Pontotoc County, Mississippi
Genealogy and History

LIST OF CHURCHES OF PONTOTOC COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI

ASSEMBLY OF GOD

• Springville Assembly of God

FREEWILL BAPTIST

• Antioch -located in the western part of the county, near Toccopola, organized in 1886.

• Bethlehem - located about 8 miles NW of Pontotoc off Rocky Ford Road, was founded in the late 1800 .

• Lee Memorial - organized Dec. 5, 1974. Located on Lana St. in Pontotoc.

• McGregor's Chapel - located 6 miles W. of Pontotoc on Hwy. No. 6, organized Oct. 24, 1947.

• Pleasant Grove - located in the Cross Roads Community about 2 miles NE of Thaxton, organized Dec 20, 1920.

• Wallfield-New Life - located S of Algoma, organized May 1899.

INDEPENDENT BAPTIST

• Pleasant Grove - located about 6 miles SE of Pontotoc on Hwy. 41 S., organized in 1843.

• Macedonia

• Victory - Organized in 1971.

MISSIONARY BAPTIST

• Bethel - located on the Zion-Pontotoc road (Hwy. 342) one mile east of the Ebenezer Methodist Church, was organized about 1966.

• Cherry Creek - located in the Cherry Creek community, was organized on Oct 15, 1867.

• East Pontotoc - organized in 1910, first called Union Baptist.

• Fellowship -first located in the Oak Ridge Community on the Furrs and Oak Ridge road just north of the Valley or Verona Road. Organized before 1883.

• Friendship - located just off Hwy. 15 S of the Camp Ground Road. Exact date of organization is not known, but is common knowledge that it was in existence many years before 1900.

• Mount Pleasant - located in Chesterville, organized before 1869.

• New Resident - first located under a brush arbor in the College Hill community, this church was begun about 1900. The first building was destroyed by the storm of 1913. Relocated on the Longview-Chesterville Road N of the Channel Bank Community where a large brick church stands today.

• Pontotoc Second - dates back to 1865. First church was located on Main Street N of the Sneed Motor Co. A new one was built on College Street.

• Salem - located on the Woodland-Zion Rd. one mile N of Woodland Baptist Church, built about 1875.

• Springville Chapel - located in the Springville Community just S of Hwy. 9 S. Organized in 1954.

• Saint Paul - located in the Cairo Community NW of Ecru, organized sometime between 1897 and 1900.

• Wilson Chapel - located just off Hwy. 9 N on the Wilson Chapel Road, the first services began probably between 1880 and 1885.

• Center Hill

• Ecru Second

• Sherman Grove

• Robbs Chapel

PRIMITIVE BAPTIST

• Bethany -organized Oct 21, 1919, located on Hwy. 346 W. Was called Bethena.

• Hopewell - Elders Francis Baker and John Robins met a few Primitive Baptist members at a cabin near the home of William Hellums four miles S of Randolph on Nov 11 1837.

• Smyrna Primitive - built in 1873, located about 1/4 mile south of Abe Hardin home on the Woodland-Pontocola Road leading to Troy and intersected at Roye store at Hwy 41 by the road which goes to Toxish. The church is gone but there is a cemetery.

SOUTHERN BAPTIST

• Buchanan -located 10 miles NW of Pontotoc in the Buchanan Community on Rockyford Road. Date of organization as recorded on the cornerstone of the present church building is 1934. However, some records and several of the older citizens say the Church was organized Sept 4, 1930.

• Carey Springs -was organized about 1900 and the members met in the community school building for several years.

• Cherry Creek - organized before 1843.

• Cooke Memorial - the final organization was Aug 19, 1956.

• Duncan Creek Baptist was organized in 1872 by Rev. W. W. Finley. The first building stood on a bluff overlooking Duncan Creek about 1 1/2 miles northwest of Thaxton. Among the charter members were B.B. Smith, P. N. Gilder, P.C. Duncan, R. Swain, Mr. & Mrs. W.P. Hooker. Later the church was moved into the Thaxton community; still later the name was changed to Thaxton Baptist Church.

• Ecru - organized in Oct, 1904.

• Friendship - organized about 1848.

• Furrs - began on Nov 2, 1915.

• Hebron - the first church building at Hebron was a one room log building built about 1885.

• Hopewell - located near the Buckhorn Community in the SW part of Pontotoc County, organized on Jun 4, 1863.

• Hurricane - in the early years this community was a dense forest with only a few people living in the area. There were no roads, schools, or churches, but a hurricane came through and almost opened the way for a new settlement and as a result the name Hurricane was chosen. The church was organized in 1885. The name was first New Prospect rather than Hurricane.

• Longview - Organized Sept 1, 1883.

• Midway - organized in 1965.

