Leighton in Colbert County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Old Bethel Baptist Church
Older than the State
Photographed by Billy Clemmons
1. Old Bethel Baptist Church Marker
The church was organized as Bethel Missionary Baptist Church on June 26, 1819, with Elder Theophilous Skinner serving as pastor. The church predates the creation of the state of Alabama by nearly 6 months. Bethels original was across County Line Road in neighboring Lawrence County on land donated by the Kerby family. A boundary change in 1895 placed the church in Colbert County. For many years, preaching was held only once a month. Annual daylong sings and revivals once attracted large and expectant crowds to this site.
The church was a charter member of the muscle Shoals Baptist Association. It later joined the Big Bear Creek Association before becoming independent .The congregation changed the name to Old Bethel Baptist Church in the 1930s.
Five church buildings have stood on or near this site during Bethels long history,the most recent erected in 1930. The church survived devastating tornados in 1920 and 1942 with only minor damage while the nearby parsonage was destroyed. The antebellum-era Bethel Cemetery is owned and managed by the church. The oldest church in Colbert County. Old Bethel Baptist Church marked
this page online
Erected 2021 by Alabama Historical Association.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Historical Association series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 26, 1819.
Location. 34° 34.642′ N, 87° 31.5′ W. Marker is in Leighton, Alabama, in Colbert County. It is on County Line Road (Alabama Route 99) 0.2 miles north of Bethel Cemetery Road, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7317 County Line Rd, Leighton AL 35646, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama and in the Shoals. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Byler's Old Turnpike (approx. 2.3 miles away); LaGrange Military Academy (approx. 6.2 miles away); LaGrange College (approx. 6.2 miles away); a different marker also named LaGrange College (approx. 6.2 miles away); Trickem (approx. 6.3 miles away); Counts Family Cemetery (approx. 6.8 miles away); Newburg (approx. 7.1 miles away); William Leigh (approx. 8.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Leighton.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 10, 2023, by Billy Clemmons of Florence, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,399 times since then and 90 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on January 10, 2023, by Billy Clemmons of Florence, Alabama. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
