Date Original
1864-1999
Description
The collection contains church records and personal documents of long-time residents of the community. It also contains school and educational material, including journals of the Arkansas Teachers Association (A.T.A.).
Biographical/Historical Note
Pilgrim Missionary Baptist was an African American church established in 1888 with Reverend Wesley Gains as its first pastor. The church is located in the Pilgrim Community of Solgohachia, Conway County, Arkansas. It started as a brush arbor, before a building was constructed. Although, the first structure was destroyed by fire, the congregation eventually rebuilt. It is the second building that is believed to be standing today. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist was a part of the Cypress Creek District of the Regular Missionary Baptist Convention, associated with the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Incorporated. African American families migrated to the area from South Carolina. However, due to an eventual decline in population, neighboring communities comprised of Pilgrim, Bethlehem, and Pisgah later consolidated to form North View Community. Over the years, children were educated at Pilgrim School which began in the church before a story-story school was built. They later attended North View School (1932-1961), a four room Rosenwald (now North View Community Center), and Conway County Training School (renamed East Side High School), in Menifee, Arkansas. As people moved away, and death claimed many of the elders, the congregation of Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church dwindled to only four members. Pilgrim closed its doors in December 1998 with Reverend H.J. Heaggans serving as its last pastor. The four remaining members transferred to Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church, in Springfield, Arkansas. A local cemetery preservation group was established in 2007 to maintain the cemetery located across the road from the church on two acres of land. The cemetery with over 125 known burials is still in use by the community.
Physical Description
Document, 8.5" x 11"
Geographical Area
Arkansas
Language
English
Identifier
MS.000610
Resource Type
Text
Collection
Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church records, MS.000610
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church records, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rights
Use and reproduction of images held by the Arkansas State Archives without prior written permission is prohibited. For information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6900 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.
Disciplines
United States History
