Category Archives: Mountville GA

A historical marker placed by the church relates the history of the congregation: The Mountville United Methodist Church was organized in 1828. In its earliest years it was called Mount Pleasant Methodist Episcopal Church. The church was organized under the leadership of the Reverend John Hunter, a Methodist circuit rider, and its first meetings were held in the log cabin home of local pioneer Thomas Evans, near Camp Viola. Pioneers settled along the Troup and Meriwether County line. In the fall of 1828, a log cabin church building was raised in Meriwether County. The church was located about a mile from Mountville on the Keith Road. In 1834, the Mount Pleasant Methodist Episcopal Church, South, became a part of the Greenville Circuit. From the beginning, class leaders held a Sabbath School, but John N. Carleton organized the first Sunday School in 1866. After the War Between the States it was thought best to move the church to a place more accessible for the greatest number of people. Therefore, in 1871, Dr. Joseph Bradfield gave the church a five-acre tract (which is the present Mountville Cemetery) to use for a building site. The church was changed from the Greenville Circuit to the Hogansville Circuit. Later, in 1893, the church became part of the Mountville Circuit.

In 1908, the Mount Pleasant Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was moved from ‘the hill’ to its present site on land purchased from Olin Carleton. A white frame church building in modified English Gothic style was built and later a parsonage added. The name of the church was changed to Mountville Methodist Church in 1939. In 1963, ‘Beuna Owens Day’ was observed and an electric organ was purchased in honor of Mrs. Beuna Owens, an active and dedicated member of the church for over 80 years. On Homecoming, October 10, 1965, ten stained glass memorial windows were installed in the church sanctuary. For nearly two centuries, Mountville United Methodist Church has been an inspiration to and has provided spiritual leadership and service for residents of the Mountville Community, the oldest settlement and highest point in Troup County. Its members today are grateful for the Christian influence the church has held in their lives and in the community. As it looks to the future, it reflects upon the statement that John F. Evans, who joined the church in 1829 and was the son of the church founder, prayerfully wrote in 1898, ‘May God bless old Mount Pleasant and may she be a bright and shining light in old Troup’.