Built in 1907, Stillmore Methodist Church is an exquisite example of Romanesque Revival architecture and a rare work of Charles Edward Choate, one of Georgia’s most prolific architects. Choate began his practice in the early 1890s and continued until his death in 1929. A Methodist minister before turning to architecture full-time, he came from a family with strong architectural roots—his grandfather, Jacob Thompson Choate, designed Georgia’s old Capitol building in Milledgeville and the Wesleyan Female School in Macon.

The town of Stillmore was founded in the early 1890s, and the Methodist congregation was organized in 1892, with Choate serving as its first pastor. In 1895, a small frame church was built on land donated by George Brinson, the town’s founder. In 1905, lightning destroyed the building, and Choate, by then a full-time architect, was chosen to design the new structure. Completed in 1907 at a cost of $7,500, the church stood as a testament to both his design skill and his ties to the congregation. Choate went on to design many significant buildings throughout Georgia, particularly in Washington County, where his works from 1895 to 1919 were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. Stillmore Methodist joined the National Register in 1999.

In 1915, the church suffered a devastating fire but was restored in 1916 to its original design at a cost of $10,000. By the early 1920s, membership exceeded 200, and the church supported a full-time pastor. However, economic hardship, the boll weevil infestation, and migration to the cities gradually reduced rural congregations across Georgia. Today, Stillmore Methodist’s membership is in the low double digits, but a small, devoted congregation continues to maintain and preserve this historic treasure. Services are still held each Sunday at 11 a.m., and visitors are warmly welcomed to experience this remarkable Choate creation in person.