Hinesville in Liberty County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Pleasant Grove African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church and Camp Meeting

Pleasant Grove Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mike Stroud, January 2009

1. Pleasant Grove Marker

Inscription. Pleasant Grove A.M.E. Church was organized June 29, 1869 at Taylors Creek, GA. Rev. Piner Martin was the first pastor. The first church, a small frame house, was named A.M.E. Church of the U.S.A. Sixteen acres of land were later purchased to build a larger church named Pleasant Grove. Trustees were Sam Frasier, Syrus Smiley, Sam Martin and Sol Smith. The U.S. Government purchased the original church site to establish Camp Stewart in 1941. In 1943 a new church was built on Highway 38 in Allenhurst, GA. Rev. Garfield Jackson was pastor. R.W. Bacon, J.F. Slater, W.A. Frasier, I.S. Frasier comprised the Building Committee. The Pleasant Grove Camp Meeting is recognized as the sole event reuniting African American families of the Taylors Creek, Wille, Cypress Slash, Strum Bay and other disbanded communities. For those former residents Camp Meeting is the "tie that binds."

Erected 2003 by Liberty County Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Churches & Religion • Notable Places. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 29, 1898.

Location. 31° 47.659′ N, 81° 36.423′ W.

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Marker is in Hinesville, Georgia, in Liberty County. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1450 W Oglethorpe Hwy (US 84,GA 38), Hinesville GA 31313, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. City of Walthourville History (approx. 2.3 miles away); Walthourville Baptist Church (approx. 2½ miles away); Walthourville Presbyterian Church (approx. 3.1 miles away); Skirmish at Hinesville (approx. 3.3 miles away); Old Liberty County Jail (approx. 3.6 miles away); Bradwell Park (approx. 3.7 miles away); Liberty County (approx. 3.8 miles away); Liberty County Confederate Monument (approx. 3.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hinesville.

Regarding Pleasant Grove African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church and Camp Meeting. "In 1869, the Pleasant Grove A.M.E. Church was founded at Taylors Creek by local preacher Rev. Piner Martin. Next to the church laid the Pleasant GroveCemetery. The cemetery included a Masonic Lodge for the African American community, and a parsonage for the pastor. A one-room school, which later became a part of the Liberty County School system,stood nearby as well. Population and economic growth continued in Taylors Creek during the first 20 years of the 20th Century. African Americans madeup slightly more than half the town’s population

Photographed By Mike Stroud, January 4, 2009

2. Pleasant Grove Marker

of 325. Crop destruction caused by the boll weevil ended Taylors Creek’s boom. The village didn’t have a railroad connection, which also contributed to the end of the boom."
("The Frontline" newspaper,Fort Stewart, October 23, 2003 )

Pleasant Grove Marker, looking south , along W. Oglethorpe Hwy(US 84,GA 38) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mike Stroud, 2009

3. Pleasant Grove Marker, looking south , along W. Oglethorpe Hwy(US 84,GA 38)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on January 29, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,098 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 29, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.