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Churches

Pochantas Baptist Church
Formerly known as Mt Pisgah Baptist Church
Contributed by Frances Clark Cronin, December 2, 2005
Taken from two Histories of the Church

 

In 1875 Hinds County Baptists north of Jackson built a   structure and established Mt Pisgah Baptist Church at the southwest corner of the intersection of US 49 North and Kickapoo Road.  At the turn of the century this church was dismantled and moved to the community of Pocahontas and erected on a lot adjoining the Pochantas School campus.  With additional space added to it from time to time it continued to serve the Pocahontas
congregation until it was superceded by a new building in 1961 only a hundred yards or so from its original location. In January. 1966 this building was destroyed by fire and another building was built.

Some of the early members of the church were;
William Bell
J.C. Bilbro
George Whitfield
A. Taylor
William Bilbro
M.M. Hill
Richard Fewell
James Hardy
B.D. Hardy
L.F. Harris
C.L. Fewell
E.H. Green
J.F. Whitfield
,A. M. Griffith
Richard lane
M.L. Oswalt
J.A. Williams
John aaron Hill
Knox Lowther

Early Pastors were:
W.H. McGee, 1875
W.L. Skinner, 1876
W.S. Webb, 1878
L.T. Ray, 1880
G.W. Knight 1882
Joel Baskin, 1883
C.L. Lewis 1885
A. Taylor, 1888
W.F. Yarborough, 1890
G.C. Johnson, 1892
L. Ball, 1893
P.A. Haaman, 1897
G.C. Briscoe 1913

Pocahontas Baptist shared services with Methodists and Christians.  The baptist church had services on the 2nd and 4th Sundays during the 1930's: The Methodist, on the 1st and 3rd Sundays; and the Christian on 5th Sundays only.  All three churches were adjacant to the Pocahontas school grounds. Nearly the same people attended each of the three churches on a rotational basis according to the above schedule.

Obituary of William Bell in Central Baptist Association minutes of 1902.

"William Bell was born in Rankin County, August 12th 1838; attended school at Mississippi College; worked five years in a drug store in Clinton; served four years in the Army of Virginia, in the Twenty-fourth North Carolina regiment of Infantry; returend to Mississippi in April, 1865; professed Christ and was baptized by J.A. Hackett at Jerusalem Church in Scott County, in the summer of 1865; was married in February 1866, to Miss Amanda E.
Beeman, of Leake county; united later with New Hope Chruch, Madison; still later became one of the founders of Mt. Pisgah Church, in the success of which he was a principal factor and leading member to his death, which occurred July 26th, 1902.

He was Treasurer of Central Association for a number of years; also a member of the Board of Supervisors of Hinds county.  He leaves a wife, four sons, three daughters and many friends to lament his loss."

Mt Pisgah was renamed Pocahontas Baptist Church in 1921.

There are several biographies.  I will be happy to look up information but neither has
a index but I will try.  Frances Cronin
 
 

Page Created December 3, 2005
Copyright 2005 Jane Combs  All Rights Reserved
Submission Remains the Property of Frances Cronin