When the Historic Rural Churches of Georgia project first documented Walker Grove in 2018, both the church and the school were abandoned and falling into serious disrepair. It was too late to intervene on behalf of the school, but fortunately a local resident, Zandra Overstreet, and colleagues at the Newington Heritage Society decided to try and save the church. Despite limited funds, they worked diligently through the pandemic to breathe life back into this historic building. In 2022, the church opened its doors for the first time in decades. Photos on these pages show the building before and after the renovation.

Located in the rural community of Newington, Walker Grove is a small, time-worn church that holds a big piece of Georgia’s post-Civil War history. Though much of its story has been lost to time, we do know that Walker Grove Baptist traces its spiritual lineage back nearly two centuries.

Middle Ground Baptist Church, constituted in 1827, became the mother church of Cypress Pond Baptist, organized in 1867 by newly freed African Americans. From Cypress Pond came Walker Grove Baptist—likely founded in the early 1900s as the next generation carried on the faith and resilience of their ancestors. Beside the church once stood a small school, another cornerstone of the community’s life, though little is known about it today.

Both the church and school were members of the Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Association, established in 1868 to unite African American congregations across Screven, Bulloch, and Effingham Counties. The Association, led by Rev. Inman E. Bryant, not only supported local churches but also championed education—founding the Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Normal and Industrial Institute in Guyton in 1889. This school served Black students for nearly 50 years, providing a rare opportunity for secondary education before closing in 1936.