05/02/2022
The Blackshear Presbyterian Church will be celebrating its 150th anniversary on Sunday, May 22 at 11:00. Leading the service will be their minister Rev. Hampton Williams. Other speakers include Margaret Walker Guss and Rev. Jann Briscoe. A reception will follow in Willet Hall, and the public is invited to attend. The theme is “History, Heritage, Hope.”
The church’s history began in the 1870s. After careful survey of the community by the Rev. Joseph Washburn (an evangelist who had been preaching in Blackshear for two years) and the Rev. C. B. King, a petition for the organization of a Presbyterian Church was presented on April 11, 1872 to the Savannah Presbytery.
The petition was approved and on May 18, 1872, a committee composed of the Reverends C. B. King, David Porter and Montgomery organized the Blackshear Presbyterian Church. There were 10 charter members. Some of the descendants of the charter members are members of the church today.
The charter members were: Andrew M. Moore, Sarah "Sallie" Stone Moore, Namie Nicholls, Georgia Day, Mrs. Harry Reppard, Henry J. Smith, Sophie Hall Smith, Mrs. D. H. Campbell, Janet McRae Brantley and Margaret Brantley.
Dr. Moore and Dr. Smith were elected elders and constituted the original session. Mrs. A. M. Moore was organist for many years.
For the first two years, the organization was without a church building, and services were held in the Methodist Church on Church Street. By the fourth Sunday in October 1874, the church building was completed and the dedicatory sermon was preached by the Rev. Mr. Axson, grandfather of the first Mrs. Woodrow Wilson.
The Rev. Richard Q. Way, retired missionary from China, was the first pastor. He was succeeded by his nephew, the Rev. John W. Quarterman. Rev. Way then returned for another 2 years of service. The church has had 20 ministers (see attached list). Two of these have served the church twice - Rev. Mr. Richard Way and Dr. Armando Rodriguez, Sr.
The Sunday School was organized in 1874. Dr. Andrew M. Moore was the first superintendent, holding the office until his death in 1892, when Benjamin D. Brantley, Jr. was elected to the office of superintendent. Mr. Brantley held the office of superintendent as well as being an elder (serving as clerk of the session) for a period of 50 years.
In 1893, Mrs. Benjamin D. Brantley, Jr. organized the Ladies Aid Society. In 1903, another group was organized by Mrs. A. L. Patterson and was called the Ladies Missionary Society. In 1922, the two organizations were combined into the Women's Auxiliary. Years later, the name was again changed to the Women of the Church under which it continues to function.
The original church building sits on land donated by John C. Calhoun Nicholls. George Gaines was the architect and William Armitage was the contractor for the church which is of English Design. The church building and grounds have undergone some significant changes over the years; however, the original structure maintains its historical integrity as a sacred place of worship.
The first major change was in 1930/1931 when a Bible Class room, Sunday School rooms, a kitchenette, and a lavatory were added onto the church. The pulpit was moved to the eastern end of the building, the choir loft erected behind the pulpit, folding doors placed at the back of the sanctuary, and the whole of the church painted inside and out. Another notable addition came in 1950/1951 with the addition of four new Sunday School rooms which are now used as offices, session room, and parlor.
In 1969, the congregation voted to buy the adjoining property and large home belonging to the Purdom family. This Fellowship Hall was used for Sunday School, a recreation area for the young people, church family suppers and gatherings, and many county-wide functions until the early 80s when it was torn down to make way for Willet Hall.
In 1982, the Lawrence and Julia Willet Fellowship Hall and the education wing of the church were completed. Funds were given by Julia Brantley Willet, pledges from the Blackshear congregation, and funds from Savannah Presbytery. Winston Monroe "Sonny" Bowen was chairman and the architect was Ralph Thomas of Savannah.
The next major renovation in 2018 was made possible by Sonny Bowen's Labor of Love and generous donations by current and former members. The terribly weathered and damaged siding on the original structure was replaced with fiber cement board and insulation was added to the exterior walls of the original structure for the first time. The entire community took note of its improved appearance which was complemented by new landscaping and uplighting that illuminates the church beautifully at night.
While this abbreviated timeline may focus on the forming of the church and the evolution of the church building, we are most importantly a God-filled community of faith striving to serve our neighbors and share the love of God with all we encounter. As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of our church, we are gratefully and reverently aware of the many Christian men and women who, all through the history of the church, have worked to extend the ministry of Christ not only throughout our own congregation but throughout the community, state and nation, and have left a godly heritage for us to follow.
(Compiled by Angela Baggs Manders from the 100th, 125th and 141st Anniversary programs written primarily by Mary Lott Walker, long time Clerk of the Session, local historian, educator and Blackshear City Council Member.)
