| Antioch Baptist Church was organized on April 22, 1837 with nineteen members who withdrew from Long Branch Baptist Church. The original nineteen members met in a small log building that still exists on the Antioch property. Over the years, the log building was used in various ways, including a school, prayer meeting site and for worship services until the church was built in 1838. The log house today has been upgraded to include running water and heat and air conditioning. It now serves as a location to conduct Sunday school classes and church meetings. In 1926 the log house in which the Church as first organized was put on the market by the Sinclair heirs and was purchased by the Women’s Missionary Society to be held in trust. The Women’s Missionary Society titled the property back to Antioch in 1957. The original church structure was built of stone and mortar and sat where the building is today. The mortar became weak making the building unsafe and it was taken down and rebuilt as the existing building in 1901. The original stones are still under the foundation of the church. The cemetery that is on the Church property is the resting place for veterans of several wars, including the Civil War. Descendants of those veterans still reside in the area and attend Antioch Baptist church. The stream just behind the church was used for baptisms. Antioch Baptist Church is the mother church of Haymarket Baptist. 28 members left Antioch in 1894 to establish Haymarket Baptist Church, which was built in 1903. From 1838 until 1962 the church continued holding church services and serving as host for various religious association meetings. Homecomings were common at Antioch during those years. There were great times of distress including the Civil War, which at times prevented services to be conducted. Many pastors have served Antioch throughout the years. |
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