Round Island Baptist Church

Round Island Baptist Church. . , Side A , A church older than the county and state. First meeting house built in the fall of 1816, on Indian land, a few miles south of here along Round Island Creek. The first Govt. Land sales were in Feb. 1818 after treaties with the Chickasaws in 1816 and Cherokees in 1817. Thos. O'Banion was interim minister until the church formally organized on June 17, 1817 when Jeremiah Tucker was elected it's pastor. Families making up the 12 charter members were: Tucker, Lambert, Morgan, Ables, McWilliams, Stamps, and Barclay., The church relocated to the present site about 1823, after John Favor, a Rev. War veteran and member of the congregation, donated the land., The original building, which faced the cemetery, remained unchanged until 1920, when the first of two additions was built, giving the church the shape of a cross. (Continued on other side). Side B (Continued from other side). The original buildings were torn down in 1974, and several building projects, including the sanctuary completed in 2002, brought the church to its present form. Many Baptist churches in the area were formed as missions of Round Island, the "Springboard" of the Baptist faith in Limestone County., With no pastor during the Civil War, the congregation scattered, but was reunited afterward. One Aug. 28, 1870, Pisgah Baptist and Round Island merged as one body called "Round Island Baptist Church.", Over the opposition of some members, the first church organ was purchased in 1910 from Sears Roebuck and Co. for $39.65. During a lengthy meeting in 1913, there were 76 conversions, 49 of whom joined the church, which thrives today with a large and active congregation.