Van Wert Baptist is a rare treasure in Polk County—a historic rural church that still stands, offering visitors a true step back in time. The town of Van Wert itself has a fascinating history. It was named, somewhat curiously, for Isaac Van Wert, one of the men who captured Major John André, Benedict Arnold’s infamous co-conspirator. Originally part of Paulding County, the area became Polk County in 1851. Like many Georgia towns, Van Wert was carved out of former Cherokee land and distributed through the state lottery system. The town was laid out in 1837, soon boasting a population of 100 with a courthouse, one church, hotels, shops, a blacksmith, and an academy—a rapid rise typical of frontier Georgia.

The earliest church in Van Wert was a log cabin Baptist congregation organized in 1840. By 1846, the community constructed the Methodist church that still stands today, shared between Baptists and Methodists until 1850. Slate mining later transformed the area when Joseph P. Blance discovered large deposits in 1849. The Blanceville Slate Mining Company was founded in 1857, attracting Welsh miners who made the Methodist church their spiritual home. Many of their graves can still be found in the churchyard.

Like much of Georgia, Van Wert was scarred by the Civil War. In October 1864, a cavalry skirmish raged through the community. Among those buried in the cemetery is Albert Anderson, a young Tennessean who had joined a Mississippi cavalry unit at the desperate age of sixteen. His simple gravestone on the hill is a haunting reminder of those tragic days.

Van Wert is also where Sam P. Jones—the famed evangelist sometimes called the “Billy Graham of his day”—began preaching in 1872. Once a young lawyer consumed by alcohol, Jones turned to the ministry after his father’s death and went on to preach to vast crowds nationwide. His first circuit included Van Wert and several nearby churches.

The old church minutes provide an especially vivid window into 1840s backcountry life. The records show the congregation acted as both spiritual guide and moral authority, holding members accountable for their conduct:

• February 15, 1845: Members admitted guilt for buying lottery tickets, one for drunkenness, another for angry outbursts. All were received back into fellowship after confession.

• November 15, 1845: A woman was excluded for adultery.

• October–November 1847: A young woman was charged with fornication, while another man faced discipline for destroying a house and its furnishings.

These entries remind us that churches were more than places of worship—they were centers of law, order, and community governance. Today, Van Wert Baptist and its cemetery stand as a testament to the pioneers, miners, soldiers, and preachers who shaped Polk County’s story.