East Damascus Baptist (Gordon County, Ga.)

East Damascus Baptist is a classic North Georgia country church located in Gordon County in a very rural location, far off the beaten path. The church is believed to be original from the founding date of 1855 when two acres of land were donated by Myers Cochran, one of the first members. The first minister was William Flemming. The church was named "East" Damascus Baptist Church because there is another Damascus Baptist Church in Calhoun, on the west side of Gordon County.  The hand pump well in the front of the church still works. Prior to the pump being installed, the well had a bucket for drawing water. Local history says that the church was also used as a school for a number of years. The beautiful cemetery is located in a bucolic setting just up the road and around a curve—a short distance from the church building. There are several Confederate veterans buried there and at least one Revolutionary War veteran. Fortunately, the church is still vibrant with an active congregation. The photos show an interior that has not changed much over the past 160 years. Some of the history for the church was furnished by Faye West Gibson, who still attends the little church in the woods. Gibson has a maternal great grandmother who is buried there and his great grandfather is buried a short distance away in the village of Oakman because the roads were too bad to get his body to East Damascus for burial. Those old mountain backroads were difficult to maintain and frequently washed out.