After the recent loss of Hopewell Baptist Church near Monticello, Georgia, I’ve decided to try to consistently feature some older churches that are in danger of falling in due to damage, falling off the radar due to age or falling prey to development and demolition. The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation calls them Places in Peril and I’ve watched in sadness as many from that list have disappeared over the last few years. Including one right here in Athens that was bulldozed as recently as a few months ago!

Antioch Baptist has been on the Places in Peril list since 2020. While the descendants usually hold a yearly event on the property, the overall congregation has rapidly dwindled over the last few decades and regular services are no longer held on site. And every time I visit something has become a bit more faded, waterlogged or damaged. But the bible still sits on the pulpit and the piano still plays a tune so there’s still some spirit here…

The History

In November of 1886, a group of former slaves and their children from the nearby Powelton New Hope Baptist Church, led by Deacon Willie Peak, Deacon Abe Frazier and Deacon Philic Jones came together and founded the Antioch Baptist Church.  The board of deacons purchased two acres of land from the Veazey family estate and two acres were donated to them for a cemetery.  Shortly after the church was dedicated, a one room school was built on the premises.  Prior to integration, many schools like these were the only access that some rural African Americans had to education. Up until the mid 1950’s, black children were not allowed to ride on county school buses. These church affiliated one room schools served the community until the emergence of the equalization schools in the 1950s, and it was not until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that African American children began to get access to the same quality of education as the whites.  However, this was not an easy transition and there was much turmoil in nearby Crawfordville, the county seat, in 1965.  The history of this period is well documented in the television archives of the networks, who covered it extensively.  It is a shame that the little school, which was located to the left of the church in the photo is no longer there to give us a proper sense of this aspect of history that took place in so many parts of rural Georgia.

Not mentioned above was that the 1960s the church served as a local strategy center for the civil rights movement with planning meetings and voter registration drives. It was considered an integral part of the movement for this area. I highly suggest this read to find out more!

The church appears abandoned, but there is actually a strong support group of church descendants who attend an annual reunion on the church grounds every August. These efforts have been led for many years by George Turner, whose father was the last Deacon of an active Antioch congregation.  They have been able to make some repairs and keep the grounds neat but more support will be required to save this important part of Georgia’s history.

In May of 2024 the National Park Service offered a grant to help with the preservation of the church and the Friends of Antioch, Inc. was established to help with improvements. However, I can’t find anything online about any current plans and my recent trip found the place looking a little more worn than it was the year prior.

The Cemetery

While the cemetery wasn’t officially established until 1899 the oldest known grave dates to 1898. On findagrave.com there are around 40+ known markers but there are a lot more unmarked graves that have been recently uncovered thanks to modern technology.

As for the gravestone styles, a few Eldren Bailey pieces have weathered some summer storms and a slowly decaying cast iron frying pan sits near a marker. They’re intermingled with newer (1950-90’s) graves in a layout that isn’t orderly but is indicative to family and community groups.

There’s a Historic Rural Churches of the South information box on the property with recordings featuring these topics – The Church, The Cemetery, A Revival and Memories of Antioch. Someone recorded all of them and put them on YouTube as well as video of a tour of the cemetery and the inside of the church. Bonus: the explorer also has a cute dog with them! Go here to watch.

The church is open to the public 24/7 for anyone needing a quiet place for a spiritual moment. Please leave it as you found it, say a prayer or send a wish that it survives a bit longer and maybe add a few dollars to the collection plate when you’re walking out the door…