Near Grantville in Meriwether County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Allen-Lee Memorial Church
(Old Prospect Methodist)
Photographed by David Seibert, 1991
1. Allen-Lee Memorial Church Marker
Dr. Young John Allen, born in Burke County, Jan. 3, 1836, was reared by an aunt, Nancy (Wooten) Hutchins, near Lone Oak. In 1851, during a sermon by Rev. John W. Yarbrough, first pastor at old Prospect, Dr. Allen was so deeply convicted of sin and the need for salvation that he jumped from the window and fled into the woods. Returning to the church, he was converted and, in 1859, sailed to China as a missionary and teacher. Bishop Warren A. Candler, in his book, “Young John Allen -- The Man Who Seeded China,” said: “His great work opened the way for the Gospel in China and made easier the task of every missionary in that vast Empire.” Dr. Allen died in 1907.
Dr. James Wideman Lee, native of Lone Oak, was outstanding in the North Georgia Methodist Conference. He later became a renowned minister in a leading church in St. Louis, Mo., and was influential in founding the Barnes Hospital there. His uncle, William Owen Lee, gave the land for this church.
Erected 1957 by Georgia Historical Commission. (Marker
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Georgia Historical Society series list. A significant historical date for this entry is January 3, 1907.
Location. 33° 10.461′ N, 84° 48.675′ W. Marker is near Grantville, Georgia, in Meriwether County. It is on Lone Oak Road (Georgia Route 54) 0.1 miles west of Forest Road, on the right when traveling west. The marker is located in the parking lot, adjacent to the church. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3241 Lone Oak Road, Grantville GA 30220, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Piedmont. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, 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 original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Gravesite of Lt. (jg) Thomas E. Zellars- Namesake of USS Zellars DD 777 (approx. 4.4 miles away); William Hogan Plantation (approx. 5.6 miles away); The Attempted Assassination of Isaiah H. Lofton (approx. 6.2 miles away); Lewis Grizzard (1946-1944) (approx. 8.1 miles away); Mountville Community (approx. 10 miles away); Mountville Methodist (approx. 10.1 miles away); In Memoriam (approx. 11.2 miles away); Gen. Jos. Wheeler, C.S.A. (approx. 11.2 miles away).
Photographed by David Seibert, August 24, 2009
2. Allen-Lee Memorial Church Marker
The marker in 2009
Photographed by David Seibert, August 24, 2009
3. Allen-Lee Memorial Church Marker
Looking west on Georgia Highway 54 in the town of Lone Oak
Photographed by David Seibert, August 24, 2009
4. Allen-Lee Memorial Church
Photographed by David Seibert, August 24, 2009
5. Allen-Lee Memorial Church Marker
Photographed by David Seibert, August 24, 2009
6. Site of Allen Childhood Home Memorial
As noted on the smaller memorial, this memorial was moved to this site, alongside the Allen-Lee Memorial Church. The larger marker reads:
Site of Childhood home of Young J. Allen Methodist Missionary whose labors in China 1859-1907 made him known as an international Statesman in Christianity.
The smaller marker reads:
This memorial was given by Mrs. I. R. Leigh (1867-1956) of Grantville, Georgia. It was originally placed on the Liberty Hill Road in a cornfield on the site of the long vanished home of the late Mr. and Mrs. Wiley Hutchins, the uncle and aunt who reared Young J. Allen. In order for memorial to be more accessible to the public Mrs. Leigh later gave permission for it to be moved to the grounds of Allen-Lee Memorial Church.
Site of Childhood home of Young J. Allen Methodist Missionary whose labors in China 1859-1907 made him known as an international Statesman in Christianity.
The smaller marker reads:
This memorial was given by Mrs. I. R. Leigh (1867-1956) of Grantville, Georgia. It was originally placed on the Liberty Hill Road in a cornfield on the site of the long vanished home of the late Mr. and Mrs. Wiley Hutchins, the uncle and aunt who reared Young J. Allen. In order for memorial to be more accessible to the public Mrs. Leigh later gave permission for it to be moved to the grounds of Allen-Lee Memorial Church.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 5, 2009, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 1,488 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 5, 2009, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 30, 2009, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
