Hardison Baptist Church, established in 1902, is located in rural Crawford County, about four miles west of Byron. The county itself was created on December 9, 1822, from Houston County, which had been formed from land ceded by the Creek Indians in the 1821 Treaty of Indian Springs. It was named for statesman William Harris Crawford, who served as a U.S. senator, minister to France, and secretary of the treasury.

For the first two years, the Hardison congregation met in a tent while their permanent church was under construction. The completed sanctuary was dedicated in 1904 on land donated by Jeff Hardison, for whom the church is named. Unlike many rural congregations that have declined over time, Hardison Baptist has continued to grow, with several additions made to the original sanctuary. In its early years, baptisms were conducted in a pond at a nearby Boy Scout camp. That tradition continued until the 1960s, when the church built its own baptismal pool. Around the same time, the church’s front entrance was extended, and the ornate steeple seen today was added. Interestingly, the steeple was designed and built by a local company that normally constructed crates for the military. The bell was donated by Lester Almaroad with the stipulation that it would revert to the original donor if the building was ever used for anything other than a Baptist church.

Today, Hardison Baptist Church is lovingly maintained by its dedicated congregation, who continue to preserve both its physical structure and its spiritual mission. Special thanks to Rev. Rick Odum, who served as pastor for twenty-two years, for sharing this history.