Richmond  Barge  January 1800 - 

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Contributed by: Shirley Holland 
Email: sdholland@mindspring.com  


Author: J. M. Baker

Richmond Barge and his family were among the earliest settlers of the section 
of Fulton County, GA  coming from Fayetteville, NC.He was a boarwright by 
trade, coming to this section primarily, to build and operate a line of boats 
on the Chattahoochee Riv er, which project, was, however, impractical then, as 
it is now.  He located about five miles SW of Mt. Gilead Church in what was 
Campbell County, in 1924.  His old homestead was about a mile south of what is 
now Owl Rock Methodist Church.
During the period 1820-28 there came into existance a new faction or party in 
the Methodist Church known as the Mutual Rights Party, who contended for the 
mutual rights of the ministry and laity against the Episcopacy or control of 
the church by Bishops.
Richmond Barge became a supporter of this new faction, which afterwards, became 
known as the Methodist Protestant Church.  It is said that on one ocfasion, 
during a m,eeting at Mt. Gilead, an opportunity was given to all members of the 
church to declare themselves either for or against this new faction, tahta a 
line was drawn upon the ground in the church yard across which all dissenters 
might go over to the new faction, the faithrul members of Mt. Gilead to remain.
Richmond Barge and his family crossed over the line.  Other families also 
crossed over, whose names we have not recorded.  Richmond Barge, with his negro 
slaves, had built a house of worship near his home, on a lot he had given for 
that purpose, which was used as a mission, a branch of Mt. Gilead Church.
In 1828, when the split came between the Methodist Episcopal Church and 
Methodist Protestant Churches, Richmond Barge rolled the little log house, 
which he had built, off the lot where it stood, and moved it near the present 
site of Owl Rock Church, and organized what was known as the Owl Rock Methodist 
Protestant Church.  He was an officer and Superintendent of the Sunday School 
until his death, which occurred many year later.  He left a large family, 
notably among them John, Edward, Richmond and Jacob.
This Barge Family history was furnished by J. J. Barge, grandson of Richmond.

Owl Rock Methodist is located on Campbellton Rd, SW, Fulton County, Ben Hill, GA