CRAWFORDVILLE, GA

Constructed in 1899 by formerly enslaved people and their
descendants, Antioch Baptist Church is a significant African
American historic site and a distinctive regional example
of Carpenter Gothic architecture. Built with locally sourced
materials, the church retains a significant amount of historic
integrity. A historic cemetery containing marked and
unmarked graves, including those of people born into slavery
is adjacent to the church.

The site reflects more than a century of African American
religious, educational, and civil rights history. The Georgia
Trust for Historic Preservation included Antioch on its 2020
“Places in Peril” list. In 2025, Antioch Baptist Church was
awarded a grant through the National Park Service’s African
American Civil Rights Grant Program.

Ethos Preservation, Architectural Collaborative, and Sheats
Structural Consulting led Phase One of the rehabilitation.
The work included rehabilitation drawings, construction
management, and a supplemental conditions assessment
completed in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s
Standards for Rehabilitation. In 2025, a ground-penetrating
radar investigation and cemetery survey confirmed the
presence of numerous additional unmarked graves within
the cemetery and surrounding land.

United Restoration & Preservation joined the project in
2026 as construction manager at risk. Phase One focused on
exterior envelope repairs, structural stabilization, and the
preservation of historic fabric. Future phases will proceed
as additional funding becomes available, with the long-term
goal of returning the building to active community use.

Ethos Preservation, in collaboration with Sabrinna Cox, is
currently preparing the documentation required to nominate
Antioch Baptist Church for listing in the National Register of
Historic Places.