Euharlee Baptist Church (formerly known as Mount Paran Baptist Church)

Euharlee Baptist Church what is established in the mid-1800s. It started under the name Mount Paran Baptist Church, changing its name in 1898. The early records of the church were lost in a house fire; however, it is known that the church was active by the 1840s because of its membership to the Coosa Association. In 1853, the church established Mount Paran School by an act of legislature. The school was located near the church site. The main structure and sanctuary of Euharlee Baptist Church was constructed in 1852 in the style of the period. There were two separate porches and doors at the front, one for women and the other for men. According to legend, the church was hit by tornado many years ago, dividing the church in half. Instead of making repairs, a large, metal piece was installed over the broken floor, making the church pews unbalanced for years. Though there have been editions of Sunday school rooms and a fellowship hall, the church still meets in the original sanctuary. Today, Euharlee Baptist Church is a member of the Bartow Baptist Association. They hold services every Sunday, with small groups at 9:45 AM in the worship service at 10:55 AM. The church is located at 1103 Euharlee Rd. SW., Euharlee, GA 30145. This location can be viewed on the Bartow Baptist Churches map at https://goo.gl/maps/9uTux1G4ZvQ2. Also, visit the church website at www.ebcbartow.org.

In addition to being one of the oldest churches in Bartow County, it is also associated with one of the oldest cemeteries in Bartow, Euharlee Baptist Church Cemetery. The oldest graves in the cemetery were dug in 1818. It has been entirely filled for several generations, so there are graves of church members also located in the nearby Presbyterian church cemetery. Both churches purchased land in the 1970s to expand the cemetery sizes. Between these two church cemeteries is a black cemetery, where slaves and black pioneers of the community were buried. There are about 200 graves in the 1-acre plot, all buried there before 1900. It is only through public memory that the story is this cemetery remains. In 2002, Mary Ellen Taft helped get a Black Pioneer’s Cemetery Marker placed in the cemetery so that its location would always be remembered.

Sources

“Euharlee Baptist Church.” The Heritage of Euharlee, Stilesboro, and Taylorsville, Georgia. Acworth: Euharlee Historical Committee, 2010. 7.

The Euharlee History Committee. The History of Euharlee. Cullman, AL: Gregath Publishing Company, 1994.

“Services.” Euharlee Baptist Church. 2017. Accessed August 15, 2018. www.ebcbartow.org.

Written and researched by Amy Young, Kennesaw State University Intern, Fall 2018