Millen in Jenkins County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Carswell Grove Baptist Church

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, October 5, 2023

1. Carswell Grove Baptist Church Marker

Inscription. African-American members of Big Buckhead Baptist Church founded Carswell Grove Baptist Church in 1867 and constructed the first permanent structure c.1870. Members named the church in honor of Porter Carswell, who donated the land. On April 13, 1919, the church was destroyed by arson during an outbreak of racially charged community unrest. Fueled by social changes following World War I, the incident was part of "The Red Summer," eight months of nationwide racial violence impacting over two dozen cities - including Chicago and Washington, D.C. Following the 1919 unrest, Carswell Grove was rebuilt. To accommodate the church's growth, an updated church facility was erected in 2008 adjacent to the historic structure. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, the historic 1919 building was destroyed by arson in 2014.

Erected 2018 by The Georgia Historical Society, Carswell Grove Baptist Church Historical Foundation, Inc., Main Street Millen, and Jenkins County Historical Society. (Marker Number 82-1.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights

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• Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical date for this entry is April 13, 1919.

Location. 32° 54.128′ N, 82° 1.421′ W. Marker is in Millen, Georgia, in Jenkins County. It is on Big Buckhead Church Road 0.1 miles south of Porter Road, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1365 Big Buckhead Church Road, Millen GA 30442, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Coastal Plain. It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in 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 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Battle of Buck Head Creek (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Cavalry Action at Buckhead Church (about 500 feet away); Big Buckhead Church (about 500 feet away);

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, October 5, 2023

2. Carswell Grove Baptist Church Marker

Bellevue Plantation (approx. 1.9 miles away); Site of Planters Electric Membership Corporation Organizational Meeting (approx. 1.9 miles away); Old Buckhead Church (approx. 3.4 miles away); Camp Lawton (approx. 4.2 miles away); Welcome to Magnolia Springs – The Civil War’s Camp Lawton (approx. 4.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Millen.

More about this marker. This marker is included in the Georgia Civil Rights Trail (CRT).

Also see . . . Georgia Historical Society to Dedicate New Civil Rights Trail Historical Marker for Carswell Grove B. (Submitted on October 22, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 30, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 22, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 712 times since then and 55 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 22, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. A wide shot of the marker in context. • Can you help?