Calvary Baptist Church Bell Tower - Rio Grande, OH
Posted by: 
silverquill
N 38° 53.156 W 082° 22.672
17S E 380494 N 4305020
This church was organized in 1850, with this building erected about 1853, first known as the First Freewill Baptist Church. The white frame building features a simple bell tower.
Waymark Code: WME8E1
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 04/18/2012
Views: 1
This area of Gallia county was largely settled by the Welsh who arrived here in the early 19th century. This building was erected shortly after the organization as the Freewill Baptist Church, about 1853 according to
Ohio Genealogy Express and is now affiliated with the American Baptist Church. The Baptist Church sponsored the nearby
Rio Grande University until the latter half of the 20th Century.
The church building is a one-story white wood frame building with a short bell tower, although several additions seem to have been constructed over the years. There is no reference to the belfry itself or any bell that might be there or has been there. The adjoining Calvary Cemetery has nearly a thousand graves, going back to the early days of Raccoon Township where it is located.