Near McKinley in Marengo County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Bethel Hill Missionary Baptist Church

Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 12, 2014

1. Bethel Hill Missionary Baptist Church Marker

Inscription. Following the Civil War and emancipation, newly freed African Americans, who had worshiped in the Bethel Church in McKinley while enslaved, established their own Bethel Church in a wooden house at the rear of the current church site. In the mid-1880s, this black Bethel Church became Bethel Hill Missionary Baptist Church. Elizabeth Borden deeded five acres of land to the church in 1894, and Rev. J.A. Lawson led the effort to erect a new building the same year. The structure was bricked during the pastorate of I.C. Acoff in 1936. Until the mid 1950s, McKinley School for African American elementary grade students was attached to the church. Original members of the church are buried in the church yard cemetery.

Erected 2011 by Alabama Historical Association.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Education • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Historical Association series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1894.

Location. 32° 17.984′ N, 87° 32.107′ W. Marker is near

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McKinley, Alabama, in Marengo County. It is on Bee Lane (County Road 38) 0.1 miles east of County Road 63, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3005 County Road 38, Thomaston AL 36783, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and in the Black Belt.

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 New Spain,

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 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Bethel Baptist Church & Cemetery (approx. 0.3 miles away); Paulling Place Cemetery (approx. 4.6 miles away); Thomaston Cemetery (approx. 5 miles away); C.S. Golden House (approx. 5.4 miles away); Thomaston Baptist Church (approx. 5.6 miles away); History of the Town of Thomaston (approx. 5.8 miles away); Thomaston Colored Institute (approx.

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, July 29, 2026

2. Bethel Hill Missionary Baptist Church & Marker

5.9 miles away); Holt Cemetery (approx. 8 miles away).

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Land for this church provided by Bethel Baptist Church nearby.

Bethel Hill Missionary Baptist Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 12, 2014

3. Bethel Hill Missionary Baptist Church

Church Cornerstones image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 12, 2014

4. Church Cornerstones

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, July 29, 2026

5. Bethel Hill Missionary Baptist Church Marker

Marker has weathered over the last 12 years.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 5, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 13, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,235 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 5, 2026, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 2. submitted on August 2, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. 3. submitted on August 5, 2026, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 4. submitted on April 13, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 5. submitted on August 2, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.