Guide to the Wiregrass Church Documentation Project - Dale County, AL

Record Group 078

Date Span:  2007 – 2009

Extent:  0.33 cubic feet

Project Historical Sketch:  Recognizing that the church played a significant role in the social and cultural as well as spiritual lives of Wiregrass citizens, Wiregrass Archives director, Dr. Martin T. Olliff, began in 2003 a four-phase project to document churches in a 30-county coverage area.  Phase 1 was a windshield survey of churches in the rural areas of the counties; Phase 2 requires contacting those churches to gather demographic data about their congregations; Phase 3 seeks to locate and collect church records, and Phase 4 will produce or gather histories of churches and archivally arrange and describe church records. 
Various entities have supported this work through monetary grants, particularly the Troy State University Dothan Faculty Council, the Troy University Faculty Development Committee, and the Historic Chattahoochee Commission.

Dale Co., AL, Survey Historical Sketch:  The Wiregrass Archives used an Historic Chattahoochee Commission Seed Grant to have Jonathan Cook (Troy University Dothan Campus student) conduct a Phase 1 survey of rural churches in Dale and Houston Counties in Spring 2007.  The WA used a grant from the Troy University Faculty Development Committee to have WA staff member Tina Bernath lead a Phase 2 telephone survey in Spring 2009. 

Scope / Content:  Contains information on rural churches in Dale County, Alabama, pursuant to all phases of the project.  Each file contains a measured, hand-drawn site plan, which is the result of Phase 1 fieldwork.  Some folders contain histories, bulletins, and other information gathered per church in Phase 2 (noted per folder).  CD-Roms contain digital photographs taken as part of the Phase 1 windshield survey, organized by the date photographer Jonathan Cook took them (January 12 – March 27, 2007)..  The Wiregrass Archives staff arranged the images per church to compile access copies on four CDs.
Samford University microfilms records of churches in Alabama.  The inventory notes which Wiregrass churches have records at Samford. 

Notes:  Photographs and site plans generated by Jonathan Cook in Spring 2007.  Phase 2 surveys conducted by telephone, letter and email by Tina Bernath and Angela K. Smith in Spring 2009. 

Organization: Arranged alphabetically by church name.  Folders out of alphabetical order appearing at the end of the accession were added upon discovery of the churches.  One set of seven CDs contain Cook's original images by date; a second set of four CDs contain access copies arranged alphabetically by church. 

Preferred Citation: Wiregrass Church Documentation Project, RG078, Wiregrass Archives, Troy University Dothan Campus, Dothan, AL. 

Access/User Limits?:  Open to qualified researchers.

Inventory:

File ID                               File Title

078-06-0624-001-001     Photographs - Churches - Dale County

078-06-0624-001-002     Allen Chapel AME

078-06-0624-001-003     Antioch Missionary Baptist [Empty]

078-06-0624-001-004     Ariton Baptist

078-06-0624-001-005     Ariton Church of Christ

078-06-0624-001-006     Ariton United Methodist

078-06-0624-001-007     Ariton Universalist - includes church history

078-06-0624-001-008     Asbury United Methodist

078-06-0624-001-009     Baptist Church of Kelly - includes church history

078-06-0624-001-010     Bethel AME - Pinckard

078-06-0624-001-011     Bethel Assembly of God

078-06-0624-001-012     Bethel Baptist

078-06-0624-001-013     Bethel United Methodist

078-06-0624-001-014     Browns United Methodist

078-06-0624-001-015     Cedar Grove Baptist - includes church history

078-06-0624-001-016     Center Ridge Baptist

078-06-0624-001-017     Chalkhead Baptist - includes church newsletters

078-06-0624-001-018     First Church of the Nazarene - Ozark - includes brochures, handwritten church history

078-06-0624-001-019     Clayhatchee Assembly of God

078-06-0624-001-020     Clopton Methodist

078-06-0624-001-021     Corinth Free Will Baptist

078-06-0624-001-022     Ebenezer Baptist

078-06-0624-001-023     Echo United Methodist

078-06-0624-001-024     Evergreen Free Will Baptist - includes minutes of 2004 Quarterly meeting of the Southeast Association of Free Will Baptist Churches

078-06-0624-001-025     Faith Baptist

078-06-0624-001-026     Faith Deliverance Tabernacle

078-06-0624-001-027     First Assembly of God - Newton

078-06-0624-001-028     First Baptist - Level Plains - includes 2005 church history

078-06-0624-001-029     First Korean Baptist - includes church bulletin (in Korean)

