St. Paul Primitive Baptist
Terrell County | Organized in Unknown
We know very little about St. Paul Primitive Baptist church, located in rural Terrell County in Southwest Georgia. Decayed churches like St. Paul are a sad, but all too frequent, reminder of the hard life and struggles that were associated with those parishioners who were trying to carve out a life for themselves and their children in a post-Civil War land that lay in ruins. African American churches like St. Paul 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 who stayed, life was hard but the church sustained them as the center of spiritual comfort and social interaction.
Read more...We are fortunate that our photographer was able to capture these images of the deserted church back in 2016. The sequence of the photos below are moving images that remind us of this pattern of our history that is so important yet so difficult to document. The last photo in the sequence was taken in 2018 and inspired us to create a new category we call "Almost Gone But Not Forgotten". Much of this rural church history that is now rapidly fading is very difficult to find, but we are hopeful that some will emerge as a result of the publicity that we can generate. We encourage comments below and any contributions someone might be able to make. We do not know when St. Paul was built or when it became inactive and abandoned. It is old, and our guess is that it dates back a hundred years or so. Shortly, it will be completely gone without a trace. But although she is almost gone, she is not forgotten.
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11 responses to “St. Paul Primitive Baptist”
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Good evening, The last known family we have knowledge of being associated with the church is Viola Sally. We would like to discuss with you because it was my mother’s church as well. Please feel free to email me for details. Looking forward to speaking with you Ms. Baskerville.
Thanks -
This church has fallen. Just visited it today and it’s a pile of rubble.
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I came across this church today. It was sad to see it collapsed. I wonder if an attempt was being made to save it before it collapsed, there was newer wood near the front on church leaning against the wall The curtains still blow in the wind.
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There was no attempt to save it that we know of.
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There have been attempts to save this church but with only one surviving member of this church funds to restore this church are very limited. If you would like to know more about this church please feel free to contact me as this is my family’s church
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We are sorry to hear this but we thank you for your comment, Juwana.
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Good evening, The last known family we have knowledge of being associated with the church is Viola Sally. We would like to discuss with you because it was my mother’s church as well. Please feel free to email me for details. Looking forward to speaking with you Ms. Baskerville.
Thanks
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Can any of the old pews and other interior pieces be saved and put away for restoration?
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Someone may have saved them but we don’t know. They will probably disappear with everything else.
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Sorry, I don’t know anything about this church. I was wondering what the date is on the calendar I see on the wall in back of the alter. I would think that would be a clue to the last year it was used. Very sad story. I hope someone saved some of the pews. They were probably made out of heart pine and maybe the floors.
I enjoy your church pics and descriptions.-
Thanks Linda. Good thought about the calendar.
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