History:
1854-2009
There was very little preaching or religious services being conducted in Dale County during the early 1800s. The first known recorded history of services held in Dale County was preached by Rev. John McDonald, a Methodist preacher, who preached the sermon outside in the open air. Occasionally a missionary passed through the county holding services at the homes of the settlers. The first documented house of worship was built in Ozark in the year 1830. This was known as Claybank Church.
Providence Baptist Church was organized on May 26, 1849 in Clayhatchee. The Rev. Reuben E Brown, a charismatic evangelist from Georgia, was the first preacher. The organization of the Daleville Baptist Church was born of its Mother Church, Providence, located at Clayhatchee, Dale Association, in 1854.
Owing to incomplete or no records, this church knew nothing of its origin though many had searched for information, when suddenly among the old records of Providence Church, the Birth Certificate of the Daleville Church was found! Then we knew that we were born!
Originally, the Baptist and the Methodist churches worshipped together with each having separate buildings for Sunday School. They would worship at the Baptist Church one Sunday and the Methodist the other. The preachers would travel and preach at other churches in the area. Our preacher led services at Daleville on probably the first and third Sunday’s and in Newton on the second and fourth.
The Church was located on the Eastside of Old Town Square; the Methodist Church was on the Southside with a two-story school building erected between the two churches. The upper story was for a Masonic hall while the lower story was for public education in a one-teacher school.
Public land in the vicinity of Daleville was still available for a homestead deed as late as 1891. In the year 1894 Mr. and Mrs. Hammock moved to Daleville from Macedonia and bought 10 acres of land. The deed to that property clearly excluded “1 acre that was deeded to Daleville Baptist Church” this property ran along Old Newton Road as it is today and the church sat where McLins restaurant is at the present time.
Mr. and Mrs. Hammock became affiliated with the original church immediately after they came to Daleville. They became one of the first families in our church. In October, 1904 a committee was appointed to raise funds for a new church. There was unanimous vote yes for this plan; each member who owned a team of mules would give three days of hauling and an additional five days of work. The original building cost $900.00. This excluded the cost of the painting of the building and the pews. The short fall of this sum was funded by Bro. Morris, a member of one of our first church families. The old building was sold for $100. The pastor at this time was Rev. P.L. Mosley.
The last person buried in the old cemetery (on record) was Professor Alex Brooks McLeod, who died August 24, ‘1949. Since this date there have been two others buried in this site. One of these being from the Morris family of Rebecca Redding and Mary Helen Davi~. The recording of these records are part of the city of Daleville records and not Church records. This cemetery is maintained by the City of Daleville.
A second cemetery is located between the Baptist and the Methodist Churches. The oldest marked grave is that of Margaret Marchman, an infant who died July 3, 1865, Among the older tombs of the newer cemetery are the family names of Austin, Belcher, Bracken, Brown, Dowling, Hall, Hughes, Gulledge, Jacobs, Marchman, Metcalf, Mullins, Sansbury, Smith, Wells, and Windham. One doctor and the wives of two doctors are buried there. They are Dr. and Mrs. A.F. Townsend, and Fannie, wife of Dr. W.R. Belcher. Some of the founding families of Daleville Baptist Church and their family members are:
The Lanier Family- Myra Hudson
The Donnell Family- Doris Mezick
The Morris Family- Rebecca Redding and Mary Helen Davis
The Hammock Family- Emily Alford and Pam Jones
The Windham Family- Hilda and Grazia Windham
The Gulledge Family- Mr. Alto Gulledge
Mr. Troy Edmondson was a young man in our Church who never missed a time when the doors were open for service, and he did the count for how many were in Sunday School and church for many years. He would announce the number in the early years and in later years when we had a place to put the number, he was responsible for this job. Mr. Edmondson was a very dedicated early member of our Church.
This church had three windows between the two front doors with clear glass panes. In February of 1948 Col. and Mrs. Johnson put in a memorial window and colored windows on .each side in memory of their son, Henry. This was a family that was related to Emily Windham Alford. (Col. Johnson’s wife was Emily’s second cousin) and Col. Johnson was serving along with his son Henry in WWII when Henry was killed. Col. Johnson’s wife and younger children kept the farm operating during Henry’s absence by reading and following the Farmers Almanac for direction. They also were good supporters of the Church, which led to the donation of the windows to our church that we continue to enjoy and cherish today. In May 1948 a vestibule was built in front of the church. In October, 1949 a sign was put on the church with the date of its organization.
