The McDonough Baptist Church was created in 1825. It was built on Jonesboro
Street or Fayette Rd as it was known then in 1828. This is the building that the
Union Soldiers desecrated and butchered animals as they raided in 1864. The Baptist's hadn't been long in erecting a new church building when this raid occurred.
The church was burned in 1875 during the Reconstruction Era. The fire was arson
and it was discovered that it was done by some freed slaves who had also burned the McDonough Institute building. This brought rise to the Ku Klux Klan in Henry County.
A committee was established to get a new building. The new building was a one room
sanctuary and was in use by 1876. In 1889, remodeling was done to add a recessed
pulpit and in May 1890 a bell was installed.
McDonough began growing after the Civil War and Reconstruction Period with the arrival of the railroad. A meeting was held to find a more centralized place for the church. The current McDonough Baptist Church next to the Brown House was begun in 1903 and the dedication ceremony was conducted on June 26, 1904.
References:
1. History of McDonough, 1908, by Scip Speer.
2. History of Henry County, 1921, Mrs. Nolan.
3. Henry Co. Deed Records Book 6 page 181. 1903
4. Mother of Counties, 1971, Mrs. Rainer
5. O.R. Washington DC, Kilpatrick's Cav. 1864.