City: Chipley   County: Washington   Year: 2023
Location: 2191 Owens Pond Rd

The historic Washington Primitive Baptist Church has stood near the banks of Hard Labor Creek since 1932. Constituted in 1848, the congregation first met in a heart pine building on the north side of Owens Pond Road. In 1931, church members voted to replace the original building with a frame vernacular construction built with materials harvested from the surrounding woodlands. In 1950, the congregation discovered they did not own the lot where the church stood, so they moved the structure to the south side of the road. The church served as a school until Washington County consolidated the schools in the 1950s. Population shifts and deaths of members led to declining membership. It has had no active parishioners since the late 1980s. In 2018, tree damage from Hurricane Michael made the structure unsafe. Donations to repair the building came from across the community. Some funds came from past members who had fond memories of learning in the little white church. The care provided to the Washington Primitive Baptist Church reflects its prominent place in the county’s heritage.