"Historic Places at the Crossroads"

7th Annual Preservation Week 2005 Photo-Essay Competition

First Place: Jessica Williams, Allen Co. – Scottsville High

Title: Take me down to Carolina

The words “Greensville Missionary Baptist Church ” don't mean much to anyone in Allen County. In fact, most people have never heard of this place, and even if they have, they probably wouldn't care about it. To be truthful, I live only a few miles from this church and pass it every week, but I didn't even know the name of it until I started doing research. I only knew it as the “old colored church.” In the springtime, hundreds of beautiful tulips blossom and encircle the church and the field beside it. These glorious flowers are always the talk of the community. Everyone marvels at their beauty, often failing to notice the building they encircle. This small building is located just off the road and is in poor shape. The paint is chipping off the wood siding, and the sign on it, which reads, Greensville Missionary Baptist Church Est. February 27 1872, is cracked. The two simple screen doors leading into the church look faded and rusty. The driveway is purely dirt with a little bit of gravel compacted into the ground. Passersby, including myself, always comment on the flowers, but never this crumbling structure of a church. It seems to be frozen in time. It is unnoticeable.

As the church itself is often unnoticed, the history of the church is as well. Currently, Greensville has no church records. Much of the information regarding the church's early founding years is not available because the church records were destroyed when the secretary's house burned with the records inside. A few years ago someone broke into Greensville and the culprit stole many items, including the second set of church records. The perpetrator and the records have not been found and therefore the majority of information regarding the church is simply preserved in memory. So, as the memories of the church fade with time, so does the history.

As the sign on the church reads, it was established 133 years ago. African-Americans who wanted to break off and form their own place of worship organized it. The estimated number of peak members is 35-40, even though many more than that often attended services. One bit of information I found to be strange was that Greensville only held services on the 4 th Sunday of every month. It didn't have traditional weekly services to which most of us are accustomed. The church had a total of six preachers, and one of the deacons went on to become a preacher at another church. The last service was held two years ago in 2003. At this time, the church was closed due to lack of involvement because there were only three active members left. The majority of the members have either moved away or passed on.

I recently sat down with Mrs. Bessie Buford, a life-long member of Greensville, to get a little insight as to how the church really operated. The first thing she did was correct me when I called the church Greensville. She told me everyone always called it “ Carolina.” I have no idea where that nickname came from, and neither did Mrs. Buford. She started off by telling me what a happy place the church was. She said that all the members “felt like family and might as well be.” She fondly remembered traveling in a wagon to church. She said her whole family would have to get up bright and early, and her mom would always pack a lunch of fried chicken. She smiled as she remembered how ecstatic she was as a child to go to church. She then broke into a lecture relating how today's youth dread going to church and should get more excited about God. This brought her to her main point, which she kept emphasizing: “ Carolina ” was full of faith. She told me I could go to “any church in the world” bur it wouldn't have as much faith as “ Carolina ” had.

That got me to thinking. Maybe all this church needs is a little faith. It seems as though everyone has given up on it. The members have deserted it. The older generations don't care about it. And the younger generations have never heard about it. With just a little faith, all things are possible. Mrs. Buford informed me she knew of a few people who are interested in fixing up “ Carolina ” and her ultimate goal, as well as mine, is that one day Greensville will resume services. The church has got somewhere around $2000 in the bank and I'm hopeful the community wouldn't mind pitching in for a few days to clean up the church. It's just the simple things that could make a world of difference: trimming the hedges, planting some grass, or washing the tombstones in the cemetery beside the church would brighten the aura of it.

Greensville Missionary Baptist Church is a historical piece of Allen County's past. Not only should it be recognized as something other than the crumbling structure the pretty tulips grow around. It represents the accomplishments of many people, who overcame the prejudice of their time. The founders weren't afraid to be daring and take risks. They proved that if you work hard and follow your heart, you can accomplish great things for yourself and others. The descendants of the founding members should be aware of this great church. It deserves a little acknowledgment. Whether it is a sign or plaque in front of Greensville, or even an article in the newspaper, the residents of Allen County should know about this great place. Even though I dreaded this assignment, I enjoyed learning about “ Carolina ” and I hope others someday will too. I picked this particular place to research because I realized how much I have neglected my surroundings. I only live a few minutes away from this church and I've never asked one question about it. Our environment and our surroundings help make us the people we are today. If we don't care enough to learn about out cultural past, what kind of future will we have? History is who we are and why we are the way we are.

This essay and photograph(s) are the property of Preservation Kentucky, Inc. and Kentucky Heritage Council and that any use of the photo or essay must be approved by PK and KHC.