Hallelujah Trail
Exploring Historic Churches Along Fannin County’s Hallelujah Trail.
Epworth United Methodist Church
585 Madola Rd, Epworth, GA 30541
Organized: 1865
Found in a quiet area a few miles outside Downtown Blue Ridge, Epworth United Methodist Church is historically significant and architecturally stunning. Originally, it was built as a school building for the Atalla High School and Atalla Seminary School. Churchgoers eventually moved into its current location when the student body outgrew the building. Since that time, the church has undergone extensive remodeling. It boasts one of the most unique sanctuaries in Fannin County, having been designed by a master architect in Atlanta who owned a vacation home nearby.
Tilley Bend Baptist Church
6216 Old Dial Rd, Morganton, GA 30560
Organized: 1858
Tilley Bend Baptist Church has a long history in Fannin County, with its origins dating back to the mid-1800s. According to church minutes, when the Toccoa Electric Power Company constructed Toccoa Lake (later deemed Lake Blue Ridge), the original Tilley Church was submerged when the reservoir was created. This forced congregation members to move to higher ground on Old Dial Road. Tilley Bend Baptist Church remains there to this day, flanked by a large graveyard and surrounded by lush greenery and rural sights.
Tilley Bend’s lore is legendary to locals and visitors, highlighted by hard times and arson fires. The Bible pulpit in the sanctuary reportedly still has burn marks from one or more of the blazes. Despite their struggles, Tilley Bend’s believers survived, rebuilt, and reorganized. Though membership has dwindled over the years, a faithful few still meet every Sunday to worship.
Stanley Church of Christ
250 Harrison and Ada Rd, Blue Ridge, GA 30513
Organized: 1886
Sat atop a picturesque knoll with stunning views of Blue Ridge, Stanley Church of Christ is one of those charming old mountain churches you can only find along remote country backroads. Originally organized by the Stanley family, the church was built close to the Toccoa River, deep within National Forest Territory, in 1886. In 1971, a book written by a member of the Stanley family divulged info about the church’s past. Originally, it was a Primitive Baptist church. It also doubled as a community schoolhouse, catering to around 40 children. Sometime in the early 1900s, it became a Church of Christ. Regular services came to a halt in 1957. However, an annual church reunion is held every fourth Sunday in August, which attracts hundreds of descendants from far and wide.
Concord Baptist Church
11 Underwood Rd, Morganton, GA 30560
Organized: Prior to 1834
Concord Baptist Church is one of the oldest of its kind in Fannin County, having started before 1834 in a log structure. It was later replaced with framed church houses until the present brick building was built in 1963. In the verdant field just a few steps away, visitors and congregation members enjoy an incredible view featuring centuries-old gravestones and long-range vistas.
Coopers Creek Baptist Church
Suches, GA
Organized: 1847
Old church minutes recovered from the Tarver Library at Mercer University tell us that Coopers Creek Baptist is one of the oldest churches in the region. It’s also one of the most unique. Members of the congregation carried out common practices like Communion but also performed foot-washing rituals. Male members would wash the feet of other males, one foot at a time, and the female members would do the same. This ritual was meant to demonstrate the humbleness and love the members had for one another.