It all Started in 1835
Cartoogechaye Baptist Church was established in 1835. The land for the building was graciously provided by Henry Kimsey Dills, one of the founding members. Along with Mr. Dills, some of the earliest members included L.F. Crawford, T.R. Dills, F.W. Dalrymple, T.S. Siler, L.K. Johnson, Susan Dills, and Amanda Dalrymple.
The first church building, a structure of logs with only a fire place for heat, was on the hill where the old cemetery is presently located. Mrs. Callie Johnson Setzer is buried approximately at the spot where the pulpit of the first church once stood.
The Second building was erected a little further down the creek from where the present building stands. It had two sets of doors, One for the men, and one for the women. The sanctuary was also segregated based on gender. Ladies on the right, and Men on the left. Baptisms where conducted in the cold Cartoogechaye Creek beside the church. Baptisms are still held there today.
Above you can see a group of children and teens standing in front of the two doors of the second church building.
The Lord’s Acre
One of the missions projects that Cartoogechaye had back in the day was a small acre of land that sat near the church. This was called the Lord’s Acre. Here, church members maintained a potato garden. When harvested and sold, all the profits would be given to the church. Here we can see church members standing in the garden with the church in the background.
Commentary on the Lords Acre by Community Member Wilma Anderson
The little girl in the front row with the pocket book strap is me (Wilma Anderson). Joann Curtis Gregory is behind me and my Aunt Leota beside her. She is holding my brother.
Reverend Andy Cloer is in the front row with the tie. Both my [Wilma Anderson] grandmothers and mother are in the back row.
Wilma Recalls that the church members planted potatos in the garden to share with the community. She estimates the picture to be from around 1953.
(This information was obtained from Wilma Anderson’s Facebook page.)
The Third Church
The third church was built across the road from the present church, where today there is an overflow parking area. It was dedicated on August 2, 1952. This third building also had a basement and a vestibule was added on at a later date. On February 15, 1998, the members voted to build the present fourth church located beside and attached to the existing fellowship hall.
The Fourth Church and Looking Forward
Dedication services were held on Homecoming, September 10, 2000. The first services were conducted on October 1, 2000. 20 years later, the church has remained much the same. The pews in the sanctuary are from the third church and recently some of the facilities in the rear of the building such as the classrooms have been renovated.
The Church hopes to continue to grow into the future. The Covid-19 pandemic caused periods low attendance that have shaped the makeup of the church body, but the core remains stronger than ever.
The church experienced a 3.5-year period without a pastor, but the Lord never left us or forgot about us. Many Godly men helped out during that time, and on April 24, 2022, the church body elected Randy Campbell to lead the Church as its new pastor. We look forward to see what the Lord has for us with Randy as our guide.
Looking into the history of the church, one takeaway is clear, The buildings may change, move, be added onto, demolished, and renovated. Members may come and go, but the Lord is always with us, carrying the message of the Gospel with Him while He guides us to witness to the surrounding community.
Historical Photo Gallery
Original Picture is 8’’ x10.’’
The Lord’s Acre
Below is a look at the Dedication Service Pamphlet and an Old Newspaper Clipping.
