DUANE
Duane's take
The marker's got the story, and here's my telling of it. Out here in Houston County, there's a church with roots that go back further than most folks think to look. Pleasant Grove Baptist Church — and we'll get to why that name matters — started in 1862.
Six original charter members. Six. And one of them, a man named J.M.
Russell, is credited with establishing the whole thing. Now, you don't need a crowd to start something that lasts. You just need the right six people.
The congregation's first church structure stood about two miles west of where you're standin' now, and that building became important fast — by 1866, it was hosting Baptist Association organizational meetings. That's no small thing. That's a church earning its place in the wider community.
But 1866 had a dark side too, because that same year, fire destroyed the building. The very structure that had just served as a gathering place for the whole Association — gone. They rebuilt.
Of course they rebuilt. That second structure stood until 1907, when fire took it as well. Twice, the same congregation watched flames take what they'd built.
And twice, they came back. A third church rose at this location in 1911, and that's the site you're passing now. Here's a small detail worth knowing: the church didn't always carry the name it does today.
It started as the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church of Christ, and the name was changed — for the second time — in 1945 to the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. Two fires, a name that evolved, and more than a century and a half of serving the local community. Some things, it turns out, just don't quit.
What the marker says
J.M. Russell, one of six original charter members, established this church in 1862. The congregation's first church structure, located about two miles west of here, was the site of Baptist Association organizational meetings in 1866. Fire destroyed the church building in 1866 and the structure that replaced it in 1907. A third church was built at this location in 1911. Originally called the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church of Christ, its name was changed for the second time in 1945 to the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. It continues to serve the local community.