shiloh Baptist Church, Bronwood

Leave a reply

Second Shiloh is of contemporary construction but the congregation has earlier origins. Per Findagrave, one of the earliest identified burials in Shiloh Cemetery in Bronwood [presumably connected to this church] is that of Steve Harris (1856-1914 or 1919), whose birthdate would indicate he was likely born enslaved. His parents were William and Ella Harris and he was a farmer.

Mount Mary Baptist Church, 1963, Chickasawhatchee

Leave a reply
“He is never far from any of us”. One of at least ten “story windows” installed at Mount Mary in 1963.

Mount Mary Baptist Church in Chickasawhatchee, a forgotten settlement near Sasser, shares a similar history with other Black churches in the area. It was an active congregation founded by freedmen and their descendants in the late 19th century. [I’m still confirming details about the history of the church and will update when I learn more].

In 1962 Mount Mary was used for voter registration meetings by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and like Shady Grove in Leesburg and Mount Olive in Sasser, it was burned to the ground in retaliation. In fact, it was destroyed on the same day as Mount Olive, 9 September 1962. It was rebuilt in 1963. The stained glass windows are the most notable feature of the church, which was designed by Atlanta architect Joe Amisano. Trappist monks of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers are credited with the windows. I’m not sure if the other churches feature the “story windows”, with verses and illustrations. I am trying to learn more about them.

Mount Olive Baptist Church, 1963, Sasser

1 Reply

Mount Olive Baptist Church was established in Sasser in 1896 by freedmen and their descendants. In 1962, as the Albany Movement spread beyond the borders of Dougherty County with the intention of registering voters and raising civil rights awareness, it played a central role in the burgeoning Civil Rights movement. Many Black churches were resistant to the movement due to the potential for retaliation by White employers and law enforcement and many of those fears were realized at Mt. Olive, with the unapologetic support of Terrell County sheriff Zachary Taylor “ZT” Mathews. Mathews was an avowed racist and particularly irredeemable character who had most notably led the coverup in the lynching of James C. Brazier.

Because of Mount Olive’s prominence in the community, it was the primary site for the mass meetings of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and its allies, organized by Charles Sherrod. On 25 July 1962, Sherrod led a meeting at Mount Olive, with White activists Ralph Allen and Penny Patch also present. The SNCC activists were well aware of the attention they had attracted by local law enforcement but continued their work. As noted in the SNCC digital archives: Mass meetings at churches were under constant surveillance. Police sometimes stood outside the churches, taking the names of people as they entered. In Sasser, Georgia, a tiny town in Terrell County, Sheriff Zeke Matthews and a dozen deputies stormed into the Mount Olive church during a mass meeting and went from pew to pew rubbing their pistols; they then stood scowling in the back. Reporting on this for the New York Times, Claude Sitton quoted Matthews as telling him, “We want our colored people to go on living like they have for the last hundred years.”

On 9 September 1962, Mount Olive fell victim to arson, with no immediate aid from firefighters or law enforcement, begging the question of their own involvement. Zeke Mathews’s responses to journalists covering the crime were predictably despicable, blaming the arson on outside agitators. He was quoted in the 10 September 1962 edition of the New York Times: “It’s unusual for white folks to go down there living with n___ – pretty unusual. The n____s are upset about it, too – the better n___.” And he told the Atlanta Constitution: “People here are disturbed because some of these white boys are living with Negroes. I think that has more to do with the fires than this voter registration business. People here know that the Negroes just don’t care anything about voting.” 

While real justice in the case(s) was questionable, the congregation of Mount Olive persisted, and with the aid of funds raised by Jackie Robinson and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was rebuilt in 1963 during the pastorate of Rev. F. S. Swaggott. It remains active today.

New Hope A. M. E. Church, Circa 1950, Smithville

Leave a reply

New Hope A. M. E. Church is located just down the street from New Hope Methodist Church. The two were built around the same time and have strikingly similar architecture.

The following abridged history is from an entry entitled “New Hope Methodist Church: County’s Oldest Church” in Smithville Georgia: A Glimpse of the Past (1976): “One of the first Methodist Churches in Lee County was organized in 1853, for the slaves. It was some two miles west of the later site of Smithville. First a brush arbor was erected to hold their services in, then they built a small log cabin church and in 1868, this building was destroyed by fire. Leaders of that project were H. M. Mitchell, Sr. and P. J. Griffin. It was…used for school purposes, being the first school for Negroes in this area.


The old building became dilapidated and the membership increased until it was necessary to start the third one in 1923. It was started by Rev. E. A. Clark and was finished by Rev. S. Fields. In September, 1949, that building was also destroyed by fire. The present building was started in 1950.

Beulah Missionary Baptist Church, 1916, Quitman

1 Reply

    Beulah Baptist, like Bethel A. M. E. Church, is a Freedmen congregation, established in 1869. The cornerstone for this structure, placed in 1916, identifies it simply as Beulah Baptist Church. I’m not sure when the congregation became affiliated with the Missionary Baptists.

    Bethel A. M. E. Church, 1903, Quitman

    1 Reply

    This historic African Methodist Episcopal church traces its origins to a group of Freedmen in 1866. The present structure, an amazing example of the uneven-tower type church, was dedicated in August 1903, during the pastorate of I. S. Hamilton. The stucco siding was added during a renovation in 2016. It’s one of the oldest Black congregations in Brooks County, if not the oldest.

    Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, Boston

    1 Reply


    One of the oldest churches in Boston, Trinity Missionary Baptist is a Freedmen’s congregation established in 1867. The present structure, likely dating to the early 1900s, is a typical uneven-steeple style common among Black churches at the time. It was originally a frame structure before the addition of the brick veneer.


    Boston Historic District, National Register of Historic Places