Strawberry Chapel AME in Laurens County is one of those quiet but deeply significant places in Georgia’s landscape. At first glance, it might appear to be just another small rural church surrounded by trees, but its story reaches back more than 160 years to a time when the people who built it were enslaved.

According to Bryan Brown, Strawberry Chapel was formed in 1859 by enslaved people of the Cooper Plantation. If this date is correct, it makes Strawberry Chapel the oldest African American congregation in Laurens County and among the oldest in all of Georgia. Like so many rural congregations, the little church was once more than a place of worship. It likely served as a schoolhouse for African American children in the years after emancipation, when public education was still out of reach for many.

Today, the original chapel building is no longer in active use as a sanctuary. It is being used for storage, though there is still an active church on the grounds. The fact that this historic building survives at all is remarkable, and it reminds us of the determination of its founders, who built a spiritual and educational center under some of the harshest conditions imaginable. Places like Strawberry Chapel AME help tell the fuller story of Georgia’s past. They represent resilience, faith, and community during a time of oppression and transition. While much of the chapel’s early history has been lost to time, preserving what remains—and encouraging new research—ensures that the lives of its founders are not forgotten.

If you know anything more about Strawberry Chapel or the families connected to it, please share. Every detail adds another layer to the story of this remarkable place.