Apple Valley Baptist (Jackson County, Ga.)

This building is in a lovely rural setting on the crest of a gently sloping hill that has commanded a 360 degree view of the beautiful Jackson county countryside for over 125 years. The history of the church from the Baptist archives states that Apple Valley Baptist was organized May 7, 1887 in a school building with 34 charter members. It then states that the church was built the following year in 1888. A local history suggests that before the church was organized in 1887, the community attended church at Cabin Creek, Black's Creek, and Oconee Baptist. This building was used also as a school house in the early 20th century until it was abandoned. The present day Apple Valley Baptist church is almost adjacent to the old church in a building that appears to be fairly recent. Therefore if the church was built in 1888, this was probably the original church, which then did double duty for the community serving as a schoolhouse as well as the church until the present Apple Valley Baptist church was built. These dates are certainly consistent with the age of the building. It is a classic rural box construction with no steeple, four windows on a side and a double door entry. The church/school has been deserted for some time and is now being used as a stable and for farm storage purposes. The tin roof is still in good shape really speaks to the beauty of tin as a perfect roofing material for these old structures. Prior to tin, wood shingles were the roofing material of choice and would have given out a long time ago. The structure is pretty sound, given the long period of total neglect and the pressure of the animals.