Free Will Baptist Historical Collection: Elegy to a Country Church Yard: Bygone Buildings of Free Will Baptist Churches

This church was established in 1890.
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Established in 1879, the first congregation worshipped in a log structure which was located on the opposite side of the road from the present church. In 1881, a one-room wooden frame building was constructed (pictured).  A new church building was begun in 1922 and dedicated in April 1925.
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Organized around the middle of the 1890s, the basic frame of the original church was used for worship services until fire destroyed it in the late 1990s.
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The church pictured was used from Oct. 1872 to 1978.  The church moved to a new building in 1978.
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This church was apparently organized in the mid to late 1860’s as it was first found on the FWB General Conference rolls in 1870 with a membership of 92. The Collection has no records of the church though its membership had increased to 138 at the time it joined the Central Conference when it was formed in 1896. However, when it joined the Albemarle Conference in 1945 membership was only 98, and when it disbanded (circa 1994/95) membership was down to less than 5 members. Building as pictured in 2009 is believed to the original and only building of the church. The church is/was located 4 miles east of Jamesville off Davis Road. Building is as pictured in 2009.
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This church converted Pittman School into the church pictured.  The new church was completed in 1969.
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Established by 1878, the congregation worshipped for many years in the Community Center (an old abandoned school building). Construction on the new church building began in 1968.
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This church was previously known as Aleo Free Will Baptist Church. In January 1961, this church voted to change locations and build a new church building.  On Easter Sunday 1962, the first service was held in the new church.
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Organized in 1935, the first building was built during 1936-37 (pictured in 1944).  The present brick building was erected in 1954.
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This church had its first services in a house on Simmons Street in 1908.  In 1910, the first church was built on the corner of Lionel and Simmons Streets on land donated by The Reverend Jake Hill.  The church purchased the lot adjoining the church in 1922.  Two Sunday School rooms were added on the back of the church building in 1923.  It is thought that these were the first Sunday School rooms ever to be built in a Free Will Baptist Church in North Carolina.  More Sunday School rooms were built beside the church building.  Today, these rooms remain on the southwest corner of Simmons and Lionel Streets as a doctor's office.  By 1937, a brick veneer was completed to the church building and Sunday School rooms.  A parsonage, located at 713 Simmons Street was purchased in 1942.  In 1954, the sanctuary burned to the ground.

The William Street school building was used before moving into the educational building of the old Presbyterian church, which is now the home of the Historical Society.

In 1955, the church bought the B.G. Thompson property on Ash Street (pictured), which was remodeled from a private home into a church.  In 1964, ground was broken for a new sanctuary.  The congregation dedicated and moved to this church on New Year's Day 1967.  In June of 1968, the congregation purchased the property, on the corner of Leslie and Mulberry next to the church, for a parking lot.  The sanctuary side windows were installed in 1975.  In 1985, the Thompson Building was destroyed.  Following the demolition, the church built an educational building and fellowship hall in 1989.

In remembrance of their parents, the children of Roy and Ola Mae Bailey donated the bell tower in 1992.  The tower holds the church bell from the original church building that burned in 1954.  The bell tower stands outside the building in the front of the still existing B. G. Thompson Carriage House.
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Rev. W.H. Laughinghouse founded this church in 1902. The church pictured was built in 1915-16 at the Corner of Eleventh and Forbes Streets.

In 1964, the name was changed from Greenville Free Will Baptist Church to the First Free Will Baptist Church of Greenville.

A new church building was built on South Charles Boulevard and dedicated on May 19, 1974.
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This church was formally established in 1889 and worshipped in the courthouse in 1899. It joined the Eastern Conference by 1900, reporting twenty-eight members. The church building (pictured bottom left) was built in 1902 at the corner of Tiffany and Chestnut.

This building served the congregation until 1942 when a new building (pictured bottom right) was purchased from the Presbyterians. This building was located on Independence Street. An educational building, Sunday School rooms, a kitchen, and fellowship room were added. Rooms were added to the sanctuary. The church purchased a Hammond Organ in 1947.

Then, the church purchased for $50,000 a building which had been formerly used by the First Presbyterian Church of Kinston (pictured top) which was located on Lenoir Avenue and College Street. The congregation held its first service in this building on Sunday, November 17, 1957. The church purchased the Webb property at 312 West Lenoir Avenue, and used it for Sunday School rooms and other meetings for several years. That building was razed when it was decided that the space would be more useful as a parking lot and playground area. A Fellowship Hall was built in 1988. A ramp was added in 1994.

