Swords United Methodist Church
Morgan County | Organized in 1912
The community of Swords, once a thriving village in Morgan County, was named for entrepreneur John Buchanon (Buck) Swords, whose distillery rivaled Jack Daniel’s in its day. Formally incorporated in 1909, Swords boasted stores, mills, a cotton gin, and blacksmith shops. But Prohibition and later fires erased its commercial core, leaving little but the church to mark its presence.
Read more...The elegant two-towered, stained-glass-filled Swords United Methodist Church remains one of the community’s most enduring landmarks. Its story began in 1910, when a Sunday School was organized in the local schoolhouse. By 1912, subscriptions were being raised for a new $2,000 sanctuary. On October 28 of that year, a deed secured 1.1 acres, and by July 14, 1913, the church was ready for dedication.
That hot summer day, twenty-five members entered their new sanctuary with cast-iron theatre pews and stained-glass windows, listening to a 45-minute sermon by Dr. Dickey of Emory College. The celebration continued with basket lunches and barbecue prepared by Buck Swords himself. From then on, members gathered twice a month to hear sermons from Rev. W. C. Floyd and Rev. W. D. Amack.
The church has changed little since its dedication—aside from the addition of bathrooms, central air, and heat just 16 years ago. Today, weekly services still draw 15–20 members. The vaguely Gothic Revival building stands as a testament not only to the once-thriving town of Swords, but also to the central role of churches in rural life across Georgia. While the town has faded, Swords United Methodist continues to shine as a place of worship, heritage, and community—over a century after its first congregation gathered beneath its stained glass.
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15 responses to “Swords United Methodist Church”
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My son and his wife, Rick and Mary Kate Riccardi,married there in October 2013 by the Rev. Anthony Gavalas. Our family is from the other Buckhead in Atlanta, but bought a second home on Lake Oconee in Buckhead, Ga. It was a beautiful wedding with the reception following at our Oconee home. All of our family came from Atlanta and Alabama and everyone loved the rural little country church. Special and wonderful!
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Great memories Beverly. Thanks for sharing.
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My friends and I, four of us, tried to attend your church this past Sunday for the ll o’clock service as was advertised in the paper the BREEZE. Unfortunately when we got there at 10:30 we saw no cars and then saw your sign for 9 o’clock service. We snooped around and took pictures and then drove on to Greensboro to the United Methodist Church there. You may want to update the newspaper and website. I will try again but because of other commitments it will be a while. Thank you,
Diane Barry -
My father Sanford Lewis Swords
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This is such an quaint little church. It once was bubbly & full of families & children. My Granny Florene Goss lived in the house beside it for many years. As a little girl I would sit on the front row with my best friend Peggy Mitcham & we would sign The Old Rugged Cross as loud as possible. The cemetery on the hill holds many lifelong members from the church. I did not know until 10 years ago when my Mama’s burial service was held there that the wire under the seats were to hold gentlemen’s hats during the service.
Homecomings were held on the big concrete tables beside the church. There was always tons of delicious foods & afternoon signing later for those able to stay awake after eating so much!-
What great memories. Thanks Darnelle.
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Very nice to see this church recognized. I do have a couple of comments, there is a cemetery located on Blue Springs Rd, listed in the tax assessors records as Cemetery Swords containing 2.6 acres.
Also, as to the seating, I was told that they were theater seats from the old theater in downtown Buckhead. I believe the building is still there and was most recently used as a roller skating rink and events. The arrangement was revised to move the larger and more stable seats into the middle seating area.-
Thanks Anne. We will take a look a the cemetery. Those seats were the most unusual we have seen. We wandered where they came from. Nice to connect the dots and thanks for your support.
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There is no mention of a cemetary connected with the church. It is hard to imagine that a hub of the are didn’t have one. I do know that many of the families of the East Georgia had family plots on their farms, with some quite large and elaborate.
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In addition to family plots and church cemeteries, there are many communities that have community burying grounds. This is probably the case with Swords.
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I would love to visit this church. And I will. I’m sure my father and his family worshipped in this church as he grew up and lived just yards away from this church on a dairy still standing today in Swords owned by (I think) the Moon family. My grandfather was Will Watt Poole who is buried at Nail Creek Baptist Church in Banks County, GA.
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Thank you for sharing some of your family history with us William. We love to hear about these interesting connections within these small rural communities like Swords.
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My son, Rick Riccardi, from Atlanta, was married at Swords Church in October 2013 to Mary Kate Hinds, originally from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and The Rev. Dr. Anthony Gavalas performed the ceremony. It was a wonderful setting for a blessed event and Rev. Tony said the most appropriate and touching words to the newlyweds. A very special little church in rural middle Georgia with absolutely caring and special members of the parish. I just wish I lived in nearby Buckhead full-time to be able to attend services there.
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Thanks for sharing that with us Beverly. What a wonderful setting for a wedding.
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Absolutely beautiful.
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