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Sumterville Baptist Church at Sumterville, AL (built ca. 1837)

Antebellum, Churches and Cemeteries | Sumterville in Sumter County  

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This church traces its beginning to the “Old Primitive Baptist Church” which was the first church organized in the western part of the Sumter County. The Old Primitive Baptist Church, which was located about 4 miles west of the present Sumterville Baptist Church, was built in 1833. In 1837, a group from the Old Primitive Baptist Church paid $50.00 for an acre of land in Sumterville and built this Baptist church. It was an oblong frame structure, painted white with green shutters. The black members of the church sat in the rear and the whites in front of the pulpit. In 1860 the church reported 25 whites and 125 blacks. In 1881, the church building was renovated. The back of the church where slaves sat, before their emancipation, was removed from the building. The following year, a new pulpit and stands were added to the church. Later additions to the church include a vestibule, baptistery, and two Sunday School rooms on the rear of the building.

This church is located on the south side of Sumter Co Rd 20 in the community of Sumterville, AL in Sumter County (GPS coordinates 32.708696, -88.241775)

Source: History of the Sumterville Baptist Church, by Julia P. Killingworth.

Tags: alabama, antebellum, baptist, black belt, church, sumter county, sumterville

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About This Website

Welcome to rural southwest Alabama. This website is dedicated to twelve counties located in rural southwest Alabama which includes a large portion of Alabama’s Black Belt area. This region is known for its rich and diverse heritage, historic homes and churches, and natural beauty. This website contains details about historic and interesting places that you will find in this area of Alabama.

PLEASE NOTE THAT MOST OF THE HOMES INCLUDED ARE PRIVATE RESIDENCES AND, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ARE DRIVE BY ONLY.

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Dedicated to the memory of Stacy Milstead Henson (1978-2008) & Inez “Sis” Watts (1924-2007).

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