In 2007, the congregation moved to a new building on Sussex Drive.
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On June 4, 1916, the First FWB Church of La Grange was set in order after a soul-stirring revival conducted by Eld. H. R. Faircloth.  There were 24 charter members and the church joined the Cape Fear Conference during its 1916 annual meeting; however, the church moved its membership to the Central Conference in 1933.  The revival and succeeding services were held in the old Methodist Protestant Church (pictured above) on North Caswell Street.  That property and all its furnishings were purchased on May 6, 1917 and the congregation worshipped there until 1976 when the church moved to new facilities at 802 S. Caswell Street.
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Organized in 1888, worship services were held in the Webster school house until 1899 when a new church was built (pictured in 1948 after the steeple was added). In 1952 construction began on a new church building.
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This church was organized in 1843. A new church was built in 1901-1902 (pictured as it was in 1949). A new sanctuary was dedicated in 1958.
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On December 16, 1959, The First Free Will Baptist Church (First Church) in Raleigh, North Carolina voted to establish a mission in Garner and made a request that the Cape Fear Conference co-sponsor the project.  On January 1, 1960, the trustees of the First Church and the trustees of the Cape Fear Conference jointly executed a contract to purchase the Methodist Church property.  On Sunday, January 17, 1960, the first service was conducted in Garner with Rev. Chester Phillips, Chairman of the Board of Missions, preaching the first sermon.  Rev. Herman L. Hersey was selected by the Mission Board to temporarily supervise the Mission.  In March 1960, a Sunday School was organized.  Rev. R. Eugene Waddell accepted the call to pastor the Mission on April, 17, 1960.  The Mission was organized into the Garner Free Will Baptist Church with 43 charter members on September 1, 1960.
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This church was established in the late 1750s. The building pictured was later used as a packhouse for tobacco on the Floyd P. Harris farm near Belvoir.
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The church was formed on April 12, 1878 at Lawrence Askew School House. This church was first named Christ Church of the Free Will Baptist; the name was changed to Hickory Chapel in 1880. This picture was taken in 1880.
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Picture of church as of 1907 with 4 classrooms added in 1932.
531 NC561 E Ahoskie, NC 27910
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This church started holding Sunday School classes in the old Holly Springs schoolhouse in July, 1888 (pictured).  The church’s first service was held on the first Sunday in April 1889 with 17 members. In 1923, Holly Springs students were bussed to the new Newport School.  In May 1964, ground was broken for a new church building.
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This church was founded about 1756. It is generally assumed that Joseph Parker organized this church.  It is one of the oldest Free Will Baptist churches in North Carolina and the oldest still in existence.  The church and the grounds were flooded during Hurricane Floyd.
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Organized as early as 1870 as Piney Grove Free Will Baptist Church. Name changed to Macedonia in 1894. Building pictured was built sometime in mid-1890's and used until 1967 when a new church was built.
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This church was established in 1923.
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The church first met in 1880 in the Sprawls Lamm School House. The first church building was started in 1890 and completed in 1894(pictured).  Services in a newly constructed building started in 1923.
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Oak Grove Church was founded in 1862.  The first services were held in a log building that was replaced by a frame building in 1871.  This building was destroyed by fire in the early 1930's.  Another building was erected; additions to it were completed in 1955 (pictured above).  The present building was constructed in 1967 and dedicated on June 30, 1968.
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In 1962, this church began meeting. In 1967, a house located at 904 Northview Street was purchased and remodeled into a chapel.  In 1971, a new foundation was laid.
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Between 1845 and 1851, this church was founded.
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This church was founded in the 1820s. The deed for the site was secured on March 11, 1828 for $1.00. This 800 square-foot church on Fleet Street apparently burned during the Civil War.

In 1881, Rufus K. Hearn was allowed to build on the vacant lot, which was used for The Free Will Baptist Press for eight years.

In 1892, services were held in the home of Bryce Anderson on upper Pollouck Street.

Between 1893 and 1899, the name of the church was changed from New Bern Free Will Baptist Church to Saint Mary’s Free Will Baptist Church.

In 1909, the old wooden church was razed to construct a new building, which was completed in 1913. The church building pictured was used from 1913-1954. In 1954, the church pictured was razed to make way for the present Georgian Colonial structure.
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Rev. M.S. Todd and Rev. R. W. Baker helped establish this church in 1912 (another sources says the church was established in 1916).  Mr. Todd was the first pastor.  29 charter members began meeting in an old school house in West Bladenboro in the fall of 1916.  Services were held in this old school house until 1917 when a framed building (pictured) was built on the lot given by Elias Edwards which was located on Highway 211, between the town of Bladenboro and the cotton mill village.   A brick building replaced the original structure.  The church had 152 members in 1961.
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This church was organized in 1894.
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Organized in 1877, the first building was built in 1882 (pictured).
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Early in 1887 in Charlton County, Georgia, Rev. Welch, a Free Will Baptist preacher, and Newton Roddenberry discussed creating Philadelphia Free Will Baptist Church.  The church accepted the articles of faith, covenant and the constitution of the Southern Baptist Association on October 4, 1890.  The first meetings were held in a small twelve by eighteen foot school house located where the present church now stands.  Sometimes the church could not hold all the people who came for services, so they met at an old mill-pond near the school building and held services on the bank of the creek. Newton Roddenberry donated a half acre of land to the church; in 1896 Lee Chancey, Solie Chancey, and W.W. Davis cut logs, then J.J. Mattox sawed lumber to build the first church. Later, in 1947, Mrs. Susie Roddenberry gave the property adjoining the church. The total amount owned by the congregation in 1.3 acres. The picture of the church building was taken around 1917.  On the far left side is Newton Roddenberry.

In 1956, the church decided to build a new church, made of blocks. The old church was rolled on logs to the back of the lot so that the new building could be erected on the site of the old one. In the 1960s, James Roddenberry purchased the old church building; he and his sons dismantled it and used part of the materials in the construction of the subflooring and the porches of the James and Bernice Roddenberry home which is located on the Newton Roddenberry homeplace near the church.  The members voted the build a social hall on the back of the church in 1986; the total cost for this long room was $2,283.49.  A steeple was added in 1973.
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This church was formed in October 1888.
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