We don’t know the exact date that Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church was organized. We do know that by 1905, Bethlehem had joined the Alabaha River Association (Crawford faction), but based on earlier dates on a few of the headstones, the congregation may have been established many years before that. The oldest marked grave in the adjoining Bethlehem Cemetery bears a date of death of 1881, so it’s possible the church predates that by some time.

Bethlehem remained a member of the Alabaha River Association (Crawford) until 1969, when it became part of the Satilla River Association. The Crawford faction is part of the Old Line or Old School Primitive Baptists, sometimes referred to as “Hard Shell” Baptists—a label used for their strict adherence to traditional interpretations of Scripture. Satilla River Association records note that in 1988, a split occurred when Bethlehem and Smyrna Churches were “taken off” by Elder Ben Johnson. Bethlehem continued serving its community until 1991, when it officially disbanded. Today, the Satilla River Association is down to just two churches and one elder.

Bethlehem Primitive Baptist was part of a group often referred to as the Wiregrass Primitives. The Wiregrass Region of the southeastern United States is characterized by longleaf pine, scrub oak, and sandy soil, stretching from the coastal areas of southeast Georgia and northeast Florida inland to southeastern Alabama. The region’s name comes from a type of coarse grass adapted to these sandy pine and oak habitats.

The roots of Primitive Baptist history go back to the 1830s and 1840s, when dissent arose among Baptists over missions and other practices not explicitly mentioned in Scripture. This schism resulted in the formation of two distinct denominations by 1844: the New School Baptists (pro-mission, later becoming the Southern or Missionary Baptists) and the Old School Baptists (anti-mission, later known as Primitive or Regular Baptists). The word Primitive, in this context, is often misunderstood—it simply means “of early times; first of the kind; original”—not “backward” or “uncivilized,” as some have wrongly assumed.

Another split occurred during Reconstruction, in the wake of the Georgia Homestead Act of 1868, which allowed individuals to restructure their debts. Among Primitive Baptists in southeastern Georgia, a heated controversy erupted over whether taking advantage of the Act was ethical. Anti-homesteaders considered it a breach of contract, even if it was legal. The disagreement was so divisive within the Alabaha River Association that it split the group into two factions:

• Crawfordites, led by Elder Reuben Crawford of Shiloh Church, who supported the Act (pro-homesteaders)

• Bennettites, led by Elder Richard Bennett of the Rome Church, who opposed the Act (anti-homesteaders)

Both factions claimed to be the legitimate Alabaha River Association, so when referencing one of these churches, it’s common to see a clarifying note such as (Crawford faction) or (Bennett faction).

The Crawford faction once had a significant presence across southeastern Georgia—including Brantley, Charlton, Ware, McIntosh, Pierce, and possibly other counties—and in northern Florida. Today, only four Crawford faction churches remain active, served by just three elders.