Travelers Rest Methodist
Macon County | Organized in 1835 (est)
Hidden along the old trails of Macon County, the fading shell of Travelers Rest Methodist still stands as a haunting reminder of Georgia’s early frontier days. Its roots trace back to the 1830s, when settlers from South Carolina established a community along the Flint River. The name “Travelers Rest” was born when pioneers stopped by a swollen river, felt so at home they decided to stay.
Read more...By 1836, David Jones had given land for a Methodist church and cemetery, and for decades, the community thrived. The little town of Travelers Rest even boasted a post office, an academy, and a stagecoach stop. For a time, the Baptist and Methodist congregations shared the same sanctuary and graveyard. But in 1851, when the railroad bypassed the town, its fortunes began to fade.
The church survived these shifts, though not unchanged. In 1884, the white congregation deeded the property to their African American neighbors, who rebuilt the sanctuary in a style popular among Black churches in the late 19th century. For over a century, it served as a spiritual and social center until the last services were held in 1994.
Today, the sanctuary sits abandoned, its graveyards—one white, one Black—slowly disappearing under a tangle of vines. Some graves are marked, others are not, but together they tell the story of the community that once thrived here. What we know of Travelers Rest speaks volumes. In a time of deep racial division, white Methodists entrusted their historic house of worship to newly freed African Americans, allowing them to claim their own sacred ground. Though the building may soon vanish, the legacy of faith, resilience, and community endures.
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16 responses to “Travelers Rest Methodist”
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David Jones is my GGG Grandfather’s twin brother(Johnathan Jones). I noticed on the pic you have for his wife’s grave(Mary Mendenhall Jones) you say they had 9 or 10 children. Can you point me to your source for this. I would love to add it to my records. Find a grave say they have no documented children, a genealogy book I have for the family says they have no children, familysearch.org and an ai search say they have one known child Richard Jones and probably more. Was just wondering if you have the children’s names or at least the source that they had 9 to 10 children. Thanks for your help with this. Any info you have would be appreciated.
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I will forward this question to our research director and get back to you, Michael.
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Thank God for Travelers Rest Church Cemetery in Montezuma, Georgia. It is a very good resource for genealogical research and family historians.
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We agree, Mary!
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To whom it may concern: Hello everyone,
my name is Cussetta Journey, I am a decendant of George Roberts, who is buried in the Traveler’s Rest Church Cemetery. On February 24th@9:00AM, members of the Mt.Pleasant /Traveler’s Rest CME Church will start the revitalization of the church cemetery. Some work has already began centering around the church and great progress has been made but there’s a lot more that needs to be done that heavy equipment can’t do. We need the help of family and friends who have ancestors and an interest in the cemetery to come out with hand tools, chain saws, heavy-duty rakes, gloves, etc.. to help get the job done. Please, I’m asking, help out any way you can.
This cemetery has so much history, with Graves that I’ve seen dated back as far as the 1800’s. I have a few pictures that I could share, just got to figure out how to load them on this site.
Cussetta Journey
My #478-244-4457-
Please email me kelly.gomez@hrcga.org
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My G-G-G-Grandfather Dr Terry Quinn and his daughter Zunomia Missouri (Quinn) Smith are buried there.
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Hi, My name is Cussetta Journey, the organizer of Traveler’s Rest Church Cemetery Clean Up Day. Your GGG grandfather’s grave has been located in the cemetery. It’s still standing and in fair condition, it looks like a statue. The information on it is ,that he was a Mason, Born December 31st, 1811, in Edgefield, SC. He passed away July 1st, 1858. Aged 17yrs and 16 months. Email me your information and I’ll send you a picture of the grave. Also I’m organizing phase 2 for this weekend. Hoping for more volunteers with equipment. This is a huge job, I’m thankful we were able to save this grave because a lot of trees and brushes has taken over the cemetery. But I’m not going to stop until every grave has been uncovered. Your other relative, I’ll look for this week and let you know of my findings.
My email:cussettajourney@yahoo.com
Phone# 478-244-4457
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Just received a message through the Facebook Group for Montezuma. There is to be a meeting Sunday, September 18, 2022 at Travelers Rest Mt. Pleasant CME Church, 315 Norris Street, Montezuma, GA following their 10:00 AM service. They will discuss ideas for possible restoration of church and cemetery. This cemetery is so overgrown that it cannot be accessed. A Clinton Lipsey (sp?) is organizing this effort. Hurrah!!! Mary Alice Milford, mamilford505@gmail.com
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Thanks for letting us know, Mary. We are hopeful something can be done!
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My great grandmother was buried here in 1858. Her name was Matilda B Lipsey, wife of Thomas Rosco Lipsey, Jr. I visited the church last week – March 25 – and was astonished at what I found – decaying building and inpenatrable graveyard. I made inquiries but no one knew anything, including the Property a
Assessor, the county attorney, and the minister of the United Methodist Church. We have a lot of work to do reckoning with our past. Thank you for this article on Travelers Rest. Cudos to Clayton Ramsey and and Steve Robinson. -
Do most of the graves have names, or only the ones posted on here?
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We only feature a few graves. There are many more.
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There is a Methodist church just outside Gainesville, Florida, with very similar architectural look. Sadly, it too is dying of neglect.
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My ancestor is buried at Travelers Rest. Please contact me.
I own the book, attend Dan Roper’s class at Berry, and know Virginia Chapman. Small world!
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Hi, My name is Cussetta Journey, the organizer of Traveler’s Rest Church Cemetery Clean Up Day. Email me your relatives name and I’ll see if that grave was located and what condition it is in. We did a major cleanup 2/24/2024 and I’m trying to gather up enough people for the first Saturday in March for phase 2
Phone number:478-244-4457
cussettajourney@yahoo.com
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