Kiokee Baptist Church, Protestant church in Appling, Georgia, US.
Kiokee Baptist Church is a Protestant church in Appling built from brick with traditional architectural features including a tall steeple and evenly spaced windows. The structure occupies grounds with mature trees and sits on several acres of pastoral land, maintaining its original appearance with period details typical of early American rural churches.
Kiokee Baptist Church was founded in 1772 by the Reverend Daniel Marshall and is regarded as the oldest continuing Baptist congregation in Georgia. Around 1792 the congregation built "Marshall's Meetinghouse"; the Old Kiokee building on the present site dates from 1808. A chapel built in Appling around 1828 was destroyed by a tornado in 1875, and the church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
The church serves as a gathering place where local residents come together for worship and community events throughout the year. It remains a center of spiritual life for Baptist families in the region, continuing traditions that have shaped their social bonds.
The church is easily accessible by car and has adequate parking for visitors who wish to view the exterior and grounds. It is best to visit at times when services are not in session to respect the congregation's activities and privacy.
Turnbuckles visible in the Old Kiokee building are linked by local tradition to a tornado that destroyed the church's Appling chapel in 1875; they are said to have been installed to realign the structure. Baptisms still take place in Kiokee Creek behind the building.
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