Lebanon_Methodist Church

Lebanon Methodist

In a "HISTORY OF LEBANON METHODIST CHURCH" Mrs Lee Haynes(Wanna Fay Jones dau. of Chester Jones, historian, gives many interesting facts which will be of interest to Langford, Jones and affiliated descendants. This has for so many years been the home church of the family; Lebanon Meth. Church was built in 1845 on the Holly Springs road, 10 miles from Gainesville. The church was located next to what is today known as the Gilmer Cemetery. In 1865 the church was moved to the Camp Ground located one mile off Highway 323(Gillsville Highway) and 8 miles from Gainesville. Howell McClesky was responsible for the church being moved so that it would be more centrally located to the members, who included the Langfords, Eberharts, McCleskeys,Joneses,Buffington ,Butterworth and Duraham Families. The site of the 5 acres for the original Camp Ground was sold for $1.00 by Ezekiel Buffington in 1845 to the Meth. Episcopal Church.The land was to be used as a camp meeting grown and known as Lebanon Camp Ground. The agreement was that at any time the camp meetings were disbanded the land, with the exception of improvements which were to belong to the tent holders, was to revert back to the estate of Ezekiel Buffington.(Cmp Ground association was not formally chartered until 1849,court document on file Hall County Courthouse) In 1895 the second church building was erected on land given by Berrian Buffington, including the Cemetery. The present brick church building, the third built on the site, was erected in 1954-1955