Currently a Places in Peril on the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation list*, this church and cemetery combo are still absolutely stunning. That turret, glinting in the afternoon sun, catches my eye every single time we drive through town…
While the first burials in the cemetery date back to 1805, the founding church itself wasn’t built until over 20 years later and that original structure was destroyed by a tornado. The current building was erected in 1895 and was fairly elaborate for the time but since that railroad and cotton money was rolling into Monticello for the affluent folks it was something they were happy to fund.
Services were held here until the mid-1950’s and then it became a funeral home and then a church again and then a library (damn, I wish I could’ve seen that library!) and then sold to a developer for an event space in 2000. Since then it’s just sat there, enduring vandalism and that unrelenting Georgia heat that makes plants wilt and wood warp and buckle. Despite that new owner as of 2021 there seems to have been zero improvement to the property other than the grass cut from time-to-time, locks on the doors and no trespassing signs. At least that I can see but I’ll stand corrected if anyone out there has updated information…
A more complete history can be found via Historic Rural Churches and you can take a virtual tour of the interior here.
One of the most complete cast iron grave covers I’ve found on my journeys.
If you click the Historic Rural Church link above then you’ve probably found the cemetery tour photos. If not, check it! They have a lot of historical information about the people within – including a direct descendent of the only Quaker woman to be hanged for crimes against the Anglican Church in 1660.
The cemetery is open to the public during daylight hours but do not attempt to enter the building. Bring your bug spray and watch your step as there are lots of marble bits and metal hiding in the grass.
*Just a note that being on the National Register of Historic Places will not save a building from neglect and demolition in many cities/states. A local church in my town of Athens, Georgia just demolished the historic Saye building in order to pave the lot for 14 parking places. Yep. Despite calls from local historic preservation groups as well as monetary offers, the church and city made the call for demolition. Local newspaper Flagpole just dropped the latest article called The Lord Taketh Away the Saye Building in Downtown Athens. I suggest you give it a read because it also addresses the enormous amount of waste this created as there was minimal (if any) effort to salvage items from the building’s structure.
