Photography by Randall Davis
Union United Methodist
Bulloch | Organized 1790
You are looking at a church that has been in continuous service for well over 200 years, on the very same site. Union Methodist Church, organized in 1790, is the oldest Methodist congregation in Bulloch County and one of the oldest churches in Georgia’s backcountry to remain in continuous use at its original location. Methodism had only been active in Georgia for about two decades when Union was formed in the home of Joshua Hodges, a Revolutionary War soldier and early settler from Martin County, North Carolina. The Hodges family became devoted stewards of the church for generations.
+ Continue readingThe first structure was a log meetinghouse built in 1792. In 1834, it was replaced by a plank building “resting on log pillars, with a steep roof and four evenly spaced windows.” The current sanctuary, completed in 1884, was built with lumber provided by brothers Jim and Tim Davis, who ran a local mill. Some pews and altar rail parts from the 1834 building were incorporated into the new one, with local carpenter Robert W. Stringer crafting the remaining pews and the altar rail.
During the Civil War, church records were dispersed among members for safekeeping. Some, preserved by the Porter family, survive today. Although the area was not dominated by large plantations, the church had both white and Black members. In 1844, rolls list five white men, fifteen white women, and five Black members; by 1859, three white men and nine Black members. The congregation remained small due to its rural location, relying solely on local farming families, a fact that makes its endurance even more remarkable. Local tradition holds that the church escaped damage during Sherman’s March to the Sea because it also served as the meeting place for Free and Accepted Masons Lodge No. 213.
Today, Union stands as one of the few churches in Georgia organized in the 18th century, that has continuously served the same community in the same place. It is a rare treasure, preserved through the dedication of generations who have cared for and worshiped here. We owe deep thanks to all who have safeguarded this remarkable piece of Georgia’s history for more than two centuries.