by Jason Acker Submitted by Sally Metcalf Dawson

Macedonia Methodist Church, now called Ebenezer, was organized at Old Macedonia in 1843 by Rev. Littleton Fowler. The original location for this church was about a mile west of Holland’s Quarters, which was not very far from Old Beckville. A record attendance, dated 1856-1857, has been preserved. Rev. George Lentz was the local elder in 1856. Among the names on the attendance record are Beauchamps and Davises. The church is presently located in the Walton Community.

Macedonia Baptist Church was organized in 1845 by Rev. Lemuel Herrin. Records show that Rev. Isaac Reed assisted Rev. Herrin in organizing the church. The Baptist and the Methodist shared the same log building from their beginning until 1880 when the building burned. After the building burned, the Macedonia Baptist Church moved to its present location west of Carthage on highway #79.

Youngblood Freewill Baptist Church was organized in 1858. The land was donated by Isaac R. Youngblood. It is thought that Youngblood Church was a mission church organized by Little Hope Primitive Baptist.

The Rock Hill Methodist Church was organized in the community of Rock Hill in 1860 and has continued to serve that community over the years.

The New Prospect Presbyterian Church was organized in August, 1865by Rev. Mitchell Smith and the congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Carthage, which was disintegrated shortly after. Until 1958 New Prospect was the only Presbyterian Church in Panola County. The original membership was 12. The original building is still in use on the original site. It was remodeled in 1951 and an educational building was added in 1958.

Mt Zion Baptist Church in the Harris Chapel Community was established in 1870. The late J.W. Bowen, Sr, donated land on which the original church was erected. The second building, a one-room wood structure with 200-seat capacity, was constructed in 1910. The third and present building since the church’s organization was built in 1951. Two wings have been added to that building. When first organized, it was a Missionary Baptist Church, but it is now a Southern Baptist organization.

Before Beckville moved to its present location, six men and nine women organized the First Baptist Church of Beckville. Mr. Appling Smith gave two acres of land to the church. The charter members choose the name Mount Pleasant Baptist Church and called Rev. J.H. McLeroy as their first pastor. The records are not clear, but they built the first building at the end of 1886 or the first part of 1887. That building was replaced by a new one in 1918.

The Methodist constructed a parsonage in 1888 and the first sanctuary of the First United Methodist Church was completed in 1891. That building was blown down by a storm the next year but was soon rebuilt. This building was remodeled and turned to face the east instead of south in 1916.

Pine Grove Assembly Church was organized in the early 1900’s in the Pine Grove Community. Texas Utilities Company bought up the land in that vicinity so the church moved to Beckville in 1975.

The first recorded minutes of the Union Arbor Freewill Baptist Church are dated September 18,1915. It is called Union Arbor because there were different denominations meeting in the church at one time. In 1915 the members decided to become Freewill Baptist. At that time, E.S. Jameson was pastor. Union Arbor Freewill Baptist Church was first located in the Sand Hills Community, but in 1977 had to move because of the lignite mining. The building was moved to Beckville. The old building still stands at the church’s present location, but a new sanctuary has been built.

Calvary Baptist Church was organized in 1953 with thirty-one members. Rev. Eugene Cox, with the help of the congregation, designed a building program that included a 300 capacity sanctuary, 2 huge bathrooms, and a foyer. The old sanctuary was converted into a fellowship hall.

In 1954 Grand Bluff Baptist Church was established. Mr. Ike Reeves donated the building site and a building was moved to that location. The original building has been enlarged several times since then. The first pastor was Rev. Henry Fisher.