In the late 1880's the Rev. H. T. Hart was
pastor of the Pleasant Hill Circuit. It consisted of four churches,
Pleasant Hill, Salty, Liberty, and Lawrence Chapel. He
also preached once a month at Conoly School where he encouraged
the community to build a church.
In 1887 W. H. Gambrell and P. C. Casey each gave two acres
of land that were to be used for a churchyard and a cemetary.
An arbor was built early in 1888 and a Sunday school started. Rev.
H. T. Hart preached once a month and Brother Gregory (Jim),
a local preacher, also preached once per month. Later
that year the first church was built on the same location
as the current building. Eight people signed a promissory
note to be paid by December 1, 1888. The first building
was approximately 20 x 30 feet. The lumber was brought
from Rockdale by wagon and team on muddy roads. A copy
of the original receipt dated December 20, 1888, shows a
total amount of $55.35 was paid for the lumber. Membership
at the time consisted of over 20 families. The first
couple married in the church was Russell and Emma Pruitt.
In 1923 or 1924 a larger church was built. In 1947
members were cleaning around the church when it caught fire
and burned down.
Soon afterwards, G.I. Barracks were purchased and moved
to the land. These are the buildings that stand today. In
September 2003 the church stood proud, and its heritage shined
through as a new bell tower and steeple were added from memorial
donations made through the years. |
