Founded in 1867, Carswell Grove Baptist Church is one of the oldest black congregations in Jenkins County. Its origins trace back to members who left Big Buckhead Baptist Church after the Civil War to form a new congregation of their own. At first, they gathered under a brush arbor until a permanent church was built in 1870 on land donated by Judge Porter W. Carswell, for whom the church was named.

Just a few hundred yards separated Carswell Grove from Big Buckhead. Yet the cultural divide between the two churches was profound. Big Buckhead had been established in 1774 by white planters, where enslaved people were segregated in galleries or pews. After emancipation, black congregants across Georgia began to build churches of their own, often with land or assistance from white landowners. Carswell Grove grew into one of the largest rural black congregations in the state, boasting over a thousand members by 1919. That same year, however, tragedy struck. The church grounds became the flashpoint of racial violence that spread across Jenkins County, part of what history remembers as the “Red Summer.” The original sanctuary was burned in the aftermath.

In its place rose a magnificent Gothic-style structure in 1919, a testament to resilience and faith. For decades, Carswell Grove stood as both a spiritual and cultural beacon for the community. But like many rural congregations, membership dwindled in the late 20th century, and only a small group remained to care for the grand old church.

On November 16, 2014, fire again claimed Carswell Grove Baptist. After nearly 150 years, one of Georgia’s great rural cathedrals was gone, leaving only memory, history, and the reminder of how fragile these treasures are—and how vital their preservation remains.