Elizabethton in Carter County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Phillippi Missionary Baptist Church
Photographed by William Isom
1. Phillippi Missionary Baptist Church Marker
Inscription.
Phillippi Missionary Baptist Church. . In 1867, the Rev. Horace Leftwich, a former slave, founded the Elizabethton Colored Baptist Church. The next year, it was one of the five original churches that established the Watauga Baptist Association. In 1869, after joining the Bethel District Association, members changed the church's name to Phillippi Missionary Baptist Church. Until the May flood of 1901, church services were held in the County Courthouse on 'Cat Island'. After building a new facility in 1907, congregants moved in and rededicated the church building the next year. In addition to Leftwich, between 1867 and 1940 the Revs. William Jobe, George H. Phillips, and W.A.C. Breedlove, early prominent ministers, served the congregation.
In 1867, the Rev. Horace Leftwich, a former slave, founded the Elizabethton Colored Baptist Church. The next year, it was one of the five original churches that established the Watauga Baptist Association. In 1869, after joining the Bethel District Association, members changed the church's name to Phillippi Missionary Baptist Church. Until the May flood of 1901, church services were held in the County Courthouse on 'Cat Island'. After building a new facility in 1907, congregants moved in and rededicated the church building the next year. In addition to Leftwich, between 1867 and 1940 the Revs. William Jobe, George H. Phillips, and W.A.C. Breedlove, early prominent ministers, served the congregation.
Erected by Tennessee Historical Commission. (Marker Number 1A-122.)
Location. 36° 20.405′ N, 82° 13.307′ W. Marker is in Elizabethton, Tennessee, in Carter County. It is at the intersection of Horace Leftwich Lane and S Watauga Ave, on the right when traveling east on Horace Leftwich Lane. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 200 Horace Leftwich Lane, Elizabethton TN 37643, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee and in the Tri-Cities Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, the State of Franklin, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 30, 2024, by William Isom of Whitesburg, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 281 times since then and 38 times this year. Photo1. submitted on December 30, 2024, by William Isom of Whitesburg, Tennessee. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
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