The Aimwell Baptist Church was organized on November 26, 1860. The articles of organization and the church name were chosen by the forty-three charter members and three local preachers – Reverends John W. Williams, John Talbert, and Jay Reeves. The congregation’s first church building, which is thought to have been constructed with logs, was used for twenty years. Records indicate that the Aimwell Church had a membership of ninety-two in 1868. In 1880, the first church was replaced with a new building. It was constructed with pine lumber and cost about four hundred dollars. By the turn of the century, the membership of the church was around three hundred fifty. On January 29, 1901, tragedy struck and the church building was destroyed by fire. A committee was formed to construct a new building. The next year, a new church was ready. It was a larger building with two doors and three sections of pews. This building had a seating capacity for about four hundred people. Large crowds often attended services during these times. Preaching was often held on Saturdays and Sundays. During April 1921, tragedy occurred again. The church burned down after being stuck by lightning. The congregation started working immediately to replace the destroyed building and on October 23, 1921, the present church was formally dedicated. Over the years, this building has been updated to accommodate the needs of the congregation. The Aimwell Church does not have crowds as large as in earlier times but it is still an active community church with regular services and “dinner on the grounds”. As has been the case for many years, the church still has “Decoration Day” each year on the Saturday before the fourth Sunday in April.

The Aimwell Baptist Church is located in south Marengo County, AL in the community of Aimwell (GPS coordinates 32.123801, -87.903624).

Source: The Heritage of Marengo County, Alabama, prepared by The Marengo County Heritage Book Committee.

Photographs courtesy of RuralSWAlabama.