The First Baptist Church was organized in 1839. It is situated
near the town square of Covington, TN in Tipton County. If you have
extra time, plan to spend a couple of hours exploring this quaint
and well-kept town square with historic churches, Ritz and Ruffin
Theatres and courthouse. The information on the card inside the box
is about a church down the street from this location called Canaan
Baptist Church, so after finding this cache, you may want to note
the address and find it while you are there, too.
Information on Canaan Baptist Church Source: Carroll Van West
and Brad Wolf, "Canaan Baptist Church, Tipton Co., TN," National
Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, MTSU Center for
Historic Preservation.
Built from 1916 to 1917, the Canaan Baptist Church, at 211 North
Main Street in Covington is listed in the National Register of
Historic Places under Criterion A for its role in the social
history, religious history, and the ethnic heritage of African
Americans in Covington and Tipton County. As the oldest and primary
African American Missionary Baptist church in Covington, Canaan is
still a significant social, political, and religious center of the
African-American community. The Canaan Baptist Church was organized
in 1868 two miles northwest of Covington, Tennessee on the Leigh
Chapel Road under a brush arbor by the Reverend Jupiter Williams, a
former slave. He served as pastor until 1871 and resigned from ill
health as a result of life under slavery. Reverend William Adams
brought the congregation into Covington and built a small frame
church on what is now known as North Main Street.
The present church building stands at the site of the third
church building, which originally was a frame church for whites in
Covington and known as the First Baptist Church. This move into
much larger quarters happened under the direction of Reverend David
Evans, who served as Caanan's minister from 1876 to 1885. The
congregation continued to use this building for over thirty
years.
In 1916-17, the frame church was torn down and replaced by the
current brick church under the direction of Reverend William J.
Clark. Just north of the southeast entrance is a dedication stone,
which reads "Canaan Bapt. Church, Organized 1868 by Rev. J.
Williams, Rebuilt 1916 B.F. Walker, Peter Vaughn, G.R. Smith, Bob
Lauderdale, Skidmore Taylor, William Ervin, William Smith, W.J.
Clark Pastor". These people were instrumental in support of the
construction of the new church.
Canaan's pivotal church leader of the twentieth century,
however, was Reverend John Henry Seward, a dentist by professional
training, who served the congregation from 1931 to 1966. During his
pasturage the church renovated the interior of the church by adding
the present balcony and electricity. He started many programs that
brought the church to statewide, nationwide, and international
involvement.
Log and pencil, along with small goodies such as keychains, are
in a waterproof smaller-sized box.
Part of The "National Great River Road 70th Anniversary
Geocaching Event."