• New Hope - organized in 1853 in a meeting held in the log school house located at that time on the old Fulton road four and one-half miles east of Pontotoc. This road is no longer used and a road that turns south off Hwy. 6 at "Rosalba" leads to the church. (This place is now a Photography Business)

• Oak Hill - organized in August 1849 at the Republican Meeting House, now known as the Jack Dillard farm. The original name was Oak Hill Baptist Church of Christ.

• Pontotoc First - organized Feb 9, 1846 as an outgrowth of the Cherry Creek church.

• Piney Grove - the original minutes of the church still in the hands of some of the church members give the organizational date as 1855. Located north of Randolph a few miles on the Thaxton-Randolph road.

• Randolph - the brethren and sisters living in the Randolph Community met at the school house on Sat. Dec. 7, 1901 for the purpose of organizing a Baptist Church.

• Shady Grove - organized March 22, 1859, located in the extreme NW section of the county.

• Sherman - was organized Oct 9, 1888.

• Springville - The Spring Hill Baptist Church was organized in 1860. The name was changed to Springville in 1947.

• Thaxton - organized in May 1872 as the Duncan Creek Baptist Church. The name was changed to Thaxton Baptist Church in 1948 while rebuilding.

• Toccopola - the best available records place the organization of the church as 1872.

• Toxish - the Toxish Baptist Church was organized in Oct 1837 as a result of Presbyterian Monroe Mission outpost which was begun as early as 1823. Tockshish was the original spelling of the name but through the years the evolution was to Tocshish, Tokshish and finally to Toxish. Located on the Old Natchez Trace at eh old McIntosh trading and mail station ten miles SE of Pontotoc.

• Troy - then known as Mount Moriah, was organized as an arm of the Toxish Baptist Church in 1853. The unique part of this church is the fact that both the Baptists and Methodists use the same building and have alternated Sunday preaching services.

• Turnpike - Organized in 1886.

• West Heights - began as a mission of First Baptist Church in 1946.

• Woodland - organized in 1910.

• Zion - is a center for interesting traditions, and a recorded history of service and achievement. It is near the traditional site of the 'Bullen Mission', a school for Indian boys established in July, 1799, by Joe Bullen, Jr., son of Rev. Joseph E. Bullen.

(NO HISTORIES)

• Reynold Chapel

• Judah Church of the Lord Jesus Christ

• Bellevue-See link on page-

• Cairo

• Center Hill

• Chesterville Calvary

• County Line

• Chesterville

• Ecru

• Endville

• Gershorn

• Horton Memorial

• Immanuel

• Liberty

• Locust Hill - Baptist, organized in 1877, near the Bethel community.

• Schoona Chapel

• Valley Grove

• Pope Hill Church - active during the 1870-80 but no longer in existence, located directly east of the John Pickering place. (? denomination)

CATHOLIC

• St. Christopher Roman Catholic - in February of 1965 Catholicity came to Pontotoc County, a county that never in its history had had a Catholic Community. The first service was held in the Pontotoc Community House.

CHURCH OF CHRIST

• Pontotoc - although no record has been kept previous to 1931, it is known there were some ten or fifteen years before this, about fifteen members of the Church of Christ who met regularly for worship in some place other than in a private home. The church was built on the corner of Liberty and First Street.

• Sherman - organized Mar 17, 1963 and the building was erected in 1964.

• Buckhorn

CHURCH OF GOD

• Montgomery Chapel Church of God - located on Hwy 341 two miles S of Hwy 9 was set in order on Oct 23, 1934.

INDEPENDENT

• Community Bible - located on S Brooks St., Pontotoc, was formed Sunday, Jan 20, 1974.

JEHOVAH WITNESS

• Kingdom Hall - Lee County Line

• Kingdom Hall - Springville

METHODIST

CHRISTIAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL

• College Hill - organized in 1872 in a brush arbor in the yard of Mr. West Franklin, between old and new No. 6 highways, on the farm which Author Franklin owned. In 1873 a frame church house was built on the land where Claude and Juanita Givhan live, north of College Hill graveyard.

• Mount Nebo - organized in 1880. The first house of worship was built soon after the organization and the third brick structure was completed in 1975. Located east of Hwy 15 on the Camp Ground Church road.

• Naylor Chapel - had its beginning in the early 1880. Located in the Toccopola area.

• Algoma - with the help of the Methodist people of the Algoma Community, Rev. F. A. Whitson, pastor of the Pontotoc charge in the Holly Springs District of North Mississippi Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, organized the Algoma Methodist Church in the public school house of old Algoma between the years of 1895 and 1896.

