We love the old Wiregrass Primitive churches, and Shiloh is among the most historic. Organized in 1833 in what was then Ware County (now Pierce), it reflects a pivotal moment in Georgia Baptist life. At the time, Baptists were bitterly divided over whether the church should support missions. Those who opposed them took the name Primitive Baptist, while those who supported missions remained simply Baptist.

For a while, the Piedmont Baptist Association managed to hold both groups together. But as tensions grew, congregations began drifting toward associations that matched their convictions. Shiloh at first petitioned to join the Ochlochnee Association but was rejected over a technicality. By 1837, it had reorganized and joined the Suwannee River Association.

Shiloh is the oldest church in Pierce County, rebuilt three times since its founding. The present sanctuary, completed in 1927, still reflects the plain, enduring architecture of Primitive Baptist worship. Thanks to careful stewardship, it looks much today as it must have in the late 19th century.

Its cemetery, the oldest in the county, dates to the 1830s. Many of the earliest settlers rest here, though countless graves are now unmarked. The earliest identified burial is that of Samuel Sweat (1849), son of a Revolutionary soldier. Two Revolutionary veterans are buried here as well, along with ten known Confederate soldiers.

The most significant figure is Elder Isham Peacock (1741–1852), known as “Father Peacock.” A Revolutionary War veteran and one of Georgia’s most beloved Primitive Baptist preachers, he helped establish the Piedmont Association and numerous Primitive churches across south Georgia and north Florida. His grave, honored by the Sons of the American Revolution, remains a pilgrimage site for students of Baptist history.

Shiloh’s later pastor, Elder Reuben Crawford, served nearly 50 years here. His followers, the “Crawfordites,” became known as the most conservative Primitive Baptists in Georgia. Together, Peacock and Crawford left a lasting legacy that makes Shiloh not just Pierce County’s oldest church, but one of its most enduring spiritual landmarks.