078-06-0624-001-030     Friendship Baptist - Clopton

078-06-0624-001-031     Gospel to the Nations Church

078-06-0624-001-032     Greater Bethlehem Baptist

078-06-0624-001-033     Greater Old Salem Church

078-06-0624-001-034     Hillcrest Baptist Mission

078-06-0624-001-035     Holiness Church

078-06-0624-001-036     Holy Faith Mission Full Gospel

078-06-0624-001-037     Hopeful Primitive Baptist

078-06-0624-001-038     Hopewell AME

078-06-0624-001-039     Hosanna Church

078-06-0624-001-040     Jehovah Jireh Ministries

078-06-0624-001-041     Key to Happiness Ministries - Pinckard

078-06-0624-001-042     Klondyke Gospel Music Center

078-06-0624-001-043     Unused number

078-06-0624-001-044     Living Water Church

078-06-0624-001-045     Mabson United Methodist

078-06-0624-001-046     Macedonia Baptist  (Coffee County)

078-06-0624-001-047     Magnolia Free Will Baptist

078-06-0624-001-048     Middle Jerusalem Anointed Ministry  (Coffee County) - includes photograph and website information

078-06-0624-001-049     Midland City Baptist

078-06-0624-001-050     Midland City Community Church

078-06-0624-001-051     Midland City United Methodist

078-06-0624-001-052     Midway Baptist - includes church history and a photocopy of the land transfer deed to the church

078-06-0624-001-053     Moores Chapel Assembly of God

078-06-0624-001-054     Morgan Baptist

078-06-0624-001-055     Mt. Carmel Methodist

078-06-0624-001-056     Mt. Enon Baptist

078-06-0624-001-057     Mount Hebron United Methodist - includes church bulletin

078-06-0624-001-058     Mt. Olive Baptist

078-06-0624-001-059     Mt. Pisgah Baptist

078-06-0624-001-060     New Beginning Fellowship

078-06-0624-001-061     New Covenant Church

078-06-0624-001-062     New Hope Baptist

078-06-0624-001-063     New Hope Free Will Baptist

078-06-0624-001-064     New Testament Out Reach Mission [Empty]

078-06-0624-001-065     Newton Baptist

078-06-0624-001-066     Newton United Methodist

078-06-0624-001-067     Omega Holiness

078-06-0624-001-068     Out Reach Mission

078-06-0624-001-069     Peniel Baptist

078-06-0624-001-070     Pilgrim's Rest Baptist

078-06-0624-001-071     Pinckard Baptist

078-06-0624-001-072     Pinckard Methodist

078-06-0624-001-073     Pleasant Ridge Baptist

078-06-0624-001-074     Pleasant Ridge United Methodist

078-06-0624-001-075     Providence Baptist - includes church history (3rd edition, 1999)

078-06-0624-001-076     Redeeming Love Church

078-06-0624-001-077     Rocky Head Baptist

078-06-0624-001-078     Rocky Mount Baptist

078-06-0624-001-079     St. Mark AME - Newton

078-06-0624-001-080     St. Paul Missionary Baptist

078-06-0624-001-081     St. Rose Church - Skipperville

078-06-0624-001-082     Salem Baptist

078-06-0624-001-083     Sanctuary of Praise

078-06-0624-001-084     Shady Grove Missionary Baptist

078-06-0624-001-085     Shiloh Missionary Baptist - Clayhatchee

078-06-0624-001-086     Skipperville United Methodist

078-06-0624-001-087     Smyrna Korean Presbyterian - includes church bulletins

078-06-0624-001-088     Solid Rock United Pentecostal Church International

078-06-0624-001-089     Straight Path Independent Baptist - Level Plains - includes a brief history

078-06-0624-001-090     Sylvan Grove United Methodist

078-06-0624-001-091     True Light Church of Jesus Christ [Empty]

078-06-0624-001-092     Union Missionary Baptist

078-06-0624-001-093     Union Presbyterian

078-06-0624-001-094     Union Primitive Baptist [Empty]

078-06-0624-001-095     Wesley Chapel Community Church

078-06-0624-001-096     Bethlehem Baptist

078-06-0624-001-097     Edwin United Methodist

078-06-0624-001-098     Ewell Bible Baptist

078-06-0624-001-099     Gospel Lighthouse

078-06-0624-001-100     Grimes United Methodist - includes church bulletin (mailed)  and church history (from website)

078-06-0624-001-101     Holy Ground [governed by Grimes UMC] - includes church history from website

078-06-0624-001-102     Mt. Pleasant Baptist

078-06-0624-001-103     Napier [Field] Baptist

078-06-0624-001-104     Napier Field United Methodist

078-06-0624-001-105     Pleasant Grove Baptist - Ozark

078-06-0624-001-106     Post Oak United Methodist

078-06-0624-001-107     Shiloh Missionary Baptist - Midland City

Contact Us

Wiregrass Archives
Troy University Dothan Campus
Everett 128
502 University Dr.
Dothan, AL  36303

Phone: 334-983-6556 x21327
Email: wiregrassarchives@troy.edu