On a lonely dirt road in rural Schley County stands Phillippi Primitive Baptist Church. Weathered by time and neglect, the little sanctuary still stands, a reminder of another era that feels both distant and near.

Phillippi was organized on February 28, 1835, in what was then Marion County. Elders Joseph J. Battle and Andrew Hood presided over its constitution, and the first members included both white and Black worshippers—among them Randall Stewart and “Lotty, a black sister,” who were received into full fellowship. According to the old church minutes that survive, Phillippi grew to be the largest congregation in the Upatoi Association with 125 members and five ordained elders. The last elder to serve was John Mangham, from 1958 to 1974. The final service was held in November 1978, after more than 140 years of continuous worship.

The minutes reveal much about Primitive Baptist life in the 1800s. In 1837, the congregation voted to break fellowship with Baptist churches that supported “Missionary, Bible, Tract and Temperance Societies, Theological Seminaries, and Baptist Colleges,” marking the theological split that defined Primitive Baptists. Members were also held to strict standards: one man was excommunicated for drunkenness, another brought to trial for attending a Masonic lodge, and others excluded for avoiding debts through homestead laws. At each monthly meeting, the question was asked: “Are the brethren and sisters at peace with each other?” If not, offenders were brought before the church.

Phillippi also held to the tradition of Saturday services, and for decades its doors opened monthly for new members—white and Black alike. Though deserted for decades, Phillippi’s structure endures thanks to its Georgia heart pine timbers and tin roof. With care, it could still be saved, but the community around it has faded. Today, she stands almost gone, but not forgotten—a silent witness to nearly two centuries of faith in the Georgia backcountry.