Mt. Gilead Methodist Church History - Copyright Yr 1924 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm ************************************************ Contributed by: Shirley Holland Email: sdholland@mindspring.com Compiled by J. M. Baker, Grandson of Rev. J. M. Smith, Ben Hill, GA Origin of Mt. Gilead Church At Indian Springs (GA) Jan 8 1921, a treaty was made with the Creek Indians, under which a large portion of the territory lying between the Ocmulgee and Chattahoochee rivers was ceded to the State of GA. From this vast and rich domain five (5) counties were formed. Fayette-the extreme western portion of which was later absorbed into Fulton Cty., Mt. Gilead Church is located in Land lot 8 of originally Fayette and now Fulton County. It is recorded that Wm. McIntosh, the noted Indian chief of the Crereks, who was the principal actor in this historic event, was shortly afterwards murdered by a band of Creek Indians who did not approve of this treaty. White settlers were beginning to move to this new territory and no sooner than Fayette Cty. was surveyed out of these Indian lands that an inrush of settlers came. It was not thickly settled but rapidly. A missionary of that period wrote: "Often I have ridden for miles on horseback without even a settler's blaze to direct me through this winderness." It should be a matter of thanksgiving to every Christian that the religious element was not overlooked in the early planting of these settlements. Such was the condition of this new territory in 1822 when one of the earliest pioneers, John M. Smith( the writer's grandfather) swapped his Franklin County, GA farm for nearly a thousand acres, lying in a chain of land lots extending from Mt. Gilead Church, north to Utoy Springs on Cascade Rd. He moved his family to this new section, Nov 27, 1822, where he was joined by other Franklin County, GA settlers and other sections of the state. Notably the Baker,Fain,Barge,Holbrooks,Cash,Ferguson,Oliver ,Peacock,Stone and Redwine families. Many descendents of these families still reside in and about the vicinity of Mt. Gilead Church, where they hold their membership, and they owe much to these pioneersettlers of rugged mould of speech and character, who planted here in the wilderness, so lately abandoned by the roving Red man, a church of the Living God It is indeed the center of the little Palestine in the fastness of the forest-a religious capital where the Divine law was first promulgated. Theses pioneers were not given to martial deeds, but they were law-abiding, industrious and frugal people. Here with none to molest them or make them afraid, they began a new the struggle of life, and they have left behind them an incense of memory which has sweetened the whole history of Mt. Gilead. During all of this period all activities of the Methodist Church in GA was under the supv. of the South Carolina Conference. The active missionary work was done by travewling preachers, or circuit riders who had charge of certain circuits assigned to them by the conference. Ther preacher usually, came by horseback every 28 to 30 days to each station and remaained only part of a day. There were no Sunday school except in cities such as Augusta and Savannah. 1823 in Savannah, advances were made in the newly acquired lands under the leadership of Rev. Lovick Pierce to establish missions. Among the 1st mission established was the Gwinnett Mission and to this mission came Rev. William J Parks. The territory assigned to him extended into Fayette & Henry Counties, there being but two small missions, one in Lawrenceville & Decatur, GA Rev. William J Parks was assigned to these missions and his territory was so large that he had to preach every day of the month to cover. J. M. Smith met Rev. Parks at the Decatur mission and convinced him to come to his house and upon arrival there were friends and neighbors to hear and the 1st sermon was preached Arpil 23, 1824. In the fall of 1824 Mt. Gilead Methodist Society was formed and the fourteen (14) original charter members were: John M Smith & Wife,Samuel Sewell & wife, John Dorsey & wife, Richmond Barge & wife, John B Holbrooks and wife, Daniel Ferguson & wife, Nancy Trimble Redwine and Mr. Tate. In 1825 a formal house of worship was built. The land was donated for the building by J. M. Smith. Deed made to, Samuel Sewell, John Dorsey, John Holbrooks, Newton Randle and Daniel Childs, trustees, Jan. 15 1826, coveying 1 1/2 acres. Recorded in Fulton County, GA The original church was built from logs and lighted with tallow candles. A committee was formed of John M Smith, J J Fain, J. O. Redwine & P R Oliver to contract with Elijah Donehoo to saw lumber and erect the new house of worship. In 1858 the new building was erected a few feet south of the 1st building. There were doors on each side, facing north, two aisles leading to the altar. Doors on each side near the pulpit. It had a boxup pulpit, which was destroyed by the army in 1864. The inside was never painted and the windows were of large size and of glass. It stood in the march of Sherman to the sea and was used by both South and North as a hospital during the Civil war. The ceiling was torn out and converted into bunks for wounded soldiers and then were destroyed. Soon after the war J. M. Baker, the writer of this, J. J. Fain and Captain Jimmy O Redwine repaired building, using much of the old ceiling which showed blood stains from having been used. The material for a new pulpit and altar was built by J. M. Baker with money raised by Isabella, daughter of J. M. Smith. This building stood until 1908 when the present building, now 1924, was erected. Electricity was installed in 1923.Having traced the outward history of the church from its incipiency to the present time we would delight to enter more into its inner life and note some of its internal struggles, its victories and defeats. And, as God's people of old were chosen in the "Furnace of affliction," we would expect that these people would likewise have their share of trials and drawbacks in their earlier years. But of this period of the church we have no written nformation and can gather little from tradition. Recurring to Rev. Wm. J Parks, who, as heretofore stated, organized Mt. Gilead Church and Society, and later served as its pastor, Grandfather Smith says of him in his diary: No minister was ever more generally honored and loved by his people than this faithful servant of God." He came to this section at a time, there being that country neither ordained minister nor any church. Sharing their hardships, sympathizing with them in their sorrows, he only endeared himself to these early pioneers. He was father and friend as well as the shepherd of this flock. Rev. Parks was married three (3) times and died in his 73rd year in 1873 and is buried at Oxford, Newton County, GA. Mt. Gilead Methodist Church was the first of any kind organized in Fulton County, GA. Year 2003- This church still stands today on Fairburn, S Fulton County, Ben Hill, GA with a viable congregation. Descendents of the charter members of this congregation, being Suttles, Oliver,Fain,& Cash still attend. They do not any longer have Sunday School, however, there is a beautiful brick building behind the Wooden Church that stands equipped with all materials and rooms just in case it is needed. The Church building has been renovated with new paint, new roof, and new carpet. What I find unsual about this building is that the floor is slanted, as a theatre is, so you are able to see where ever you sit. They still have homecoming each year and it is attended by families of all original members descendents that can be found. Mt. Gilead Cemetery is located both next to the church and across the road. I attended home coming in 2002 and plan to go back this year. If you are interested in this church and wish to see it or attend it is located: Fairburn Road, off Camp Creek Parkway, which is off I-285 in S. Fulton, Ben Hill, GA. This is a suburb of Atlanta, GA