In November 1954, we celebrated our Centennial. The pastor at the time, Rev. T.R. Hicks, brought the morning message and the benediction was given by Mr. N. W. Morris. During the noon hour, a bountiful dinner was served and enjoyed by all. In the afternoon service, Mrs. A.M. Glover told the history of our church. Bro. Johnny Walker, pastor of the Providence Baptist Church spoke on the “Worth and Progress” of the church. Mrs. R.H. Morris gave the history of the Woman’s Missionary Union, after which greetings from the Daleville Methodist Church were brought by their pastor, Rev. H. E. Wilson. A closing message was given by Dr. A.M. Glover, a former pastor.
In April 1957 the church was growing and needed remodeling. This new I extension included an educational building behind towards the cemetery on the south side of the sanctuary. It consisted of Sunday School rooms, secretary’s office, and a storage room. In January 1958 another unit was added with a three-fold purpose kitchen, recreation and Sunday School rooms. Dedication I services were held for the remodeled auditorium and the new educational building on October 13, 1958. Lunch was spread at 12:30. The dedication sermon was preached by Dr. B.R. Justice. Rev. J. E. Hardwick, pastor, was in charge of the service. The dedication covenant was read responsively. The attendance had increased to 205 in Sunday school by November 1960.
In March 1961 the Daleville Development Association offered the church three acres of land anywhere in the new area. There was a ground breaking ceremony held January 24, 1962, for a new church building. It was decided to build a two story brick building with educational facilities for 600 people, providing 28,900 square feet and an auditorium seating 700. Bro. Hardwick, pastor at the time, traveled to Nashville to secure plans for the new building. It was recommended we use the memorial window donated in the year 1948, in the front of the new church as a: continued vision for passers by from the outside and the view from the ·pulpit and choir inside. The first services in this present building were held December 23, 1962, under the leadership of the pastor, Rev. Jon E. Hardwick. The building was dedicated on August 16, 1964; the 110th anniversary of the church.
The old Daleville Baptist Church sat vacant for a short time and was then purchased by the James McLin family to renovate and turn into a restaurant. The restaurant has never been open on Sunday and has never served alcoholic beverages; it is a very established business in Dalevilie today, and the old Sunday School class rooms are still the same and are used to serve the special people of Daleville and surrounding areas.
A new pastorium was purchased in 1966 at 103 Wells Avenue, replacing the old pastorium which was where Wendy’s Restaurant was later located.
The highest number of baptisms in the church history was 151 in 1969, in addition to this, 145 were received by letter or statement, making a total of 296 new members in 1969. More recently the Church led the Dale Association in baptisms in 2008 with 29.
In 1969 we sponsored a new mission; Kelly Baptist Mission on Hwy. 134. In 1971 the church opened a Day Care Center to provide a place of loving care for children of working mothers. We were licensed to care for 30 children. Betty Forister was the Director and Betty Bennett and Jan Long Robertson were the youth helpers. The doors opened with eight children and by the end of the first month we had thirty two.
In 1987 the WMU, directed by Myra Hudson, began a program to help residents of Daleville and students at Daleville School system who could not read or write. It was called The Women’s Literacy Program. Ladies from our church attended classes that were being taught state wide for churches to provide this service to their communities.
Ladies who worked this program were Manoel Boutwell, Myra Hudson, Betty Forister, Glenda Weeks, and Anna Berry. Classes were held at the school, and during the summer, at the church. WMU has been· a part of Daleville Baptist Church since the beginning and was called The Ladies Aide Society in early years.
During the night on November 24, 2001, tornados struck the surrounding area and Daleville was hit hard with much destruction. Thankfully there were only minor injuries. Our Church was in the path of the twister, and the pictures above show the damage that we found the next morning. Our services were held downstairs for months until the sanctuary could be rebuilt. The windows that had been donated by Col. Johnson and his family showing God with outstretched hands were still in place, while many other windows were broken.
Through the years, the ministry of this church has provided spiritual leadership to thousands who pass through these portals. This is a mission field because we are greatly involved with the military and are in a transit location. Opportunities to spread the Gospel, literally all over the world, prevail right here!
