Mt. Pisgah Primitive Baptist Church—also known as Fish Trap Primitive Baptist—is located in rural Bulloch County, Georgia. Founded in 1883, it is one of the earliest African American Primitive Baptist congregations in the state. The church cemetery contains 447 documented burials, including 19 individuals born into slavery, with the earliest recorded birth that of Andy Donaldson in 1812. Many more graves remain unmarked.

The origins of Black Primitive Baptist churches in Bulloch County date back to the Civil War era, when African Americans worshipped alongside white congregants in Primitive Baptist churches. Some continued in these integrated settings after emancipation, while others, especially those influenced by the Missionary Baptist movement, formed independent congregations. Primitive Baptist traditions in Georgia began in the 1770s with Irish and Scottish settlers, including Robert Donaldson, who founded several churches in Effingham County. Enslaved African Americans were often members, though recorded only by their first name.

Aaron Munland, born enslaved in 1848 in South Carolina and sold to Bulloch County in 1856, became a driving force in establishing Black Primitive Baptist churches. Barred from preaching in white congregations, he was encouraged by Elder Wilson, a white minister, to help organize a separate congregation. In 1879, Munland, his wife Luncindy, his sister Dinah Hodges and her husband Martin, and Moses Parrish founded Banks Creek Primitive Baptist Church—the first of its kind in the county.

Growth soon led to Bethel Primitive Baptist Church (1882) and, a year later, Mount Pisgah—the third Black Primitive Baptist church in the area. Due to limited transportation, ministers rotated among congregations. Early Black ministers were ordained by white elders, including Elder Matthew Donaldson, son of Robert Donaldson. Once ordained, Munland gained the authority to ordain others, fueling further expansion. In 1887, five Black Primitive Baptist churches formed the Mount Pleasant Association, with Munland as first moderator. Zion Hill Primitive Baptist Church joined in 1893.

Much of this history survives thanks to records preserved by formerly enslaved members, notably Miss Essie Mae Powell, longtime secretary of Banks Creek. Historian Dr. Alvin Jackson continues to research and document this important chapter in Bulloch County’s religious and cultural heritage.