Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
In this powerful episode of Adventures Into History, we journey to Lamar County, Georgia, to visit one of the state’s oldest continuously operating African American churches — Rehobeth CME Church, founded by emancipated freedmen in 1869.
I’m joined by longtime member Mr. James Butler, who gives us an exclusive tour and shares the remarkable story of this historic congregation — both inside the sanctuary and out in the surrounding graveyard.
Rehobeth’s roots trace back even further than emancipation. Originally established as a white Methodist Episcopal congregation in 1830, the site was transformed after the Civil War into a new house of worship for the area’s newly freed African American community. The first deed from 1869 records a gift of land specifically “for the use and benefit of Freedmen,” marking the beginning of a new chapter in the region’s history.
This humble church became the center of Black community life in post-emancipation Georgia — a place of worship, education, and resilience. A schoolhouse once stood across the road, and the cemetery beside the church holds over 160 burials, including at least 19 people born into slavery. Some of their death certificates tell stories of lives lived in hardship and perseverance — like Pleas Banks (1847–1939), one of the church’s original trustees who did not even know his birthdate or mother’s name.
Today, the congregation is smaller and older, but thanks to people like Mr. Butler, the legacy of Rehobeth CME continues. This is more than a church — it’s a living monument to survival, freedom, and community.
This work is made possible by viewers like you! Thank you!
📌 Support the Work
Tip Jar: paypal.me/rwrightphotography
📌 More Adventures
Watch Adventures Into Preservation: youtube.com/@TheRandomAdventuresChannel
📌 Mailing Address
Sidestep Adventures
PO BOX 206
Waverly Hall, Georgia 31831
In this powerful episode of Adventures Into History, we journey to Lamar County, Georgia, to visit one of the state’s oldest continuously operating African American churches — Rehobeth CME Church, founded by emancipated freedmen in 1869.
I’m joined by longtime member Mr. James Butler, who gives us an exclusive tour and shares the remarkable story of this historic congregation — both inside the sanctuary and out in the surrounding graveyard.
Rehobeth’s roots trace back even further than emancipation. Originally established as a white Methodist Episcopal congregation in 1830, the site was transformed after the Civil War into a new house of worship for the area’s newly freed African American community. The first deed from 1869 records a gift of land specifically “for the use and benefit of Freedmen,” marking the beginning of a new chapter in the region’s history.
This humble church became the center of Black community life in post-emancipation Georgia — a place of worship, education, and resilience. A schoolhouse once stood across the road, and the cemetery beside the church holds over 160 burials, including at least 19 people born into slavery. Some of their death certificates tell stories of lives lived in hardship and perseverance — like Pleas Banks (1847–1939), one of the church’s original trustees who did not even know his birthdate or mother’s name.
Today, the congregation is smaller and older, but thanks to people like Mr. Butler, the legacy of Rehobeth CME continues. This is more than a church — it’s a living monument to survival, freedom, and community.
This work is made possible by viewers like you! Thank you!
📌 Support the Work
Tip Jar: paypal.me/rwrightphotography
📌 More Adventures
Watch Adventures Into Preservation: youtube.com/@TheRandomAdventuresChannel
📌 Mailing Address
Sidestep Adventures
PO BOX 206
Waverly Hall, Georgia 31831
