According to the church’s centennial history, Dickey Presbyterian was founded on March 3, 1849. Originally called Pachitla Presbyterian Church, it stood one mile south of the present site in what was then Baker County. Services were held in a simple frame building on the west side of the old cemetery along the Morgan–Arlington Road. The sanctuary was lit by candles placed in wooden holders hung on the walls.

The original building was later sold, and the proceeds went toward constructing a new church in 1871. The heavy timbers for its foundation were hauled from near Salem Baptist Church by a yoke of twelve oxen, while other lumber was purchased and transported from Boynton and Cordray, near what is now Cordray’s Mill. Windows, sashes, and blinds came from the Miller-Brown Company of Fort Valley and were shipped via the South-Western Railroad. The new church was completed in the fall of 1871, with the first sermon preached by Rev. Luther H. Wilson that December. It was dedicated by his father, Rev. James E. Wilson, a retired missionary from India.

In 1872, the name was changed to Whitney Presbyterian Church. In 1913, it became Dickey Presbyterian Church in honor of Thomas Edward Dickey, who donated the land in 1871 for the church, cemetery, and a boarding school. For nearly 150 years, the sanctuary has stood in this peaceful Calhoun County setting, surrounded by farmland still owned by the same family.

Stepping inside feels like traveling back in time. The original craftsmanship, furnishings, and soothing interior colors have been carefully preserved, with only basic updates such as electricity added in the 1940s. The old church bell still rings across the countryside.

Cathy and Jaa Arnold, descendants of Thomas Dickey, now own the surrounding farm. Mr. Arnold’s father served as a Sunday school teacher here for over 40 years. Although the church became inactive in 1998 due to declining membership, the roots of the Whitney and Dickey families still run deep in the cemetery beside it.

Thanks to the family’s dedication and stewardship, Dickey Presbyterian remains a treasured piece of rural Georgia history—its quiet dignity standing as a testament to faith, craftsmanship, and community heritage.