Raccoon Creek Baptist Church is one of the oldest churches in Bartow County. It was established in 1837 and originally met in a log house. A new church was constructed in 1856 that could hold up to 300 people. A third church building was completed in July 1917 and is the same building that is still in use today. Raccoon Creek was originally a part of the Coosa Baptist Association; today, however, they are a part of the Bartow Baptist Association and have been since the 1850s.

It is recorded that prior to the Civil War, Raccoon Creek Baptist Church had both white and African-American members on its role book. There is also a small section of the cemetery where slaves were buried. This church did see action during the Civil War. The churchyard was the scene of a battle formation in May 1864 and it was also the campsite of Sherman’s Army for three days in that same month. There is also a lapse in the recorded history of the church because of the Civil War. Minutes from January 1839 through June 1839 and minutes from June 1846 through May 1652 are all missing, most likely destroyed by soldiers. Today, Raccoon Creek Baptist Church is still alive and well in the same location it was established at nearly 200 years ago at 1808 GA-113, Cartersville, GA 30120. The location is viewable on this map of Baptist Churches in Bartow County: https://goo.gl/maps/9uTux1G4ZvQ2. The church cemetery is also on the Raccoon Creek Baptist Church property. The church’s website is available at www.raccooncreekbc.org.

Sources

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

Nelson, Mildred Kincannon. “Raccoon Creek Baptist Church.” Bartow County Georgia Heritage Book. Vol. 1. Cartersville: Bartow County Genealogical Society, 1995. 45-46.

“Raccoon Creek Baptist Church.” The Heritage of Euharlee, Stilesboro, and Taylorsville, Georgia. Acworth: Euharlee Historical Committee, 2010. 24.

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