Old Independence Church, built for all denominations, was situated near the campground across the road from its present site. The Methodists organized a membership and claimed the church. The matter was carried to the courts. A young lawyer, Robert Toombs, defended the Methodists and won the case. The beginning of the Old Independence was around 1783, and it became a Methodist Church in the 1830s. In 1840, Thomas L. Wooten deeded the lot on which the Old Church building stood to the trustees. In 1870, this church building was sold to the black people who moved it to land given them to them in Tignall. A new church building was erected, and in 1871 Bishop George F. Pierce preached the dedication sermon. A Sunday school celebration was held in 1879 with almost 1,000 attending. Dr. A. G. Haygood, President of Emory College delivered the address. The church has been remodeled many times. In 1930 the Church School Annex was added and a Fellowship Hall was built in 1974. Many prominent families in the county have been identified as members of this church. Several have been licensed to preach at her altars, the more prominent being, Reverend J.W. Hinton, D.D., a preacher and writer of national fame.
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