1854-2009
There was very little preaching or religious services being conducted in Dale County during the early 1800s. The first known recorded history of services held in Dale County was preached by Rev. John McDonald, a Methodist preacher, who preached the sermon outside in the open air. Occasionally a missionary passed through the county holding services at the homes of the settlers. The first documented house of worship was built in Ozark in the year 1830. This was known as Claybank Church.
Providence Baptist Church was organized on May 26, 1849 in Clayhatchee. The Rev. Reuben E Brown, a charismatic evangelist from Georgia, was the first preacher. The organization of the Daleville Baptist Church was born of its Mother Church, Providence, located at Clayhatchee, Dale Association, in 1854.
Owing to incomplete or no records, this church knew nothing of its origin though many had searched for information, when suddenly among the old records of Providence Church, the Birth Certificate of the Daleville Church was found! Then we knew that we were born!
Originally, the Baptist and the Methodist churches worshipped together with each having separate buildings for Sunday School. They would worship at the Baptist Church one Sunday and the Methodist the other. The preachers would travel and preach at other churches in the area. Our preacher led services at Daleville on probably the first and third Sunday’s and in Newton on the second and fourth.
The Church was located on the Eastside of Old Town Square; the Methodist Church was on the Southside with a two-story school building erected between the two churches. The upper story was for a Masonic hall while the lower story was for public education in a one-teacher school.
Public land in the vicinity of Daleville was still available for a homestead deed as late as 1891. In the year 1894 Mr. and Mrs. Hammock moved to Daleville from Macedonia and bought 10 acres of land. The deed to that property clearly excluded “1 acre that was deeded to Daleville Baptist Church” this property ran along Old Newton Road as it is today and the church sat where McLins restaurant is at the present time.
Mr. and Mrs. Hammock became affiliated with the original church immediately after they came to Daleville. They became one of the first families in our church. In October, 1904 a committee was appointed to raise funds for a new church. There was unanimous vote yes for this plan; each member who owned a team of mules would give three days of hauling and an additional five days of work. The original building cost $900.00. This excluded the cost of the painting of the building and the pews. The short fall of this sum was funded by Bro. Morris, a member of one of our first church families. The old building was sold for $100. The pastor at this time was Rev. P.L. Mosley.
The last person buried in the old cemetery (on record) was Professor Alex Brooks McLeod, who died August 24, ‘1949. Since this date there have been two others buried in this site. One of these being from the Morris family of Rebecca Redding and Mary Helen Davi~. The recording of these records are part of the city of Daleville records and not Church records. This cemetery is maintained by the City of Daleville.
A second cemetery is located between the Baptist and the Methodist Churches. The oldest marked grave is that of Margaret Marchman, an infant who died July 3, 1865, Among the older tombs of the newer cemetery are the family names of Austin, Belcher, Bracken, Brown, Dowling, Hall, Hughes, Gulledge, Jacobs, Marchman, Metcalf, Mullins, Sansbury, Smith, Wells, and Windham. One doctor and the wives of two doctors are buried there. They are Dr. and Mrs. A.F. Townsend, and Fannie, wife of Dr. W.R. Belcher. Some of the founding families of Daleville Baptist Church and their family members are:
The Lanier Family- Myra Hudson
The Donnell Family- Doris Mezick
The Morris Family- Rebecca Redding and Mary Helen Davis
The Hammock Family- Emily Alford and Pam Jones
The Windham Family- Hilda and Grazia Windham
The Gulledge Family- Mr. Alto Gulledge
Mr. Troy Edmondson was a young man in our Church who never missed a time when the doors were open for service, and he did the count for how many were in Sunday School and church for many years. He would announce the number in the early years and in later years when we had a place to put the number, he was responsible for this job. Mr. Edmondson was a very dedicated early member of our Church.
This church had three windows between the two front doors with clear glass panes. In February of 1948 Col. and Mrs. Johnson put in a memorial window and colored windows on .each side in memory of their son, Henry. This was a family that was related to Emily Windham Alford. (Col. Johnson’s wife was Emily’s second cousin) and Col. Johnson was serving along with his son Henry in WWII when Henry was killed. Col. Johnson’s wife and younger children kept the farm operating during Henry’s absence by reading and following the Farmers Almanac for direction. They also were good supporters of the Church, which led to the donation of the windows to our church that we continue to enjoy and cherish today. In May 1948 a vestibule was built in front of the church. In October, 1949 a sign was put on the church with the date of its organization.