• McDonald

UNITED METHODIST

• Algoma

• Bethel - the deed for the Bethel United Methodist Church, based on information given by living ancestors was made and recorded in the Chancery Clerk Books, Pontotoc, Oct 27, 1870. The lot the church was built upon was donated by William P. Wilder. This Methodist church is in the northeast part of the county near Endville. Among the charter members were David L. Hoyle, Ellen McCord Hoyle, Billup G. Dozier, T. Coon, Brazil McCord, and Mary Ann McCord, the Rev. Mr. W. C. Mimms was the first pastor.

• Camp Ground - in 1836 in an Indian hut that stood just south of the present church building the Mount Pleasant Church was organized. The first house of worship was built of logs. The name was later changed to Camp Ground Methodist Church.

• Ebenezer - Organized in 1894 and got its start from the Old Camp Ground Methodist Church.

• Fairview - On Easter Sunday, April 6, 1947 the first song was sung and the first prayer was prayed at the Fairview United Methodist Church.

• First United - the Pontotoc Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1836. In 1846 the name of the church was changed to the Pontotoc Methodist Episcopal Church South. In 1910 the present church was erected. In 1939 the name of the church was again changed to the First Methodist Church.

• Harmony - was located a few miles north of Pontotoc east of the Pontotoc-Ripley road. Methodist - cemetery still there but no church house. Those who were instrumental in getting the church started were the Ball, Wilder, Stark and Bigham families.

• Hunter Chapel - see Robbs.

• Palestine - located in the south central part of Pontotoc County, approximately four miles west of Algoma and eight miles southwest of the town of Pontotoc, in the third district. In 1857, the land where the Palestine school was located was deeded to Thomas F. George. It is believed that Thomas F. George gave permission to build the log structure which served both as school and church on his land just across the road to the west of where the present Palestine Church is located. It was not until 1883 however, that the Palestine School and Church received the deed to the land from Thomas F. George. A frame building was constructed on the site of the previous log building, and hits building was used for both the School and Church. In 1904 a third building was erected across the road to the east from the second church and school building. In 1951 the present church was built of materials from the old church and dedicated May 4, 1952.

• Randolph - the church building was built in 1901. In 1923 the church was destroyed by wind. It was built back that same year. In 1968 it was disbanded and discontinued as a preaching place.

• Robbs - Hunters Chapel Methodist Church, now Robbs United Methodist Church, is located in the southwest corner of Pontotoc County in the community known as Robbs. At its organization in 1880, members met under a brush arbor, which served as the Hunters Chapel Methodist Church until 1888. A one room log building was erected and used as a church and school. At a later date, probably in the 1900 , a frame building was built. This was replaced in 1952 with the present brick building. In 1974 it became the Robbs United Methodist church.

• Sand Springs - in the summer of 1928 the people gathered in the interest of building a church for the Sand Springs cemetery. From the beginning this was to be designated the Sand Springs Methodist Church.

• Sherman - organized July 3, 1910. The church building was completed and dedicated on November 1, 1911. The old building was demolished by a tornado and in 1949 a lovely brick building was constructed.

• Thaxton - many of the records of the Thaxton Methodist Church have been lost or destroyed by fire. The earliest church was a log building located on the knoll where the cemetery is presently located. At one time the church was known as Mayhew Chapel, but the dates are unknown.

• Toccopola - the Methodist Church, known as Old Sardis, was originally located on the hill across Toccopola Creek about one and a half miles northeast of the town. This was a noted place fro old-fashioned camp meetings.

• Troy

• Washington - located in the extreme south central section of Pontotoc County near the Pontotoc and Chickasaw County line. The church was officially organized September 13, 1900.

NAZARENE

• Church of the Nazarene Union (Toccopola Junction)

PENTECOSTAL

• West Pontotoc Pentecostal

PRESBYTERIAN

• Lebanon - the original church was built in 1850. About 1882-3 one half acre of land in the southeast corner of northwest one fourth of Section 31 was bought by the church and it was moved to Toccopola. The old church was torn down and moved by ox wagon and put up again by members. In 1924 the members decided to build a new one.

• Monroe Presbyterian

• Pontotoc First

• White Zion

SANCTIFIED (no history)

• Ecru Sanctified

PENTECOSTAL INDEPENDENT

• Chapel Grove Church of the Living God

(No histories)

• Denominations not known

  • Alexander Chapel - a family named Alexander who lived east of Toccopola began a church in their home soon after the Civil War. This building was destroyed by fire. Another one was built a few miles east in the Cole community and was given the name of Listenbee Chapel . Most of these members later moved east of Pontotoc and began holding their services in a frame building formerly used by a Holiness group and they called their church Bradford Chapel. Later the name was changed to Naylor Chapel .

  • Old Sharon Church - built first at Old Algoma, then moved with the town to a new site. The first building was a few hundred yards off Hwy 15 behind the Allen Vaughn Smith home. This building was destroyed before 1900 and the beautiful wooded area where it stood became the 'grove' where candidate speakings and other public gatherings were held.

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