Welcome to the Historic Rural Church Archive!

The Historic Rural Church Archive consolidates materials from the Pitts Theology Library at Emory University (Methodist), the Jack Tarver Library at Mercer University (Baptist), Columbia Theological Seminary (Presbyterian), and the Historic Rural Churches of Georgia initiative. This archive provides a comprehensive resource for examining the histories and narratives of churches that once functioned as central institutions within rural and small-town communities across Georgia. The majority of these congregations originated in the nineteenth century, and many continue to serve their communities in the present day.
 
The archive was established by Historic Rural Churches of Georgia, a nonprofit organization committed to the research, documentation, and preservation of historic rural churches throughout the state. With generous support from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation, the project integrates archival records representing multiple denominations into a unified, searchable repository. In addition to institutional holdings, the archive also welcomes contributions of relevant materials from private and community collections.

Read more about the development of the Historic Rural Church Archive