Bethlehem United Methodist Church
Bethlehem, Barrow County, Georgia
Marker Inscription
Bethlehem United Methodist Church. Oldest Methodist Church in Barrow County, organized in the 1780's. Services first held two miles N.E. in log house. In 1790 a church was built nearby. The present site was originally a camp ground with an arbor, tents & cottages for camp meetings. Arbor used as mobilization center during War Between the States. Exact date church moved to this site unknown. Land deeded by Rev. John W. B. Allen to trustees in 1847. First church here torn down in 1878 and another erected. Present church was built in 1949 as a memorial to Guy Lee Thompson. Church School building added in 1967. Narthex and steeple added in 1970. Erected by Bethlehem United Methodist Church August 7, 1977
Erected by Bethlehem United Methodist Church
The Story
Organized in the 1780s, Bethlehem United Methodist Church is the oldest Methodist congregation in Barrow County, its earliest services held in a nearby log house. The present site began as a camp-meeting ground of arbors, tents, and cottages, and its arbor served as a mobilization center during the Civil War. The congregation has rebuilt on the spot several times, most recently in 1949.
Why it matters
The church preserves the story of frontier Methodism and the camp-meeting tradition that shaped religious life across the early Southern backcountry.
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Related people
- · Rev. John W. B. Allen
Related events
- · camp meetings
Themes & tags
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