History of the Union Church
Irwinton “Free Church” known as the “Union Church” was established and Chartered in 1854 by an Act of the Georgia Legislature. The building was completed in 1856.The Union Church was born following a disaster. In 1854, an unknown arsonist burned the Methodist and the Baptist houses of worship and the Wilkinson County Courthouse. A decision was made by the people of this small town to erect one house to serve the worshippers of three denominations. Methodist Episcopal, Missionary Baptist and Presbyterian. At the time, there were only a few of the Presbyterian faith in Irwinton. Whether they ever used the sanctuary as a meeting place on Sundays as set aside by the Act, is not known. The methodist and the Baptist met on alternate Sundays for 102 years, except on a fifth Sunday when no services were held. Before applying for a Charter, William O. Beall, a Baptist, donated an acre of land for the building. Cochran, a Presbyterian, who was a State Senator, put up the money for the er****on of the Church. The contract for construction was given to Patrick Ward, a Catholic, who operated a carriage shop in Irwinton. This perhaps accounts for the design of the building. The three massive columns in front are said to represent the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The Union Church is indeed historically significant. The wording of a portion of the Charter, setting aside certain Sundays for the several denominations is unprecedented, insofar as it is known.The appointment of a Board of Trustees, made up of members from the three Protestant denominations to control the use of the church, is unusual.During the Civil War, General William Tecumseh Sherman’s officers appropriated the church and used the sanctuary as a ‘grainary’. The term, a misnomer, applied to a place for storing loot until it could be carted away. Early in 1950, the Methodists and the Baptist felt the need for additional facilities and agreed to build their respective churches. The Presbyterians signed a quit claim to the property in 1953. Meanwhile, no money was spent for the maintenance from the time the decisions were made until the church was vacated. The Baptist moved out in 1958, and the Methodists held dedication services in their new sanctuary in May of 1962.The decision to leave the Union Church was not unanimous. Some members felt a deep attachment to the old house of worship. In March of 1966, the people initiated a program to restore the Union Church as a Shrine in the memory of the years when their forefathers knew no other place of worship. The job was finished early in 1967. Copied from a document hanging on the wall at the Union Church August of 2013, author unknown.
