Poplar Hill Baptist Church - Buford, Georgia
As with black churches that are over 100 years old, we have had a very humble beginning. Poplar Hill is believed to have been organized shortly after the slaves were freed in 1865. There are no written records available to verify this, but information handed down through generations place Poplar Hill's beginning during the late 1860's or early 1870's. However, records are only available to verify Poplar Hill's existence from 1883 to the present. During the time that our church was being organized, it was common practice for Blacks to gather under large oak trees near pastures, where cooled spring water flowed, to fellowship and exchange information about family, friends, and landlords on whose land they were tenant farmers. So it was only natural that Poplar Hill was organized under sweltering summer weather. The Reverend, Frank Wells thought it was befitting that this small nucleus of people form a church and build a house of worship. It was not long after the official organization of Poplar Hill that a little wooden structure took shape to house the old 'God Fearing Christians', who began to nurture our love of God. The name Poplar Hill came from the trees that were located on the property.
Our house of worship served many purpose: a school house on week days, a town meeting hall on Saturday afternoon, and a place to worship on Sunday. Many communities were known by the church. It served as a landmark and represented unity in the community. This little wooden sanctuary served the community for many years until it was destroyed by fire. The location of the church was moved to it's present site where the present brick structure was erected and still stands today. Many improvements have been made over the years: wooden stoves replaced with central heat and air, benches uprooted for cushioned pews, kerosene lamps replaced with an electrical lighting system, stained glass windows added to enhance the beauty of the sanctuary's architecture. And a gravel parking lot for the automobiles that had replaced the horse and buggies. Dinner is now served throughout the year in the modern equipped kitchen and fellowship hall.
