This is an architecturally unusual church for the area, but a new favorite of mine. The bricks are handmade. The congregation dates to June 1850 and enslaved persons often attended with their owners. Many attended after the Civil War but likely dispersed during Reconstruction. (Source: A Brief History of Douglas Branch Baptist Church, Mrs. H. S. McCall, 1938).
I was rushed when I made the photographs and didn’t have time to explore the adjacent cemetery, but it’s quite large and is the final resting place for many early citizens Screven County.
Thanks for posting. Looks like it could have been an old school building at one time. I have seen one or two of those, “out in the country,” which were later re-purposed into homes. There is one on GA 32. west of Patterson, before you get to Alma, on the way to Douglas.
Rafe Semmes Savannah/Midway
The current Church building indeed was once a school. We still have Sunday School and a worship service every Sunday.
http://www.thegagenweb.com/gascreve/church/douglasbr2.htm
Very nice photo-and believe me I know how changing light, and chance have their roles to play-and how it can be frustratingly difficult. Great job.