Holly Baptist

We think that this category of Almost Gone But Not Forgotten represents a very important part of Georgia History.  These old treasures buried in the trees are a visible testament to the struggles and the faith of both white and black communities to carve a bare bones living out of the rural Georgia backcountry after the ravages of the Civil War.  We honor those struggles with these photos.

African American churches like Holly Baptist emerged all across the south where sharecropping was the primary way of life in an agricultural economy that would slowly diminish as Georgia began to develop cities and an industrial base.  As a result, many African Americans participated in a mass migration to the cities and the industrial centers of the north to seek a better life. For those that stayed, life was hard but the church sustained them as the center of spiritual comfort and social interaction.

Places like this are so important to help us understand the full picture of Georgia’s history.  We think it is important to hold this place to create a small memorial in hopes that more information will emerge. If you know anything about this church or the community of people it served, please comment below.