The outside of the church, a peek at the cemetery and the remains of a tarp on the roof that has seen better days…
Informed on October 18, 2025 that the church is gone.
The church was built sometime between 1850 & 1870 (researched dates are a bit conflicting) and was originally established by the Blackwell family. Many of the Blackwells are buried in the graveyard on the property and it appears that there some burials within the last few decades despite the rapid decline of the property.
The church held services for the majority of the small community including the enslaved individuals from local plantation owned by the family. I don’t know if that’s why there’s 2 doors (that could be a gender division) or if there was a segregated balcony that has long since been removed. But there haven’t been services in here for a long, long, long time.
There were quite a few angry critters up in the eaves of the roof that were giving us the ‘what what.’ At least, I hope those were angry critters thumping around!
The amount of decay and damage to the church has certainly sped up in the last few years including lots of vandalism to the interior but the doors now boast some sturdy locks so that’s a slight deterrent. The graveyard has some sections that are wildly overgrown but it appears to be relatively intact…especially when compared to the church.
The majority of the graves are of the Blackwell family and other wealthy individuals connected to the family. I can’t find any documentation of a slave graveyard or segregated burial area on the property.
Absolutely a See It Before It’s Gone situation. I don’t see anything changing except a continued slide into rubble. Not to be a downer *pinky swear* but it’s not wildly uncommon nowadays to hear about the collapse of older churches. And it happened. It’s gone.
Travel notes: I visited this spot on the same day I visited the Old Monticello Methodist Church & Cemetery and it was an excellent roundtrip from Athens experience. Especially with a stop to McMichael’s Pizza to grab some ‘za to go. No affiliate kinda stuff here. Just love this hole-in-wall spot covered floor to ceiling with memorabilia. *Tips: call ahead at least an hour before you want to pick it up. No seating there. It’s tiny. Like 3 people and you’re crowded. Eat your pizza sitting on the square watching the traffic roll by…
