Lebanon Baptist Church
Lebanon Baptist Church is located in Alfonso, Lancaster County. Members of Morattico Baptist Church met on September 4th, 1841 at Corrotoman Meeting House to withdraw from their mother church and form Lebanon, with some members also coming from Wicomico or Coan Church. The original charter listed 49 names. The following month a committee was appointed to find a site to build the church. Thomas S. Dunaway gave the church an acre of land on the corner of his property "near Haynie's gate on the south side of the road leading from Farnham Church to Lancaster Courthouse." Dunaway also contracted with the church to do the brick work for $920. The first service held in the new building took place on the third Sunday in May of 1843, Dr. Jeremiah B. Jeter gave the dedication sermon.
In 1849 several of the charter members of the church withdrew in anger and formed Mount Pisgah Baptist Church in Lancaster Courthouse. Within a year the dispute appeared to have been settled and most of the members returned to Lebanon. By 1859 the church had 185 members, 100 white and 75 colored. During the Civil War church records became spotty. The military service and death of Abner Riveer, brother of Juliet Ann Riveer was recorded. On May 23rd, 1863 it was noted that there was "no meeting today in consequence of the presence of the the public enemy." In November 1864 two white members and several black members were voted out of the church for deserting to the Union. In 1866 a black man named Jesse Wiggins was licensed to preach and given use of the Corrotoman Meeting House. The following year all of the black members of Lebanon requested and were granted dismissal from the church in order to form their own congregation. In 1875 Isaac Henry Marsh was elected as a deacon on the church. In 1886 several members requested dismissal from the church to form Corrotoman Baptist.
In the first part of the 1900's Lebanon was part of what was called the Lebanon Field along with Corrotoman, Providence and Norwood Churches. On the third Sunday of May, 1943 Lebanon celebrated 100 years. Remarks on the church's history were delivered by State Senator Robert O. Norris Jr. In 1954 the church received major renovations and the addition of an educational building. New pews and heat were also installed.
Documents:
Map:
Comments:
Sources:
- Morattico Baptist Church, 1978 (200th Anniversary Booklet)
- Rappahannock Record, Volume TWENTY-SEVENTH YEAR, Number NUMBER 32, 13 May 1943
- Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress. Washington: G.P.O, 1873. Print. Appendix Pg. A3516.
- Norris Jr., Robert O. "History of Lebanon Baptist Church" Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine. 9.1 (1959). Print.
- Find-A-Grave
Future 2:
Future 3:
Future 4:
Future 3:
Links: