Jones Chapel
Wilkes County | Organized in 1889
The church you see above sits on Jones Chapel Road, a remote dirt road in Wilkes County near the Savannah River. It is now known as St. John’s Baptist, but we believe this may have originally been Jones Chapel Church—the namesake of the road. Several questions remain unanswered: Was this building first constructed as a white church, later transitioning to African American ownership? Or was it always an African American congregation?
Read more...From the architecture, we lean toward a late 1800s origin. The footings and floor supports are consistent with construction in the 1890s, and the pews, made from single planks of heart pine, are typical of that era. Georgia’s historic resource survey (GNAHRGIS) lists a religious building on the site as early as 1889, and another in 1920 on four acres of land.
St. John’s Baptist has a cemetery with burials dating from the 1920s through 2002. Records also show that in the 1930s, a school operated here, remembered by an 87-year-old former student as “Jones Chapel School.” Jones Chapel likely began as a white church in 1889. Around 1920, it became St. John’s Baptist under African American ownership, with the cemetery and school established soon after. Sadly, the roof is now failing, and without intervention the building will collapse. As with so many others, this history risks being lost forever.
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19 responses to “Jones Chapel”
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I have some relevtives buried in a cemetery at friendship church in wills county can anyone tell me who could unlock the church so I could see the inside
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The reference in the article to the “Lincoln Journal” is incorrect. The article was in “The News-Reporter,” community newspaper for Wilkes County, Georgia. Follow this link https://www.news-reporter.com/articles/historic-rural-churches-researcher-is-on-the-hunt-for-jones-chapel-info/
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I love the history. I would also like to purchases some of the items left in the church. Beautiful church. A part of history.
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Hi Lori,
Unfortunately we do not have a contact for Jones Chapel. Sorry.
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I have the history of the church.The Church was built in the year of 1909.The people in the community had to walk to Mulberry Baptist to attend service.They bought the lot from Mr.Bennie Walton.It contained four acres.Mr.Bennie Wolf a carpenter helped build the Church.The first pastor was Rev.Hunter.They named it St. John Baptist Church Rev Hunter was preaching in schoolhouse named Jones Chapel on that same site.was a lodge house before school house .
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My father and mother attended this church.Mose and Lizzie Rucker.I have some of the history and pictures of the school that was there We came to visit and was shocked at the condition I am hoping something can be done to save it.The school was named Jones Chapel.The last teacher taught there was in the fifties was Carrie Wynn.
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do you ever find any old church pews for sale? I would love to have one and maybe the money could help save some structure
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John,
I would just go online and Google up old church pews for sale. There will be lots of them.
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We found a piano similar to the one pictured in the house we purchased in Hog Hammock on Sapelo Island. After doing a little research, they are called upright grand pianos and were manufactured around 1900. You can actually google the piano name and get a good bit of information. There will be a number under the upper front cover. You can get in touch with the manufacturer and they can tell you the year this piano was made, approximate value unrestored and restored. There is a company in Tennessee that restores antique pianos. Thank you for all your research and wonderful information you share. I am a huge fan of HRCGa.
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Thank you so much Penny. We appreciate the support. Spread the word.
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Who to talk to about this old church
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Unfortunately, we do not have a contact for the church.
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Who is the current owner of this church?
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We are not sure. Usually the church trustees or Deacons are the owners of record for the Baptist churches.
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Anyway to see who’s paying the property taxes? I love the work y’all are doing and your concern for historic preservation. I love these old churches.
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Good thought but the churches were tax exempt.
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This looks like a church my daughter and I visited a few weeks ago. We were in that area and were looking for another church and found this one. We went inside it and felt what a shame that it is going down so badly. Thank you for the great work you are doing. I always enjoy seeing the churches and reading their history.
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Yes. Too many of these old treasures are fading away.
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try checking county school records for the school. in most small counties they are still kept.
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