Barnett Methodist (Warren County, Ga.)

Barnett Methodist is a wonderful example of the visual power of these old rural churches. For many years, the church was at risk due to low maintenance. The inside of the church was bare, all the furnishings were gone, and the integrity of the roof had been compromised. However, two private owners stepped in to save this historic structure and restore it to the present condition. Barnett is an interesting community in several ways. When the Georgia Railroad was under construction in the 1830's, rural towns and villages began to appear and disappear as a result. Barnett was one of the villages that sprang up as a watering station and depot on the line from Augusta to Atlanta. The fact that this was the junction of the spur line to Washington only made it that much more important. It was a significant part of the Georgia Railroad and the tracks would have been laid for this part of the line sometime in the mid to late 1830's. Railroad infrastructure included a substantial stone depot, a well, and an elevated watering tank for the steam engine. Barnett, at its peak, had several stores and many houses, all of which are gone now. The oldest documented graves in the cemetery are that of Lawrence Battle who died in 1878 and his wife who died in 1877. The Battles were a very prominent family in Warren County. Lawrence donated the land for the church in 1876 and died shortly thereafter. Lawrence's daughter, Marye Lulu Battle who died in 1900, is the repository of the "Angel of Barnett," one of the most inspirational gravestones seen anywhere in Georgia.