Powell's Chapel: A Church and Community

Abstract

Following the Civil War, many rural churches sprung up across the South. They served as community centers during perilous times. Powell's Chapel Baptist Church, located in northern Rutherford County near the Wilson County line, is an example of a rural church founded after the Civil War that thrived despite great obstacles such as a fire, the Great Depression, two World Wars, and great social change.

The religious faith of the members along with close community and kinship ties allowed the church to flourish while many other rural churches perished under the strain caused by the social movements of the twentieth century. Its rich and well-documented history makes it a strong case study for the study of rural religion and its relationship to community in the rural South.