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Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church (1920-) (Grady County, GA)

 Organization

Dates

  • Existence: July 23, 2008

Historical Note

The Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in the 1860s by African Americans who would “slip off’ into the woods to pray in secret, according to congregation member Brother George Donald. The church began as a “brush arbor” located in the Piney Grove community southwest of Whigham. In 1878, the group purchased the current church property on Martin Avenue in Whigham from J. T. Harrell for $20. The congregation followed the tenants of the African Methodist Episcopal church. The first trustees of Ebenezer were Brothers Thomas Young, Georgie Donald, Fortune Liphnidge, George Shackleford, and Even Swicord.

The first church building constructed at the Martin Avenue site was a log church that was destroyed by fire in 1920. That same year, the congregation built the current wood-frame church. The congregation was centered in Whigham, but also included members from rural Grady County. The church served as a center for social and charitable organizations and a focus for civic and political activity. The Ebenezer congregation built a one-room school c.1930 to provide academic instruction to African-American children who, because of racial segregation, were not permitted to attend public schools with white children. The Ebenezer school was the only school for black children in Whigham until segregation ended in the 1970s.

Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church and School was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on July 23, 2008

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

CA-002-001-002: Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church, 2008

 Item
Collection number: CA-002-001-002
Scope and Contents This item pertains to Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church in Grady County, Georgia, and is part of the Churches series within the Grady County Historical Society Collection. It includes newspaper clippings, an announcement of the church's listing in the National Register of Historic Places, photographs, handwritten accounts of church history, a list of pastors, and handwritten letters. The original materials are held by the Grady County Historical Society and were provided to...
Dates: Issued: 2008
Found in: Community Archives Digitization, Access, and Preservation Program / CA-002, Grady County Historical Society / CA-002-001: Grady County - Churches