Senoia Methodist was the first church built in what is now the town of Senoia, established about 30 years after Coweta County was officially organized. Coweta was one of five counties created by the 1825 Treaty of Indian Springs, in which Chief William McIntosh ceded Creek Indian lands to the United States. The treaty was controversial among the Creeks, and McIntosh was killed by fellow tribesmen at his home on the Chattahoochee River. The county was named for McIntosh’s tribe and their town of Coweta, one of the Creek Nation’s largest centers. The town name “Senoia” is unusual and comes from the name of McIntosh’s mother.

In 1860, Rev. Francis Warren Baggarly purchased the land on which Senoia now stands. The following year, he founded the Methodist Episcopal Church South, holding the first meetings in a brush arbor. The first building in Senoia, known as the Rock House, was originally intended for commercial use but was converted into a Confederate commissary during the Civil War. The Methodist congregation shared the space, using the upstairs as their first permanent home.

According to church history, a Virginia refugee named Mrs. Herndon organized and led the first Sunday School classes. Pine benches of rough lumber were made by Iverson Sims, while Mr. Mays did much of the carpentry. The pulpit, crafted by Brother Mays, was used by Rev. Baggarly for many years and remains in the church today, along with two pedestals—once lamp posts—that flank the pulpit. The first dedicated church building on the current site was erected in 1871. It was later sold and moved to make way for the present sanctuary, completed in 1898. Built in the Queen Anne style with shingled siding, it is considered one of the finest examples of this architectural style in Georgia.

From brush arbor beginnings to a striking Queen Anne landmark, Senoia Methodist stands as both a place of worship and a living piece of Coweta County’s history.