Aspects of Georgia’s unique history can only be told through its extant rural churches.
As the Georgia backcountry rapidly expanded in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, churches erected on this newly parceled land became the center of community life. These early structures ranged from primitive outbuildings to more elaborate designs. They often were constructed with local, hand-hewn materials to serve the residents who lived nearby. From these rural communities sprang the villages, towns, counties and cities that informed the way Georgia was organized and governed and that continue to influence it today.
Published by the University of Georgia Press, Historic Rural Churches of Georgia presents 47 early houses of worship from all areas of the state. Nearly 300 color photographs capture the simple elegance of these sanctuaries and their surrounding grounds and cemeteries. Of the historic churches that have survived, many are now in various states of distress and neglect and require restoration to ensure that they will continue to stand.