In November 1954, we celebrated our Centennial. The pastor at the time, Rev. T.R. Hicks, brought the morning message and the benediction was given by Mr. N. W. Morris. During the noon hour, a bountiful dinner was served and enjoyed by all. In the afternoon service, Mrs. A.M. Glover told the history of our church. Bro. Johnny Walker, pastor of the Providence Baptist Church spoke on the “Worth and Progress” of the church. Mrs. R.H. Morris gave the history of the Woman’s Missionary Union, after which greetings from the Daleville Methodist Church were brought by their pastor, Rev. H. E. Wilson. A closing message was given by Dr. A.M. Glover, a former pastor.
In April 1957 the church was growing and needed remodeling. This new I extension included an educational building behind towards the cemetery on the south side of the sanctuary. It consisted of Sunday School rooms, secretary’s office, and a storage room. In January 1958 another unit was added with a three-fold purpose kitchen, recreation and Sunday School rooms. Dedication I services were held for the remodeled auditorium and the new educational building on October 13, 1958. Lunch was spread at 12:30. The dedication sermon was preached by Dr. B.R. Justice. Rev. J. E. Hardwick, pastor, was in charge of the service. The dedication covenant was read responsively. The attendance had increased to 205 in Sunday school by November 1960.
In March 1961 the Daleville Development Association offered the church three acres of land anywhere in the new area. There was a ground breaking ceremony held January 24, 1962, for a new church building. It was decided to build a two story brick building with educational facilities for 600 people, providing 28,900 square feet and an auditorium seating 700. Bro. Hardwick, pastor at the time, traveled to Nashville to secure plans for the new building. It was recommended we use the memorial window donated in the year 1948, in the front of the new church as a: continued vision for passers by from the outside and the view from the ·pulpit and choir inside. The first services in this present building were held December 23, 1962, under the leadership of the pastor, Rev. Jon E. Hardwick. The building was dedicated on August 16, 1964; the 110th anniversary of the church.
The old Daleville Baptist Church sat vacant for a short time and was then purchased by the James McLin family to renovate and turn into a restaurant. The restaurant has never been open on Sunday and has never served alcoholic beverages; it is a very established business in Dalevilie today, and the old Sunday School class rooms are still the same and are used to serve the special people of Daleville and surrounding areas.
A new pastorium was purchased in 1966 at 103 Wells Avenue, replacing the old pastorium which was where Wendy’s Restaurant was later located.
The highest number of baptisms in the church history was 151 in 1969, in addition to this, 145 were received by letter or statement, making a total of 296 new members in 1969. More recently the Church led the Dale Association in baptisms in 2008 with 29.
In 1969 we sponsored a new mission; Kelly Baptist Mission on Hwy. 134. In 1971 the church opened a Day Care Center to provide a place of loving care for children of working mothers. We were licensed to care for 30 children. Betty Forister was the Director and Betty Bennett and Jan Long Robertson were the youth helpers. The doors opened with eight children and by the end of the first month we had thirty two.
In 1987 the WMU, directed by Myra Hudson, began a program to help residents of Daleville and students at Daleville School system who could not read or write. It was called The Women’s Literacy Program. Ladies from our church attended classes that were being taught state wide for churches to provide this service to their communities.
Ladies who worked this program were Manoel Boutwell, Myra Hudson, Betty Forister, Glenda Weeks, and Anna Berry. Classes were held at the school, and during the summer, at the church. WMU has been· a part of Daleville Baptist Church since the beginning and was called The Ladies Aide Society in early years.
During the night on November 24, 2001, tornados struck the surrounding area and Daleville was hit hard with much destruction. Thankfully there were only minor injuries. Our Church was in the path of the twister, and the pictures above show the damage that we found the next morning. Our services were held downstairs for months until the sanctuary could be rebuilt. The windows that had been donated by Col. Johnson and his family showing God with outstretched hands were still in place, while many other windows were broken.
Through the years, the ministry of this church has provided spiritual leadership to thousands who pass through these portals. This is a mission field because we are greatly involved with the military and are in a transit location. Opportunities to spread the Gospel, literally all over the world, prevail right here!