Summertown, Georgia, is a quiet community of about 160 residents, little changed from its population in 1900. Originally called Summerville, it was settled by families seeking higher ground to escape the malaria that plagued nearby swampy areas. Over time, it grew to include an academy, post office, church, and a stop on the Midville, Swainsboro, and Red Bluff rail line around 1890. The town’s history dates back before the Civil War, with records noting that General Sherman’s right wing camped nearby in November 1864 during the March to the Sea. Soldiers described the area as sparsely settled pine land, dotted with marshes, but also noted the pleasant appearance of Summerville.

The Summertown Methodist Church property originated from a deed dated March 5, 1881, when Lewis B. Bouchelle sold two acres to George Garbutt, who later transferred it to church trustees. Bouchelle, a local physician, teacher, and minister, lost his young son James Duncan Bouchelle in July 1879, marking the first recorded burial in the church cemetery. Garbutt, a prominent lumberman and community leader, founded what became Summertown Baptist Church and has several descendants buried at Summertown Methodist. Founded in 1881, Summertown Methodist was served by early ministers I. F. Carey and H. L. Pearson. By 1919, it was part of the Midville Circuit, sometimes sharing a minister with Union Grove Methodist. Membership dwindled over time, and in 1995, the congregation was discontinued. The Methodist Conference ceased maintenance in 2002.

By then, the building showed its age, peeling paint, broken windows, and rotting wood. That changed when Steve Head, a contractor from Alpharetta with roots in the region, included the church in his company’s restoration projects. Today, the building and cemetery are cared for by five trustees who purchased them from the Methodist Conference in 2002. The cemetery remains active, preserving the memory of the community’s early settlers, including formerly enslaved individuals and prominent local families. Summertown Methodist stands as a testament to the faith and resilience of the people who built and sustained it for more than a century.